As one of the most pre-eminent chef's to ever emerge from Cork, Ross Lewis was a natural choice to front the inaugural Taste of Cork Festival.

The three-day gourmet food and drink event, which takes place over the final weekend of June at the Cork City Gaol, should prove to be a welcome addition to the Cork festival circuit and Ross, for one, is hoping people get behind the venture and show some real support.

"Cork is the real artesian food producers capital of Ireland. It is blessed with natural resources. The English Market alone is such a real treasure. I hope Cork rises up to the challenge as Dublin has since the festival began there.

"It's an important showcase for restaurants to demonstrate what they can do and aside from that, it's a real joy to be a part of the camaraderie that exists between producers, diners and restaurateurs. It's not only a special food experience but also a unique cultural experience. I just hope the festival will get an opportunity to return next year to build upon the first event."

As the head chef and part owner of the acclaimed Chapter One restaurant in Dublin, Ross knows a thing or two about the importance of persistence and the need to build from the ground up. Situated in the basement of the Writer's Museum in Parnell Square, an area not normally renowned for gastronomic greatness, Chapter One has come to be known as a cultured and cosmopolitan culinary hotspot. The areas reputation precedes itself somewhat, but then so too does Lewis'.

The Bishopstown native and former Presentation Brothers College student started on the food trail as a student in Diary Science in UCC, but it wasn't until a J1 Visa took him to the States and into the kitchen that Ross knew the restaurant business was his calling.

I worked at a place called Dorian's Bar on 84th St and 2nd Avenue where I started out as a bus-boy and eventually ended up managing the restaurant on the weekdays. Having experienced management I knew that this was what I wanted to do with my life. I knew I wanted to own my own restaurant."

Before jumping into the fire he first need to go into the kitchen – and it was through a chance encounter in London with an old school friend that Ross find himself in the engine-room. "I returned to Cork in 1987 after my time in New York, but I soon found myself leaving again, this time for London, where I was very fortunate to run into another old Pres boy, Barry O'Connor, probably the only other Pres boy aside from myself to end up working as a chef. I just ran into in London and he managed to get me a job in the restaurant where he worked."