by Gráinne Connolly
Maghera man, Ryan Porter, who has only been cooking for the past three years, is competing in the Regional Finals of the Roux Scholarships in England today.
The Roux Scholarship is the premier competition for chefs in the UK and ranks among the most prestigious in the world.
While it seems like another competition with a prize, these competitors face a career changing opportunity or in Ryan's words, "to win...you're set for life."
Ryan, who's always had a love for food, started cooking at the age of 21 and now at the age of 24 he's a chef at Northcote, a luxury country house hotel in Lancashire, England.
He's told Q Radio that he never expected to get this far in the competition:
For this stage of the competition, Ryan has planned his main course before going in and will then have to create a dessert with ingredients given to him in a mystery box.
Although Ryan says he's going in as an underdog, he says he's confident that he has put in the hard work to do well:
Six winners from today's Regional Finals being held simultaneously in Birmingham and London, will progress on to the Final and Awards on the 26th March.
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