VIDEO: James Devine on winning National Chef of the Year 2017

James Devine is National Chef of the Year 2017. He had his doubts about entering but ultimately came out on top. The Belfast native is currently sous chef at Michelin-starred EIPIC, run by Danni Barry, only the second female Irish chef to ever gain a coveted star.

Adam Thomason of Deloitte, Restaurant Associates and Charles Smith of Alyn Williams at The Westbury came in second and third respectively behind James.

James spoke to The Staff Canteen about what winning the award means to him, overcoming competition nerves, and life at EIPIC.

You’ve joined a very prestigious list of chefs who have won National Chef of the Year in the past, how does that feel?

It feels awesome, even now. It’s a great honour to be on such a prestigious list of chefs, I’m a massive fan of many of the previous winners and every time when I think I’ve put Northern Ireland on the list I giggle to myself.

>>> Related: James Devine, National Chef of the Year 2017, to leave EIPIC to launch first restaurant

You almost didn't enter this year, what changed your mind?

At first I was quite dismissive about entering as I thought a sous chef from Belfast had absolutely no chance of winning. Ironically that became the very reason I entered. I was drawn to the sheer feat of the challenge. I liked the idea of defying the odds.

Did you learn a lot from your previous attempts?

Every competition you learn a lot, you grow, you develop, you get better. I always compare it to a sport, all the training in the world doesn't compare to an actual match. The pressure is different and the environment is unfamiliar, sometimes even hostile, so the more you put yourself in those situations the better you become.

How did you get into the industry?

Unfortunately I don’t really have a cool story to tell, basically I was very naive and thought it looked like fun.

What’s it like working at EIPIC and how did they support you?

Working at Eipic was great, I learnt loads during my time there and definitely walked away a better chef from it. I received great support from the restaurant, and Michael Deane himself was both very encouraging and financially supportive too. I got massive help from other chefs too, they would come in on their days off to help wash up and taste the food. I couldn’t have done it without my colleagues Nathan, Stuart and Jose Diaz.

What opportunities have arisen from winning National Chef of the Year?

To be honest I found it quite bizarre really with some of the job offers. I never in a million years would have believed anyone if they had said both Simon Rogan and Alyn Williams would ring me and offer me a job directly! Those calls meant as much as winning NCOTY. I had always planned to pursue my own thing after leaving EIPIC and I’m sticking to that plan.

What do you enjoy doing outside of the kitchen?

Outside of the kitchen I mainly enjoy spending time with friends and family. It often involves me cooking but I don’t mind as long as the company’s good. Recently I also took up Mixed Martial Arts and I like to spend at least one day a week in the cag.

Would you encourage other chefs to enter National Chef of the year?
Absolutely, I couldn’t recommend it enough.

>>> Read more about National Chef of the Year here