Renowned food expert John McKenna, one of the headline speakers at Recipes for Success: The Business of Food, a one-day business talk that opens the Westport Food Festival. Recipes for Success is being run in partnership with Mayo County Enterprise Board and forms part of Mayo Ideas Week.

MAYO HAS CREATED “A DISTINCTIVE, WORLD-CLASS FOOD CULTURE”

Initiative to open Westport Food Festival is “inspired” says food guru John McKenna

The “most exciting discussion and knowledge transfer to take place amongst Mayo’s food community”, according to organisers, will take place on the opening day of the Westport Food Festival in a enterprising collaboration between the festival and Mayo County Enterprise Board and attended by some of the country’s leading food innovators.

Details have been announced for Recipes for Success: The Business of Food, a new business arm to the Westport Food Festival, which will take place on Friday 21^st September in the Castlecourt Hotel, Westport. The initiative represents a first-time partnership between the Westport Food Festival and Mayo County Enterprise Board and forms part of Mayo Ideas Week.

An impressive line-up of national and local speakers will discuss their own successes, including experiences learned and valuable business tips, in an initiative designed to offer idea generation and shared knowledge as well as shining a light on Mayo’s food credentials. The event is free and is open to small food businesses, food lovers, festival attendees and anyone with an interest in food, hospitality and the food sector.

“Recipes for Success is an inspired concept, because it builds on the dynamism which is already evident in Mayo's food and hospitality culture”, says John McKenna. “I think Mayo has shown the most impressive progress of any Irish county over the last four years in creating a distinctive, world-class food culture, and a great food culture is an indispensable part of any  successful tourism offering.”

Speakers includes: Bridgestone Guide publisher and champion of Irish food John McKenna; restaurateur Donal Doherty, owner of Harry’s restaurant in Inishowen; award-winning retailer John Field, owner of Field’s supermarket in Skibbereen and celebrated supporter of artisan producers and Paul Carroll, owner of Ghan House in Carlingford which he has transformed from eighteenth-century manor house into one of the star attractions in County Louth with its own cookery school.

Local participants will include: food producersPadraig Gannon (Croagh Patrick Seafoods), Andrew Pelham Burn (Carrowholly Cheese), Siobhan & Simon Stenson (Cherryblosson Bakery), Redmond Cabot (Red’s Sauces) and Seamus Mulligan (Cuinneog farmhouse butter & buttermilk); horticulturists Alison McMullen (The Greenway Farm), Paul Kirwan (Connacht Gold Garden Centre)  and Cormac Langan (discussing the commercial viability and efficiencies of Square Foot Gardening); restaurateurs Sinead Lambert Barroso (Sol Rio restaurant & café), Frankie Mallon (An Port Mór) and Aran McMahon (Café Rua)and Suzanne O’Brien of Mulranny Park Hotel who will discuss the creation and success of the Gourmet Greenway food trail. Anyone wishing to attend can register their interest on www.westportfoodfestival.ie

The initiative, according to Sinead Lambert Barroso, proprietor of Sol Rio restaurant and chairperson of the Westport Food Festival, “puts the festival on a serious footing. It shows that Westport’s festival is more than just an attractive programme of tastings and dinners but a real driver in Ireland’s food success”, she commented.

“Recipes for Success will not only showcase the wonderful talent and innovators we have in Mayo amongst the hospitality and food sectors but it will also provide those businesses with an opportunity to learn from, network and exchange knowledge with outside speakers who are some of the biggest names behind Ireland’s current food successes”, said John Magee, Acting CEO, Mayo County Enterprise Board.

The Westport Food Festival programme features many initiatives unique to Mayo, including: A Come Dine with Me tasting dinner featuring Westport’s chefs; a food village at Westport’s famous Octagon where ‘covey shillings’ are exchanged for food;  a Great Quayside Barbecue; a picnic featuring the foods of Mayo’s Gourmet Greenway food producers and the 40-Mile Meal, a tasting menu dining experience at Sole Rio restaurant with all of the ingredients sourced from within a 40-mile radius of Westport. Organisers anticipate the festival will generate an additional €2 million for the local economy and it is planned to screen Mayo’s meeting with Donegal in the All-Ireland Football Final during the festival’s Great Quayside Barbecue with Mighty Mayo burgers and Sam Maguire sausages featuring on the menu and a prize for the most colourfully-dressed fan.

For reference: Alma Feeley, Midas PR

M: 087 8204934              

e:alma.feeley@midaspr.com

The 'stars' of Food, Festival Food!, the music video created to launch the Westport Food Festival which will be shared virally. It includes a cast of chefs, beekeepers, a baker, barman, cheese maker who all sing and perform their own adaptation of Food Glorious Food. The initiative is the first of its kind to promote a festival.

The 'stars' of Food, Festival Food!, the music video created to launch the Westport Food Festival which will be shared virally. It includes a cast of chefs, beekeepers, a baker, barman, cheese maker who all sing and perform their own adaptation of Food Glorious Food. The initiative is the first of its kind to promote a festival.

Pictured at the launch of the second Westport Food Festival were from left:

Sinead Lambert Barosso, Proprietor, Sol Rio Restaurant & Cafe; Declan Heneghan, General Manager, Hotel Westport; Orla O'Malley, Festival Director; Barney Clarke, General Manager, The Wyatt Hotel; Redmond Cabot, Food Producer; Eoin McDonnell, Head Chef, Wyatt Hotel; Stephanie Colombani, CEO, Westport Chamber; Thomas Lizee; Westport Woods Hotel.

Date announced for second Westport Food Festival

(Friday 13^th July, 2012) - It’s back! After a successful inaugural event, the second Westport Food Festival will take place from Friday 21^st to Sunday 23^rd September, it has been announced.

The eight-strong Westport Food Festival committee comprising local hoteliers, restaurateurs, chefs, business people and food producers has confirmed that this year’s food festival will see the return of some of the most popular initiatives from last year. Following last year’s success, the centre of Westport will once again be turned into a tented food village with stalls offering the very best of food from Mayo producers, restaurants, hotels, cafes and chefs. Last year’s festival sell-out dinner, Come Dine with Me, will also return along with a variety of cooking demonstrations, food workshops, competitions as well as one or two great surprises, according to organisers.  The full festival programme will be announced next month.

The Westport Food Festival is again being supported by Fáilte Ireland and Pallas Foods.

“We are very grateful to Fáilte Ireland and Pallas Foods, without whose help it would be very difficult to stage a festival of this type and we welcome support from any other interested sponsors and urge them to get in contact with us. The Westport Food Festival is a community-based event with family values and a perfect sponsorship property”, said Sinead Lambert Barosso, co-chairperson, Westport Food Festival.

 “Everyone now knows that Westport is the best place to live in Ireland and the Westport Food Festival reinforces that we have the best food producers, chefs, hotels, restaurants and pubs and allows us to further showcase Mayo’s food credentials”, added Barney Clarke, co-chairperson, Westport Food Festival.

The Westport Food Festival committee is asking supporters to ‘like’ the Westport Food Festival on www.facebook.com/westportfoodfestivaland follow @WestportFood on Twitter. The official website is www.westportfoodfestival.ie

For further information:

Orla O’Malley, Festival Director   

086 8075383                            

Alma Feeley, Midas PR

087 8204934       

Westport Food Festival 2011 Video