Cork trio on shortlist for TV Home Cook competition

Three Cork people have been shortlisted in an eight-person lineup for RTÉ’s inaugural TV Home Cook competition.

The competition, hosted via RTÉ’s Today show, will see the group of amateur cooks from Cork, Galway, Dublin, and Mayo go fight for a chance to secure a place in the final round.

Among the eight finalists selected following a widespread search for home cooks last month, are Rosaria Manchese from Monkstown, who is a family support worker, Gerald Daniels from Mitchelstown, who is a production manager, and Kay Lehane from Doneraile, who is a primary school teacher.

The trio were chosen by RTÉ presenters Dáithí Ó Sé, Maura Derrane, and Sinead Kennedy, who were on the hunt for home cooks that had “a flair for food and a passion for chatting”.

With chef Trisha Lewis as mentor, contestants needed to step from the home kitchen into the TV kitchen, cooking, sharing their recipes, and showcasing their personality to a national audience.

Ms Lewis said the standard of the home cooks was “exceptional”, and that they brought “such a genuine, uplifting energy to the Today kitchen”.

“I’m proud and honoured to be their mentor,” said Ms Lewis.

Public voting, where viewers can select who they would like to see in the competition final, is now open, and will close at 6pm on Tuesday.

Videos of each home cook in action in the Today show kitchen are available to watch now on the RTÉ Player YouTube channel and on the RTÉ Today show Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Following this round of voting, four semi-finalists will be announced on Wednesday.

The final four will each get the opportunity to cook live on the Today show, before the vote opens again in mid-May.

Two home cooks will then win a place in the live final and will cook head-to-head on May 25, before the winner of the overall competition is announced live on the show on May 26.

For more information, or to cast a vote, visit: https://tinyurl.com/mr3pepwa.