Ireland has a new Michelin-starred restaurant, with the much-anticipated award of a star to Ahmet Dede for his restaurant Dede, in Baltimore, which opened last year.
In its citation, Michelin said: “The supremely talented chef Ahmet Dede shares his Turkish heritage with the lucky people of Baltimore.”
The award to Dede was among the first group of five new recipients of one-star status to be announced at a virtual awards ceremony tonight for Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2021.
The awards were jointly hosted by Davina McCall, in London, and Michelin international director Gwendal Poullennec, in Paris.
In an evening of strong performances from Irish restaurants, Ross Lewis, of Chapter One, in Dublin, was awarded the Chef Mentor award in recognition of his nurturing of young chef talent.
The Irish chef Clare Smyth received Michelin’s ultimate accolade when she won a coveted third star for Core, her London restaurant, which opened in 2017. Smyth, who is from Co Antrim, cooked at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay from 2012 to 2016.
The first award of the the guide’s 2021 prize ceremony, the Welcome and Service award, was made to Saul McConnell and Pearson Morris of Noble in Holywood, Co Down.
Michelin’s first Green stars, for businesses that embrace sustainability, were awarded to 23 restaurants, three of them in Ireland and all of those in Galway. They are Inis Meain Restaurant and Suites, on the Aran Islands, and Kai and Loam, both in Galway city.
