Masterchef Ireland 2012 Final 12 images and biographies
1. Sinead Considine
Age: 38
From: Dublin
Lives: Adelaide road, Dublin
Marital Status: Married with one child, Mila (21 months)
Occupation: Owner of Upstage, an interior design business. Part time milliner.
About : Sinead is a real foodie. She is very creative and was runner up in Grazia magazines Hat Factor Competition judged by Philip Treacy. She is really into her ingredients and specialist shops such as Fallon and Byrne. She lived and worked in Australia as a restaurant reviewer for The Age Good Food Guide 11 years ago. She loves experimenting and being creative and particularly with dishes, experimenting with different flavours and food combinations. Sinead loves Spanish food and tapas, and has a very special affinity to Madrid and its foods, and also as her dad lives there and she got married in a small village to the north of the city near Segovia.
2. Brian Topping
Age: 42
From: Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Lives: Portmarnock, Dublin
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Currently unemployed. Previously worked in the industrial insulation sector.
About : Brian is a huge foodie! When he was young his grandmother would cook curries and meat ragu that were considered very exotic at the time and this allowed his imagination to transport him to far off places. A dream of his was realised when he got to eat at the French Laundry in California in 2008. He says that if he could turn back time he would pursue a career in food. Brian loves to experiment with food and take traditionally classic combinations and present them with a modern twist. He is a perfectionist when it comes to the cooking of food.
3. Conn MacCormaic
Age: 27
From: Dublin
Lives: Kilbarrack, Dublin
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: Currently unemployed but has just returned from 4 years of travelling all over the world.
About: Conn has a passion for food and is really eager to learn more. When he was young he would wait until his parents dinner parties were over and would devour all the left overs. His travels have influenced his cooking especially the cuisine of South East Asia where the ingredients and creativity of the locals inspire him to be more creative. When he first started travelling Asia 4 years ago Conn fell in love with Asian cuisine and in particular Thai and Vietnamese food. The reason for this, he states, were the dishes they create full of incredible flavours and freshness using only local ingredients and the freshest fish. He would love to become a successful head chef one day.
4. Tamarin Blackmur
Age: 35
From: South Africa
Lives: Whitehall, Dublin
Marital Status: Lives with boyfriend
Occupation: PMO coordinator for a software company
About: Tamarin fell in love with food when she bought her first cook book and couldn’t stop reading it. She moved out of home early to travel the world and this is when she began to cook properly. She grew up in South Africa where they had lots of different meats and spices and this also influenced her. She has been living in Ireland for four years.
5. Joe Somers
Age: 44
From: Dublin
Lives: Leopardstown, Dublin
Marital Status: Married with two children, Tara and Henry aged 9 and 11.
Occupation: Flight operations controller for Cargloux, based in Luxembourg.
About: Joe’s work involves training pilots on navigation but his dream would be to own his own restaurant one day. A native of Westmeath, Joe has travelled the world with his job. He is passionate about food and has completed a one month cookery course in the Dublin Cookery School. He likes to think of himself as an all rounder but feels he is strongest at desserts. He hopes that MasterChef will help him to achieve his dream of working in the food industry one day.
6. Terry Lyons
Age: 36
From: Mayo
Lives: Dublin
Marital Status: Married with one daughter Maisy aged 18 months.
Occupation: Recently accepted redundancy from O2 after working there as product manager for 14 years.
About: Terry credits his wife with helping him to expand is palette and try new things. He has completed cookery courses in Cooks Academy and Ballyknocken House. He plans to own his own business one day that revolves around food and using local produce. He is understated but passionate about food. He loves to travel the world and draws inspiration for his cooking from his travels.
“Before we had our daughter, I travelled to many corners of the world and I particularly like the flavours of Asia. It was in South Africa 6 years ago that I first tasted fresh tuna, and only last year when I tried radishes after growing them on my apartment balcony.”
