Chris McClurg hosts latest Culinary Salon dinner

 

The most recent dinner in the Culinary Salon series from Ulster University and the Oxford Cultural Collective was prepared by Chris McClurg, Chef Patron of Paul Ainsworth at No. 6, who is known to UK audiences as a winner of the BBC’s Great British Menu. Held at the Academy restaurant, Belfast, on 14th November, the dinner was the fourteenth in the series, which gives students the opportunity to work with many of the best loved chefs and food writers from across the UK and Ireland. 

Back in his native Northern Ireland, Chris worked with students to deliver a menu showcasing his unique interpretation of classic dishes. Prior to dinner, in conversation with Dr Laura Wells, he shared his distinctive culinary philosophy and reflected on the role that students are likely to play in the future of hospitality in Northern and internationally.

Hailing from Hillsborough in County Down, Chris now lives and works in Padstow, North Cornwall. He has worked with Chef Paul Ainsworth at his eponymous restaurant, No6, for nearly a decade. Drawn to the kitchen from a young age, Chris spent three years under the tutelage of Jack O’Shea at his iconic London butchery, honing skills that set him apart from the pack the moment he stepped into the No 6 kitchen.

Rising through the ranks over the years, he was part of the team that won their Michelin star in 2013. In 2018 he was named Observer Food Monthly’s Young Chef of the Year and in March 2022 made it through to the prestigious Great British Menu banquet with his dessert ‘A Trifle Derry Girls’.

 

 

The Culinary Salon series from Ulster University and the Oxford Cultural Collective, is supported by the Savoy Educational Trust. Across fourteen dinners to date, Hospitality and Culinary Arts Management students have had the opportunity to work with some of the most respected and best loved chefs from across the UK and Ireland. The events, which now sell out within hours of going live, have become a much anticipated feature of Belfast’s vibrant food scene.