Above: Sodexo chef David Mulcahy (right) receiving the Freedom of the City of London from Murray Craig, Clerk of the Chamberlain’s Court at Guildhall, London along with fellow chef Steve Munkley.

David Mulcahy, Food Innovation Director with Sodexo UK and Ireland, has been awarded the Freedom of the City of London in recognition of his contribution to the hospitality industry and culinary excellence in the UK. The Limerick-born chef oversees menu creation and culinary development for Sodexo’s 2,500 chefs across Ireland and the UK, who work in a broad range of settings from workplaces and schools to universities and army barracks.

A voluntary vice-president of the UK’s Craft Guild of Chefs, Mulcahy’s fellow vice-president Steve Munkley also received the honour at the recent ceremony. His work with the organisations includes coordinating the FutureChef competition for 12 to 16-year-olds and organising the National Chef of the Year competition – a prestigious culinary accolade previous awarded to Gordon Ramsay, Alyn Williams and Russell Bateman.

First presented in 1237, previous recipients of the Freedom of the City of London include Terry Wogan, Dame Judi Dench and Florence Nightingale.

“I am delighted and honoured to follow in the footsteps of fellow Limerick man Terry Wogan!” Mulcahy said of the recognition. “I have long been motivated by supporting and developing others, particularly young chef talent of which there is so much across the UK and Ireland. I am very proud of our industry and the good that it does.”