Mark Moriarty: Why Are Less Young People Becoming Chefs?

Mark Moriarty is the S.Pellegrino Young Chef of the Year for 2015 and he’s certainly accepted the role with all the responsibilities that come with it.

At Food on The Edge, a recent food symposium held in Ireland, Moriarty used his presentation - the closing speech of the two day event - to speak about working in the industry from a young person’s perspective.

It was an interesting point of view that’s often not expressed at large food events where big names overshadow younger talents.

In a thought provoking speech and one that makes you wonder if Moriarty really is just 23 years of age, the young Irish man touches on the shortage of chefs in the industry and speaks about why it is that people of his age don’t see a potential career in the kitchen.

He says there needs to be a high cultural shift in creating a good working environment for the kitchen, one in which young chefs are encouraged to learn and evolve, not work themselves out by the time they’re 26.

The sustainability of the chef - it’s a growing issue that many big names are now trying to address in their own restaurants. But as Moriarty says in the speech above - some of the responsibility also lies with young culinary students.

Don't forget that the newest edition of S.Pellegrino Young Chef is launching.