RESTAURANT OWNERS IN Ireland have warned that there is now a “crisis” in the shortage of chefs in the country and an investment in training is urgently needed.

Today the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) said some 5,000 new chefs are required each year by 2020 to meet the demand but the sector is suffering a severe skills shortage.

A lack of commis chefs feeds into shortages at higher and specialist levels, the organisation said, and many of those applying for chef positions are not appropriately qualified.

“We want to be able to market Ireland as a centre of food excellence, a true culinary experience with world-class chefs leading the way. Instead, we are finding ourselves in a position where we have a severe shortage of chefs in Ireland which is now threatening growth and expansion in the restaurant sector,” commented Chief Executive Adrian Cummins.

The association is calling for the establishment of ten new chef training centres to address the fact that 1,800 chefs qualify each year leaving a deficit of around 5,000 chef trainees.

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