Celebrity chef wins title for ‘World’s best cookbook’

It’s a big win for “Brian McDermott’s Donegal Table,” as it was selected over runner-up “Mirazur,” written by Michelin-starred chef Mauro Colagreco. The Italian-Argentinian chef’s restaurant in the south of France Mirazur was just named No. 1 on the influential World’s 50 Best Restaurants ranking.

As one of 12 children in Burt, Co. Donegal, Ireland, McDermott grew up in a busy house that centred around the family kitchen, where his mother prepared traditional homecooked meals for her big Irish family.

His mother’s cooking would inspire McDermott to pursue a Culinary Arts Degree and eventually become a celebrity chef in Ireland and regular on the Irish food circuit.

“Donegal Table” features everyday home cooking recipes like roast lemon and thyme chicken, Wild Atlantic Way fish pie (named after the wild Irish coastline), rhubarb crumble and black pudding dipping fritters.

Along with “Mirazur,” Chen Kentaro’s “A Dash of Szechwan” was also a finalist in the category of best chef cookbook.

Overall, France took home the highest number of awards for best food and drink titles at 38, followed by China (32), Sweden (29), USA (28) and Spain (25).

Here are some of the big winners from the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, which were announced in Macau recently:

Hall of Fame: “Encyclopedia of Food Security and Sustainability” by Pasquale Ferranti by Elliot M. Berry, Jock R. Anderson, UK
Best Woman Chef: “Grace’s 60 Recipes” by Grace Choy, Hong Kong
TV Celebrity Chef in English: Zola Nene, “Simply Zola” South Africa
Best vegan: “Det Veganska Koket”by Mattias Kristiansson, Sweden
Best meat: “Pechugon” by Blanca Ceuppens, Benita Benitez, Paraguay
Vegetarian: “Vegefuru” by Manami Iwata, Japan
Barbecue: “Etxebarri” by Jon Sarabia, Juan Pablo Cardenal, Spain
Food writing: “Le discours amoureux des épices” by Fatema Hal, France