Stevie McCarry was born in Portstewart, and is Head Chef at Lir. After 10 years working in restaurants, he opened a restaurant with his wife, Rebekah McCarry, in January 2020. However, when the pandemic lockdowns meant the restaurant couldn't open, Rebekah and Stevie pivoted to opening a mobile fishmonger instead. They were committed to sustainability, selling sustainable fish and minimising plastic packaging. 

The couple were eventually able to open their restaurant, Native, serving seasonal seafood dishes inspired by food truck classics, like monkfish corn dogs and squid shawarma. Once they were able to open in a bigger space (The Pool), Stevie continued his commitment to sustainability, using up every part of the fish in sausages, stocks and charcuterie.

Finally, the couple were able to open Lir at Coleraine Marina. At Lir the team forages fresh ingredients from along the coast, and send any waste fish to a local farm to turn into fertiliser. They are committed to sourcing ingredients locally, and change the menu according to the season and what's been caught by fishermen that day. In 2023, Stevie McCarry won Best Chef in Ulster at the Food & Wine Awards.

Marty McAdam is the Head Chef and owner of The Street Kitchen. Marty has worked in retaurants since he was just 14, when he began working in restaurants in his hometown of Enniskillen. He has worked under Tom Kitchen at Michelin-starred The Kitchen, and Neven Maguire at MacNean House. Marty also has experience as a yacht chef, and has worked on superyachts in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean.

Marty has now opened up his own restaurant in his hometown, The Street Kitchen. TSK serves modern classics inspired by Marty's travels, and Irish staples like his dad's boxty. Marty was also on GBM in Series 17, and is hoping this time to make it to the banquet.

Lawrence Barrow was born and raised in Ballymena, County Antrim, and is the force behind the pop-up Hearth and Tine. Lawrence initially studied film studies, before moving into cooking as a way to travel. As he worked in kitchens around the world – including Australia, Italy and New Zealand – Lawrence slowly fell in love with being a chef.

Each of those countries has had an influence on his cooking, along with his Northern Irish roots. After coming back to the UK, Lawrence staged at Tom Aikens’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Muse, and then worked under Lee Westcott and Jason Atherton. He then became Head Chef at James Cochran’s restaurant, 12:51.

Lawrence now regularly organises pop-up events and collaborative culinary projects. His pop-up Hearth and Tine celebrates 'traditional Irish fare with a modern flair' with dishes like fermented potato focaccia and dulce butter and coastal vegetable salad with Irish wasabi dressing.

Born in Antrim and now living in Belfast, Jonny has been cooking since the age of 15, when he got a job as a kitchen porter at the Stables in Antrim. He went on to work for Clifford Caskey at the Dunadry Hotel, Paul Rankin and Jamie Oliver. 

After working in Glasgow, Manchester and Edinburgh, Jonny moved to Belfast in 2018. He has run several restaurants there with his wife Christina, including Saga and Shed Bistro. They won Bistro of the Year for Northern Ireland in the NI Food Awards for Shed Bistro, and the County Antrim Casual Dining of the Year award in the NI Hospitality Awards.

Saga – a rebrand of the couple's previous restaurant Blank – was recommended in the Michelin guide. Saga has the motto 'Think Global, Eat Local'.

Jonny's menu menu celebrates notable figures from Northern Ireland, including the inventor of the modern tractor, Harry Ferguson, and the poet Seamus Heaney.