NWRC’s Masterchef picks up ‘Lecturer of the Year’ award

An award winning chef at North West Regional College (NWRC) has been named ‘Lecturer of the Year’ by the Institute of Hospitality. (IoH) John Crowe, who coordinates the Professional Chef Diploma Programme at NWRC picked up the gong at a Gala ceremony hosted by Pamela Ballantine at Belfast’s Titanic.The awards recognise hard working managers who have demonstrated significant achievement in the hospitality and tourism sector. Since he first joined NWRC in 2006, John Crowe has worked tirelessly to develop his students and the college , with a wide range of projects and initiatives, developing modern educational concepts that help shape future chefs. The accolade comes just months after the Tipperary native picked up the PACE (Professional Association for Catering Education) award for Innovative Teaching Concepts, which recognised John’s use of new technologies in teaching kitchens, through a specially designed App he designed that supports blended learning. The local lecturer said he was delighted to win the award. He added: “Working in education has been my focus over many years, working on a wide range of projects to help shape the future generation. “The Professional Chef Diploma courses which I teach actively encourage progression to appropriate career pathways.” Congratulating John, Principal and Chief Executive of North West Regional College Leo Murphy said: “This award is testament to the hard work and dedication of the lecturers at the college. We are delighted with this success for John and the college, reflecting the high quality of teaching that we are so rightly proud of.”