Spoiler alert! Mayo woman Joanne Clarke was declared the winner of The Taste of Success on RTÉ One on Tuesday night, scooping €100,000 - one of the biggest prizes in Irish television - in what was a personal as well as financial triumph.
In the dramatic finale of the eight-week series, viewers saw Joanne, a 43-year-old single mum from Westport, emerge victorious with her Nutty Brioche and Butter Pudding. Joanne wins a prize worth €100,000 and her product will be available on the shelves of more than 140 Lidl Ireland stores nationwide from tomorrow morning.
Joanne (centre) pictured from (left to right) with judges Aoife Harrison, Paul Flynn, her mentor JP McMahon and judge Liam Casey
The victory marks a major turnaround in fortunes for Joanne. During tonight’s final viewers heard how she has struggled financially in recent years with the bank repossessing her home.
Speaking after her win, she said: “All through the competition, I had been really confident about the product, thinking it could go all the way but you can never dare to dream. Anytime someone broached the subject about the prize I would start talking about something else!
"I suppose, even though I count myself as a positive thinker, I didn't want to risk dreaming about what I would do with the win and then maybe be disappointed. I made a conscious effort to just live in the moment, and enjoy the experience and I have to say I loved every minute of it.
Dáithí helps Joanne with what is a rather large cheque
"I really enjoyed developing the product and tweaking it along the way. I hope people like it. I am still in shock. The impact of winning this prize is going to be huge for me”.
The Taste of Success, produced by RTÉ Cork and sponsored by Lidl Ireland, travelled around the country, with mentors JP McMahon, Domini Kemp, Catherine Fulvio, Martin Shanahan and host Dáithí Ó Sé sampling the wares of food innovators from Donegal to Bantry and everywhere in-between. The regional champions honed their product with their mentors before facing the Lidl judges, including chef Paul Flynn, and they ultimately chose the winner.
The time has come. *Drum Roll * and the winner of #tasteofsuccess 2015 & €100,000 is Joanne & her pudding. Congrats! pic.twitter.com/TyRZ3sea7P
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) October 27, 2015
In tonight’s final, viewers watched as Connaught/Ulster victor Joanne battled it out with Dublin regional champion Ken McHugh to win The Taste of Success and saw her revealed as the winner when the curtain dropped to reveal her product at Lidl Ireland’s flagship store.
Host Dáithí Ó Sé said: “I had a feeling that Joanne’s brioche and butter pudding was in with a great chance when I first had a taste of it at our Athenry heat. She is a very worthy winner. We travelled around the country and met some extremely creative and enthusiastic people – there are great things happening in food in this country and it’s great to see someone like Joanne get the boost that this prize gives”.
Winning in his first year on the show, Joanne’s mentor Michelin-starred chef JP McMahon said he was delighted to see Joanne take home the prize. “It couldn’t happen to a more worthy person and I think it is something that is absolutely going to change her life,” he said.
