Local Sous Chef wins prestigious award
Lauma Kilgas, Senior Sous Chef at Kilronan Castle Hotel & Spa in Co. Roscommon, is crowned Ireland’s Next Top Chef 2025. Lauma is pictured with John Trainor, Chairperson of Ireland’s Next Top Chef, and the Grand Finale’s esteemed judging panel: Michelin-starred chef Dylan McGrath, Barcelona-based chef and sustainability advocate Sergi de Meià, and acclaimed local food critic and broadcaster Joris Minne.
A rising star in Irish cuisine, Lauma Kilgas, Senior Sous Chef at Kilronan Castle Hotel & Spa in Co. Roscommon, has been crowned Ireland’s Next Top Chef 2025 after serving a faultless three-course menu in front of a live audience and world-class judging panel.
Lauma cooked up a storm in a high-pressure Grand Finale at the Balmoral Hotel in Belfast, going head-to-head with Stephen Dowie (La Taqueria, Belfast) and Scott Mallett (Café Zulu, Lisburn) in a thrilling live cook-off that showcased the very best of emerging culinary talent from across the island of Ireland.
Each finalist was challenged to craft a signature three-course menu that captured their unique style, creativity and technical excellence to claim the coveted title and an all-expenses-paid mentorship at two-star Michelin restaurant Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in London.
Lauma’s winning menu was a standout display of balance, creativity and technical finesse. Her starter, whipped goat’s cheese encased in beetroot jelly and charcoal tulle, was served with hazelnuts, basil oil, micro greens and beetroot textures, earning praise for its visual impact and layered flavour.
Her main course, a chicken and parsley ballotine with mushroom ketchup, potato pearls, shiitake mushrooms and a garlic and whiskey velouté, impressed the judges with its refinement and precision.
She rounded off the menu with a parsnip and mascarpone mousse, complemented by honey biscuit textures, raspberry gel and caviar, finished with a dark sugar and honey caramel.
Lauma Kilgas, Senior Sous Chef at Kilronan Castle Hotel & Spa and winner of Ireland’s Next Top Chef 2025, said: “Being crowned Ireland’s Next Top Chef is an incredible honour and without question the most rewarding moment of my career so far. This competition has pushed me to explore new creative boundaries, refine my technique under real pressure and truly trust my instincts as a chef.
“From the very first challenge, I’ve grown both personally and professionally and I’m incredibly grateful to my amazing colleagues at Kilronan Castle for their support throughout this competition.
“To now have the opportunity to train at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, one of the world’s most innovative kitchens, is a dream come true. I’m ready to learn, to grow and to keep pushing myself to become the very best chef I can be.”
