Award-winning Donegal Chef Gary O’Hanlon has teamed up with Fáilte Ireland to call on chefs across the country to participate in a Taste of Place training programme.
Gary was recently appointed as Executive Chef of Château du Coudreceau – an exclusive 18th century residence in France. But the Ramelton man will be back home soon to deliver a programme that will arm chefs with insights into how food motivates the tourist, provide the latest tourism trends and culinary concepts and underline the business benefits of sourcing locally.
Fáilte Ireland has identified a growing trend, at home and internationally, of tourists seeking out locally sourced dishes and the stories behind them. The Taste of Place training programme is designed to help chefs and culinary teams tap into this trend by providing stand-out local and seasonal cuisine to tourists.
Over the two-day workshops chefs and cooks responsible for food preparation, presentation and menu development, will see first-hand a variety of dishes demonstrated using the best local ingredients.
Fáilte Ireland is calling on chefs to sign up to take part in the two-day workshops this October and November by emailing tastetheisland@failteireland.ie.
The workshops will take place in the following locations:
8 – 9th October, Athlone Institute of Technology, Cookery demonstration with Gary O’Hanlon
15 – 16th October, Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, Cookery demonstration with Jess Murphy
22 – 23rd October, Cork Institute of Technology, Cookery demonstration with Gary O’Hanlon
5 – 6th November, Airfield Estate, Cookery demonstration with Luke Mathews.
Chef Gary O’Hanlon said: “Irish Food is the best it has ever been. Our natural produce is unparalleled internationally and today’s chefs need to work smarter than ever to ensure we put our best foot forward to deliver menus that are reflective of Ireland’s growing reputation. I am thrilled to help deliver Fáilte Ireland’s Taste of Place programme and I commend their vision and drive in promoting local produce through this programme. I’m looking forward to working with other like-minded chefs and culinary teams to reinforce the message about the many positive benefits of using quality locally sourced food and beverage.”
Tracey Coughlan, Food Tourism Manager with Fáilte Ireland commented: “This new programme is designed to support Fáilte Ireland’s latest three-year food and drink initiative ‘Taste the Island’ by equipping chefs across Ireland with the knowledge on the power and benefits of using local produce to deliver an unforgettable visitor experience. We have found that there is a growing trend, at home and internationally, of tourists seeking out locally sourced dishes and the stories behind them. This growing interest in experiencing local food presents an ideal opportunity for chefs to create and deliver authentic food experiences that are reflective of the area. This new programme has been developed by Fáilte Ireland, to ensure that visitors to Ireland enjoy a real taste of place.”