Introduction
Hello and welcome to the daily bulletin which will be available to you everyday at the
Burlington Hotel in Dublin. I hope to keep you informed and up to date with the daily events
of the conference, competitions and social events.

Junior Chefs Forum and WACS World Junior Culinary Challenge
Brendan O’Neill, Treasurer and Junior Forum Coordinator welcomed the competitors of the
junior culinary challenge to Ireland today in a welcome and information meeting in the
marquee. Junior delegates from Australia, Canada, China, Deutschland, Germany, Hungry, Italy, Ireland, Malta, Norway, United Arab Emirates, Scotland, South Africa and Wales will all be competing for the WACS Culinary Challenge Trophy. Another award will also be given to the team that demonstrates an excellent use of hygiene practices while competing. Honorary President Dr. Bill Gallagher welcomed all the competitors and acknowledged them as the ‘professionals of the future’. He believes that the most important part of this competition is that the competitors learn from each other’s own experiences and cultures, therefore creating a more diverse Culinary field. Great friendships will also be forged throughout the competition, ‘there are seventy eight competitors and by the end of this event I want you all to know each others names’. This event is an important opportunity for the young delegates to build bridges and set up professional links around the world. Competitions begin tomorrow morning at seven o’clock. Competitors from Canada, England, Italy and United Arab Emirates are first up. Forty percent of the marks are allocated to the kitchen performance and practices, forty percent to the overall taste of the meal and twenty percent to presentation.

Official Welcome by DLM Eibhlin Byrne
Introduced by Chairman John Clancy, the Deputy Lord Mayor welcomed the delegates in Irish, French and English to the beginning of the 31st World Congress. She was delighted to see the Salmon of Knowledge being used as the emblem for the events as it emphasises the importance of the sharing of cultures, the fusion of the knowledge of cooking and the love of cooking at an event such as this. Keeping in this historical tones she comments of the words of Dúbhglas de hÍde :

‘Land has no borders,
Water has no boundaries,
It is the hearts and minds of people that are divided.’

This event signifies the coming together of people from different countries and cultures
with the common goal of sharing experiences and knowledge. The boundaries have been
broken down.

She is proud that our ‘small island has been chosen’ to host this prestigious event. Our city
is a Viking city, with many different cultures and social customs being its influence. It is this
combination of cultures that makes us who we are today. She comments that we are a
‘progressive country’ that is looking towards the future, driven by our own combined culture.

The reception was an enjoyable experience for all, with an excellent buffet and a lively jazz
trio to keep the weary travellers entertained. The delegates were then left to their own
devices to enjoy a relaxing evening in the bar.

Tomorrow
And so it really all begins. Tomorrow is a busy day, with the first of the junior teams competing, the official opening ceremony, the presidents’ address, the master classes, official photographs and an evening at the Guinness store house, all to be enjoyed immensely.