At the MICHELIN Guide Ceremony Great Britain & Ireland 2023, three new restaurants were awarded Two Michelin Stars. Among those celebrating was Ahmet Dede, chef-owner of the eponymously named dede in Baltimore, West Cork. Having previously worked as Head Chef at Michelin Starred Mews, Ahmet opened dede at the Customs House in July 2020 and swiftly achieved great success. The restaurant earned a Michelin Star in 2021 and retained it the following year, before achieving the exclusive honour of a second Michelin Star last month.
After the MICHELIN Guide Ceremony, we caught up with Ahmet to learn more about the man behind the exceptional cooking. Born in Turkey, he combines flavours from his home country with local produce from West Cork to create refined, beautifully balanced dishes. One such creation made it onto our list of the Michelin Inspectors’ Most Memorable Dishes of the Year. As Ahmet himself says, dede has hit these heights thanks to the help of so many people – and provides not just quality cooking, but a great night out too.
