Galway Food Festival, the annual event celebrating the city as a good food destination, highlighting food provenance, sustainability, and healthy eating, opens today and runs throughout the Easter Weekend.
The festival, now in its third year, will be officially opened by Oliver Dunne, the Michelin Star chef and owner of the Bon Appeit and Cleaver East restaurants, in The Kitchen, Galway City Museum, this evening at 6pm.
Over the weekend, more than 100 restaurants, food outlets, and food producers will participate in more than 70 individual events, cookery demonstrations, talks, debates, taste trails, and family events. There will be a strong focus on local and west of Ireland producers and produce as the festival seeks to encourage and promote increased trade for local food outlets and suppliers.
“The festival showcases the best of the Galway food scene,” says festival chair JP McMahon, “and demonstrates the wealth of good food outlets there are in the city. Galway’s tenure as a culinary capital of food in Ireland is well deserved.”
Festival markets
The festival will feature four open-air markets. The main market will be The Festival Village at the Spanish Arch, which is open tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday, from 10am to 6pm.
Food producers at the village will include The Friendly Farmer, Castlemine Farm, McCambridge’s, Wild Irish Foragers, Yum Tree Kitchen, Green Earth Organics, Man of Aran Fudge, Galway Bay Coffee Company, Bowl-A-Granola, Ali’s Fish, Wa Café, Galway County and City Enterprise Board, Artisan, Wild About Food, The Cupcake Bakery, Galway City Council, Dough Bros, Choc-Amore, Traditional Crepes, Provencail, The Foods of Athenry, Wild Wood Vinegar, The Skeff Bar, and the Galway Catering Company.
The other markets are The Moycullen Market (tomorrow ); Woodquay Country Market (Saturday ), and the Galway Market at St Nicholas’ (Saturday and Sunday ).
The Festival Taste Trail takes place on Saturday and Sunday, from 2pm to 5pm, where there will be special taste offerings in Brasserie On The Corner, McCambridge’s, McSwiggan’s, Cava Bodega, Malt House Restaurant, The Kitchen at Galway City Museum, Tom Sheridans in Knocknacarra, The House Hotel, The Front Door, Sheridans Wine Bar, Thai Garden, Artisan, Creole, The Dáil Bar, Hotel Meyrick, Chi Bistro, Eat at Massimo, Martine’s Wine Bar, and Thai Garden.
Festival Talks
Enjoying good food, but approaching it in a healthy way, will be the subject of the opening festival talk, Healthy Eating Out, tomorrow, at 2pm.
At the talk, Claire Kerins will discuss Croí’s new menu analysis initiative; Marie McCambridge of Healthy at Every Size, will discuss new thinking on healthy body weight; Gill Carroll, 37 West Café will talk about running a restaurant with health and nutrition in mind; while Boris Leite-Poco owner of Sauvage, the first paleo restaurant in Germany, will discuss running a strict diet based restaurant.
Savvy Shopper – How your weekly shop can make a difference, tomorrow at 4pm, will look at how small changes to people’s weekly shop can make a difference to the local economy. The speakers are Seamus Sheridan, Sheridan’s Cheesemongers; Slow Food’s Maria McNeeles; and McCambridge’s Head Chef, Heather Flaherty.
How A Restaurant Works, Saturday at 2pm, will look at a variety of issues affecting running a restaurant. The panel will feature, JP McMahon, Eat at Massimo; John McKenna, John and Sally McKennas’ Guides; Martine McDonagh, Martine’s Restaurant and Wine Bar; and Fergus O’Halloran, The Twelve.
Women in the Industry, Saturday at 4pm will discuss female chefs and restaurant owners, the challenges faced by women in the industry, with, Jess Murphy, Kai Restaurant; Michelle Kavanagh, The Kitchen; Cáit Noone, head of the School of Catering, GMIT; and Louise Bannon, chef at world renowned Noma Restaurant, Copenhagen.All talks take place in the Mick Lally Theatre, Druid Lane.
For more information see www.galwayfoodfestival.com, Twitter #GFF2014 ,and Facebook.
