Denis Cotter
Encyclopedia
Denis Cotter is an Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 celebrity chef, author, television personality and proprietor of the acclaimed vegetarian Café Paradiso
Café Paradiso
Café Paradiso is an award-winning Irish restaurant located in Cork, County Cork. It specialises in vegetarian cuisine and the proprietor of this restaurant is the celebrity chef and television personality Denis Cotter. It has been featured in publications such as the Irish Independent, which...

 restaurant in Cork City. He has published three cookbooks - "Cafe Paradiso Cookbook", "Paradiso Seasons" and "wild garlic, gooseberries...and me", and his fourth book is due to be published in 2011 by Harper Collins. Himself and his cookery have featured on the RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...

 television series Guerrilla Gourmet
Guerrilla Gourmet
Guerrilla Gourmet is an Irish television series broadcast on RTÉ One. The series features professional chefs from various backgrounds, such as Dylan McGrath and Kevin Dundon, who each take on a new challenge...

but he has no Michelin
Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...

 stars of which at least one Irish media outlet has expressed surprise.

Style

Cotter is described as a "vegetarian icon" and "hero to non meat eaters", beginning his career as a banker before quitting to form his own restaurant business. His meals include goat's cheese gnocchi with pan-fried artichokes. In Cafe Paradiso, his Cork city restaurant, Cotter has evolved a unique style of of vegetarian cooking, based on local produce and cheeses, and especially based on a close working relationship with Gortnanain Farm just outside the city.

Career

Cotter opened his award-winning Café Paradiso restaurant in Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...

 in 1993. He published his first cookbook in 1999, followed in 2003 by Paradiso Seasons, which was named as best vegetarian cookbook in the world at the Gourmand World Cookbook Fair in 2004. In 2007, his third book, 'wild garlic, gooseberries...and me", was published by Harper Collins and shortlisted for the Andre Simon awards. His fourth book, "for the love of food", will be published in March 2011.

Cotter is also a cookery teacher, and has taught at schools in Ireland such as The Tannery in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, Ballymaloe Cookery School in Co. Cork and Donnybrook Fair in Dublin, as well as stints in the Stratford Chefs School and Jill's Table in Ontario, Canada.

In February 2008, Cotter featured in the third episode of Guerrilla Gourmet, a television series which had six professional chefs attempt to set up their own temporary restaurant in an unusual location. Cotter's challenge saw him construct a "Gary Larson
Gary Larson
Gary Larson is the creator of The Far Side, a single-panel cartoon series that was syndicated internationally to newspapers for 15 years. The series ended with Larson's retirement on January 1, 1995. His 23 books of collected cartoons have combined sales of more than 45 million...

-esque world where he turns reality inside out" – he established a vegetarian restaurant in the sale yard of Bandon
Bandon
Bandon is the name of several places*Bandon, County Cork, Ireland*the River Bandon in Ireland*Bandon , former constituency in Ireland*Bandon, the old name of Surat Thani in Thailand**the Bandon Bay near Surat Thani...

 Mart to attract local beef farmers to try his vegetarian options. Cotter's challenge was all the more trying for him because he possesses a fear of cattle.

Awards

Cotter was named "Chef of the Year" by the Irish magazine 'Food & Wine' in 2005, and "Best Chef in Cork" by the Restaurant Association of Ireland in 2009. Cafe Paradiso is listed as an icon in the "Bridgestone 100 Best Places to Eat in Ireland" guidebook. It was voted ‘Best Restaurant in Munster’ by the readers of ‘Food & Wine’ magazine in 2001, and the restaurant was also voted ‘Restaurant of the Year’ by Les Routiers Ireland in 2004.

On 7 March 2009, the Irish Independent
Irish Independent
The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...

listed Cotter, alongside Neven Maguire of the MacNean Restaurant, Brian McCann of Shu and Martin Shanahan of Fishy Fishy Cafe, as a chef whom many would be surprised to learn has no Michelin stars to his name and never has had. At the time there were only six restaurants in possession of this accolade and all of them were in Dublin.

External links

  • Denis discusses greens with the BBC
    BBC
    The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

  • Cafe Paradiso
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