Female chefs are making their mark in the modern professional kitchen. These girls have proved they are just as tough as the men – they can handle the heavy workload, the demands of a busy kitchen, the long hours and the short tempers.  However it’s still the case that very few girls reach the position of Head Chef, and when they do – they generally take the cookery world by storm! One such lady is Elaine O’Flynn, new to the Head Chef position at Springfort House Hotel in Mallow, north Cork. Elaine is a tiny framed creature with a massive amount of energy and enthusiasm.  To say she is bright eyed, bushy tailed and ready for action is to say the very least!  Her previous experience includes working in The Tannery under Paul Flynn, and a michelin star stint in a restaurant in Wales.  In her few short weeks in this new role,(she was working here previously part time), Elaine  has already made changes to the bar casual dining menu – introducing a lighter style of cooking and some new dishes to the mix. The fine dining menu for Springfort’s The Lime Tree Restaurant is next – a complete overhaul of choices to incorporate lots of local produce. Elaine is a local girl herself, born and reared just down the road from the hotel. She’s been trying out some new savoury and sweet dishes on customers in the last while. One of them is this fabulous cheesecake flavoured with Tonka beans. Yes, we also wondered what they were! Tonkas are the beans of a plant which is a member of the pea family, and come normally from central and south America. As Elaine says, ‘they are wonderfully spicy and marry perfectly with chocolate and coffee’. She used her own private stash of these exclusive beans to create this Tonka Bean and Chocolate Cheesecake with Coffee Ganache. Served with Irish Chantilly Cream and mint from the garden. Quite stunning, with sweet spicy flavour that just blows your mind. Expect lots of stunning creations from this girl.  She’s only getting into a her stride. People of Mallow and visitors to the area, get ready to be impressed! Watch this space – we predict a shining star in the making…