Meet the 2024 Judging Panel
Chef Dylan McGrath
Dylan was born in Dublin and raised in Belfast where he then studied at Portrush Catering College and
Belfast Institute. He began his first Job in Jurys Inn, Belfast, and then left to work in Roscoffs, Northern
Ireland’s only Michelin-starred restaurant. He also worked at The Commons Restaurant and Peacock
Alley with most of his culinary skills being acquired at John Burton Race in L’Ortolan and Tom Aikens in
Chelsea where he became Head Chef.
Dylan returned home to Ireland to take up his own Head Chef position at Mint restaurant where he
gained a Michelin-star at the age of 29. While in Mint Dylan was the subject of fly-on-the-wall documentary, Pressure Cooker which created public awareness in the media of Dylan’s creativity and determination.
In August 2010 he opened Rustic Stone, followed by Fade Street Social and Brasserie Sixty6. Dylan has
had a broad career with restaurants at different levels and has hosted many Irish cooking shows including consecutive years as the MasterChef Ireland judge.
Recently he apeared as a judge in Takeaway Titans series and took a role of a mentor in Dylan McGrath’s
Secret Service.
He has won a number of prestigious awards over the years and has been described as a creative genius & an incredibly talented chef by many.
Chef Kerry Roper
Chef Kerry Roper is the Executive Chef of the Balmoral Hotel and is well aware of the challenge of culinary competition - Chef Roper recently competed on the Great British Menu 2023, making it to the final of the regional heats. Kerry impressed celebrity judges Tom Kerridge, Nisha Katona, Ed Gamble and award-winning illustrator, Oliver Jeffers, particularly with her Green Crayon dessert which was inspired by Jeffers. Her surge in the final ensured Kerry received an invite from Andi Oliver to return next year to compete again.
Chef Roper has spent the last decade deepening her craft through several high profile establishments across the province. From her early days as part of the serving staff in Avoca, Kerry rose through the ranks until she gained the role of Sous Chef at Balloo House Bistro. This is where Kerry began working with her long time mentor and friend, Chef Danni Barry. She then began to lead her own kitchen as Head Chef at the Salty Dog in Bangor before taking her current role as Executive Chef in the Balmoral Hotel.
Joris Minne
Joris Minne has been writing a food column every week in the Belfast Telegraph for 15 years. He has reviewed more than 700 restaurants in that time. His background is in journalism. He trained at National Geographic in Washington DC in the 1980s, joined London publishing giant IPC Magazines and moved to Madrid in 1990 where he was a stringer for Time, Sports Illustrated and the Irish Times. He has been a director of leading Belfast PR agency JComms since 2001.
An Armagh man, he is devoted to his adopted city of Belfast having chaired the MAC arts centre through funding and eventual construction. He is a director of Women in Business, the John O’Connor Writing School and Newry Chamber Music. He joins Danni Barry as co-judge in BBC1’s 'Farm to Feast: Best Menu Wins' TV cookery competition and has chaired the judging panel of the Hospitality Ulster Top 100, the Irish Curry Awards and is a member of the judging panel of Sunday Business Post’s Food & Wine Magazine. His Irish is desperate but he speaks decent French and Spanish.
Guest Judges
Throughout the competition knockout stages, a number of esteemed chefs from across the Island of Ireland have been asked to provide professional feedback to contestants and to help determine the selection process.
