It's just over a year since Co Down man Jamie Neill first came to our attention after being crowned the winner of Farm To Feast: Best Menu Wins.
The 29-year-old starred in the new BBC NI show which invited seven of Northern Ireland’s most talented cooks into a stately home in Fermanagh.
Presented by Eamonn Holmes and with Michelin star chef Danni Barry and food critic Joris Minne as judges, Farm To Feast: Best Menu Wins was billed as "the first farm to fork cookery programme."
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The contestants lived together and competed against each other using ingredients found on our doorstep to make culinary masterpieces.
Jamie, deputy restaurant manager of Shu in Belfast, was up against archeologist Hannah Parker in the final of the cookery competition, celebrating amateur cooks and award-winning produce from across Northern Ireland.
The show was filmed at Crom Castle outside Enniskillen, home of Lord and Lady Erne, who got the chance to sample Jamie and Hannah's culinary skills at the end of series banquet, created using eggs and lamb.
Comber native Jamie had been living and working in Hong Kong for a year with a concept group for restaurants, until the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and he moved back home in March 2020.
With a specific interest in Asian-inspired cuisine having previously travelled to Asia with his mum and girlfriend, Jamie was encouraged to enter the show and the rest, as they say, is history.
Speaking to Belfast Live a year on from his victory, Jamie is still in regular touch with his fellow contestants.
"We still catch up quite often and try to stay in touch as much as possible which is nice even though everyone else has more 9-5 style jobs compared to me!" he laughed.
"I've been getting recognised in the restaurant a lot more since appearing on the show and people are always interested to know what I'm doing next, which is good and has helped in building up a profile."
Following his victory, Jamie has dreamt of having his own restaurant one day and since winning the show, he has launched a new venture OKO Belfast, bringing flavour to the pop up world!
Jamie plated up his first foodie venture at LASA Comber in September. The six course tasting menu was full of fabulous flavour combos drawn from his experience and time spent in Hong Kong.
The tapas style journey through Asian dishes featured Korean, Chinese and Japanese classics, all made with Jamie's signature twist.
"The couple behind LASA, Elizabeth and Conor Brennan, were finishing up their tenancy in Comber before moving to their stand at Belfast's Common Market," he explained.
"They are a lovely couple who I've got to know really well and they had their wedding in Shu. They let me take over the kitchen and restaurant for two nights and it was a real experiment for me to see how well it was received.
"I really wanted to do something quite intimate and in a really small venue. That was me dipping my toe into the world of pop-ups and gauging how much interest there would be for the future so I'm definitely planning more in the New Year in locations to be confirmed!"
Jamie added: "As much as I love working at Shu - it's a brilliant restaurant with a great and very supportive management team - I really want to start working towards a goal for myself in 2023.
"Before I turn 30 next March, I want to have more of an entity for OKO as a business with more pop-ups or private dining type events and working together with cafes, small independent venues or spaces that aren't being used all the time.
"I want people to experience new flavours and food and my first event was really well received so it's about offering something different."
You can keep an eye on Jamie's Instagram page for any updates and the good news is that Farm to Feast: Best Menu Wins is set to return for an exciting second series early next year so watch this space.
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