Saturday 17th August and Sunday 18th August, Festival Marquee, Emmet Place (outside Crawford)
A 100-seat Festival Cooking Demo Marquee and Festival Market will take place on Emmet Place (outside Crawford Art Gallery and the Cork Opera House) all weekend with a host of exciting talks, demos and tastings. The events are MCd by Irish Examiner food writer Joe McNamee and food writer Kate Ryan from Flavour.ie/ The Echo and sponsored by Fáilte Ireland, Ireland's Ancient East and the Wild Atlantic Way.
All free to attend but there is limited capacity. No booking required.
11am: Hells Kitchen Winner Ryan O'Sullivan
Ryan O'Sullivan is one of Cork's most famous chefs, the latest winner of Hell's Kitchen USA. Raised in Cork, Ryan's journey began with the Culinary Studies Programme at MTU Bishopstown Campus. Post-graduation, he enriched his culinary experience at esteemed establishments such as the Maryborough Hotel and the River Lee Hotel, paving the way for his successful venture into the American culinary scene.
12pm: Bread and Fishes with Aishling Moore (Goldie) and Ryan Hoy (Pike Deli):
Enjoy a celebration of summer fish and handmade breads with Aishling Moore, chef-proprietor of Goldie Fish & Ale and Ryan Hoy, chef/baker/co-founder of Pike Deli, MC’d by Kate Ryan from Flavour.ie. Learn expert fish filleting techniques from the best in the business and how to prepare mackerel a few different ways - cured, smoked, paté and pan fried, and learn how to bake the perfect bread pairings and zero food waste breadcrumb crackers. Aishling Moore is one of Ireland’s most exciting young chefs. Her fish restaurant, Goldie, in Cork’s city centre, has pioneered gill to fin cooking in this country. Adopting a whole catch approach, the restaurant allows what’s landed to dictate what’s served.
1pm: Cooking Demo with Rachel Allen, Ballymaloe Cooking School:
Get a tantalising taste of Ballymaloe Cookery School and Cork produce with bestselling cookery writer, TV chef and celebrated culinary teacher Rachel Allen.
3pm: Full of Beans! - the bountiful and beautiful world of beans
Cork’s very own Bean Queen and #BeansIsHow champion, Ali Honour, will let loose in the kitchen with beans grown by Cork Rooftop Farm creating dishes that are sweet, savoury and drinkable too, demonstrating the variety and versatility of beans as a nutritious and protein rich food. Innovative urban farmer and creator of Cork Rooftop Farm, Brian McCarthy, has dedicated half an acre of land at his new organic farm in Whites Cross to growing many varieties of beans and will talk about why growing them is beneficial for soil health and for healthy diets. MC’d by Kate Ryan of Flavour.ie
4pm: Learn How to Cook for Restrictive Diets with Rob Fitzpatrick, Market Lane
Learn how to cook for restrictive diets: including dairy free, gluten free and vegan alternatives. Join Rob Fitzpatrick, head chef at the iconic Market Lane Restaurant on Oliver Plunkett St, one of the busiest and most beloved restaurants in Cork city, for this fantastic demo. A graduate of GMIT and MTU, Rob spent many years working in kitchens around the world before joining the Market Lane Group, eventually taking over the kitchen there in 2023.
4.45pm: How to Make the Perfect BBQ Sausage withHarrison Sharpe, Elbow Lane Smokehouse & Brewery
Learn how to make the perfect BBQ sausage from Cork's very own smokehouse expert. Head chef at Elbow Lane Harrison Sharpe took over the kitchen at Elbow Lane Smokehouse & Brewery in 2019. Since then he and his team have taken the restaurant from strength to strength; from adding a Fermentary to the Brewery and Restaurant to hosting regular Tutored Beer Tastings of its Award-winning beers. The restaurant is best known for its 'nose-to-tail' dining, where as much of the animal is used as possible, and sustainability. It proudly celebrates 10 years this year. Sharpe comes from a Waterford family of publicans, producers, farmers, and chefs, all of whom are steeped in the best of Irish culinary and hospitality traditions so you're in for a treat.
11am: I Soiled My Plants! With CUSP, My Goodness and Green Cities for Health
A talk, cookery demo and tasting looking at the Cork Urban Soil Project (CUSP) with My Goodness, Green Cities for Health and Kate Ryan from Flavour.ie. Virginia O'Gara, co-founder of My Goodness at the English Market, will share how food scraps become soil and become food again (CUSP) and cook with vegetables grown in soil made at CUSP from food waste. Denise Cahill and Maria Young from Green Cities for Health will talk about Cork’s urban community gardens and why it’s important to grow more food in urban spaces and school gardens, and how together we can grow more delicious food utilising would-be-food-waste in the city. CUSP will donate compost created from food waste, and Green Cities will provide biodegradable pots and seeds collected from the community gardens and encourage kids and adults in the audience to come and plant some seeds to take home and mind, grow, harvest and eat!
12pm: More Than Curry with Meeran Manzoor (Rare 1784)
Enjoy a journey through the rich culinary heritage of India with Meeran Manzoor, MC'd by Kate Ryan from Flavour.ie. Meeran is the multi-award-winning Group Executive Chef of high-end fine dining restaurant, Rare 1784, located at The Blue Haven Hotel, and the newest casual dining venue in Kinsale, Fishmarket Bistro located at Old Bank House. Originally from Chennai in south India, he has worked in the finest restaurants throughout the world and is garnering a reputation as one of Ireland’s leading culinary stars winning many awards and accolades, including Virgin Media’s Head Chef of the Year, 2023, Innovator of the Year at the 2024 “Food Oscars”, and featuring in the leading hot 100 Irish restaurant lists.
2pm: Cork on a…Stick! – Cork Chef Cook-Off with a twist!
This fun chef cook-off will create a taste of Cork on a…Stick with chefs leading the food scene in Cork, who are not originally from Cork! Taking part are Barbara Nealon of St Francis Provisions (Cork via Co Clare and San Francisco), Victor Franca of Nua Asador (Cork via Brazil), Chris Braganza of Spice Genie (Cork via Goa, India), and Shauna Murphy of Terre (Cork via Co Limerick). The event will be MC'd by Kate Ryan from Flavour.ie. The challenge? To each create a taste of Pure Cork into a tasty single bite using the best of Cork produce – just like the famed Pintxos of Basque country – but Cork, like!
3pm: A Michelin Mash with Chestnut and Ichigo Ichie
Join Joe McNamee, Senor Food writer Irish Examiner, as he MCs this fun and lively cooking demo with two of Cork's Michelin starred chefs: Chef Takashi Miyazaki from Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant Ichigo Ichie in Cork City and Chef Rob Krawczyk, owner and head chef of Michelin-starred Restaurant Chestnut in Ballydehob.