Ireland’s largest food festival, A Taste of West Cork Food Festival, runs from 7th – 16th September this year. The 10-day festival now offers the largest number of events it has ever undertaken, with 255 culinary and adventure events across the region’s 41 towns and villages and 8 islands.
Shaping up to be the most exciting and enticing food Festival to date, visitors are welcomed to a foodie’s paradise, with an array of both national and international chefs preparing culinary-themed feasts in local restaurants, food tastings al fresco, foraging walks, open-air markets, seminars, cook-offs, masterclasses and intimate evenings with local artisan food producers imparting their culinary wisdom.
West Cork was awarded the No. 1 Foodie Destination 2017 by The Restaurant Association of Ireland and the festival now brings its culinary reputation to new heights with the arrival of 6 chefs from the USA. With thirty-four guest chefs, twenty-three guest speakers, and a plethora of events for families, friends, couples, and food-lovers alike, it’s no wonder the Winner of US MasterChef 2017, Shaun O’Neale and his fellow chefs are eager to hit the West Cork shores and share their experiences with the expected 30,000 visitors to the region during the festival.
Popular Irish guest chefs include Rachel Allen and Martin Shanahan, with the Michelin-Star chef Derry Clarke returning for his eclectic food extravaganza on Sherkin Island. New additions to this year’s programme include the hugely vibrant Happy Pear brothers Dave and Stephen Flynn, Andrew Heron and Damien Grey of Michelin starred restaurant Heron & Grey and Ken Doherty and Gwen McGrath of Assassination Custard and Eddie Attwell of Eccles Hotel in Glengarriff.
Sustainability, foraging, and home-grown produce plays an increasingly important part in modern society and with that in mind there will be an abundance of workshops and events presented by experts such as Alan Mahn, forager and wild medicine expert. The burgeoning vegan population and those interested in the health food lifestyle will find vegan chefs Suzanna Melinn of Banana Melon Kitchen and Jena Malone sharing their menus during the Festival.
As part of the Festival the West Cork Creates exhibition opens at the O’Driscoll building in Skibbereen at 1pm on Saturday 11th August and runs throughout the festival. Conferences, forums and talks are an integral component to A Taste of West Cork Food Festival, with this year being no exception where The West Cork Forum ‘West Cork Paradox – Famine to Feast – Survival to Innovation’ takes place on Saturday 8th September at Baltimore Sailing Club, Chaired by Lord David Puttnam and featuring guest speakers such as European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Affairs Phil Hogan, Intel Ireland General Manager Eamonn Sinnott, Food On The Edge and Chef/Owner at Aniar Galway JP McMahon and President at Glenn Dimplex Sean O’Driscoll.
To browse the programme’s full listing of events from photography and art exhibitions, to family fun days, meet the producer opportunities to outdoor pursuits, talks, workshops and performances, see http://www.atasteofwestcork.com/new-cover-page-1/
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