He loves to try new things in life and in cooking he feels that translates to trying new flavours and ingredients.
7. Nicha Maguire
Age: 35
From: Thailand
Lives: Navan, Co. Meath
Marital Status: Married with three boys aged 8, 6 and 4.
Occupation: Franchisee and manager of 2 Subway stores.
About: Nichaphat is originally from Thailand but has been in Ireland for 11 years. Her goal is to continue to run her business successfully. She cooks every day for her family because she wants them to eat nutritious meals. She loves to cook Thai food for her family and friends, but doesn’t like to limit herself and also loves to experiment with other foods and cultures.
8. Nick McClune
Age: 40
From: London
Lives: Swords, Dublin
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Currently unemployed but previously worked as a medical evacuation co-ordinator for peace operations companies in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East.
About: Nick is very interested in food and is interested in cooking different types of cuisines. His work has allowed him to travel all over the world and experience other food cultures. His dream would be to open a gastro pub in Dublin. He does not like to cook or eat cheese but is hoping that this is something he can overcome!
9. Andy Spencer
Age: 49
From: Yorkshire, UK
Lives: Dalkey, Co. Dublin
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Currently unemployed. Previously worked as senior manager in the UK banking sector.
About: Andy is confident of his cooking ability. He likes to cook seasonal food when it’s at its best and cooks every day for his wife. He likes to go to restaurants and replicate the dishes he eats when he is out. He used the money from his redundancy to relocate to Dublin and has been here ever since. Andy describes himself as a proud Yorkshireman, but having lived in Ireland for the past 13 years, he feels very much part of his local community.
10. Simon Morris
Age: 30
From: Dublin
Lives: Dublin
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Lecturer of business in The Carlyle Institute in Dublin
About: Simon’s passion for food began when he left home and went to college. His mother is a big influence on his cooking as she likes to show off and this rubbed off on him! While he enjoys his teaching job, he thinks about food night and day and would love to open his own restaurant/ food stall one day. His biggest food influence is travel and he has been all over the world. He likes to come home and recreate the dishes he ate while abroad. He has a certificate in wine appreciation.
Simon spent some time living in Barcelona and uses influences from here and in his travels in his cooking. One of his biggest passions is fresh fish and seafood.
11. Fidelma Boyce
Age: 31
From: Limerick
Lives: Dublin
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: Audit manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers
About: Fidelma’s mother is the main influence on her cooking and she has always helped her in the kitchen. Darina Allen is also a big influence as she grew up watching her on the television. While she is proud of her accountancy qualification, her greatest ambition is to own her own cafe and she is always collecting ideas and recipes in the hope that this will become a reality. She loves being creative and recently designed and arranged the flowers for her friends wedding! Fidelma loves to cook for friends and family and loves socialising through nice food. She continues to work in PricewaterhouseCoopers and took time out to be on the show.
12. Jacinta Caraher
Age: 37
From: Monaghan
Lives: Monaghan
Marital Status: Married with four children aged 8, 6, 4 and 2.
Occupation: Works on her brother-in-law’s organic farm. In the past she has worked as a fashion designer and owned her own bridal shop.
About: Jacinta is really interested in organic food and enjoys learning about growing the food she loves. Her mother never enjoyed cooking so Jacinta began cooking at an early age and has been hooked ever since. She has recently changed the direction of her life towards food and wants to make it her life. Cooking for her children is a challenge as she is always encouraging them to try new things. She previously owned her own bridal shop and won the title of Bridal Designer of the Year in 2000. The shop is now closed and since giving up her fashion career her creativity comes out in her cooking.
Jacinta says her favourite of a meal is dessert, and her favourite food of all time is chocolate.
“I have the sweetest tooth of anyone I know and since I was a child I have always taken a smaller portion of dinner just to be sure there was plenty of room for dessert!”
She says that similarly to trends in fashion, she has always been ‘a little unorthodox’ when it comes to food.