Two Mayo companies have scooped top accolades at the Good Food Ireland awards in the K Club in Straffan, Co Kildare.
Kenneth and Cormac Kelly of Kelly’s Butchers, Newport scooped the Good Food Ireland Best Next Generation Award, and Aran McMahon of Rua and Cafe Rua, Castlebar, took home the Good Food Ireland New Member Award to rapturous applause from almost 300 fellow members and key representatives from the food and tourism sectors, including Trevor Sargent TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, with responsibility for Food and Horticulture and guest Ian Walker, skipper of the Green Dragon in the Volvo Ocean Race.
Kelly’s Artisan Butchers began 75 years ago when Dominic Kelly decided to open a business in Newport, Co Mayo. In 1974 his sons Seamus and Seán took over the business, expanding and extending their father’s work and now Seán’s sons Kenneth and Cormac also work in this rare and wonderful family business. Today they are among an elite five butchers in Mayo who have their own abattoir. Once a week they butcher beef and lamb solely for sale in Kelly’s and they pride themselves on the fact that up to 70 per cent of the livestock used comes from their own farm and the remainder is hand picked by them in the local marts and nearby farms.
The town of Castlebar has been on the food trail for many years but the opening of a second branch of Café Rua — Rua has established it as one of the very best in the west. The idea behind the second café is very simple — allow customers to eat delicious local food and also to buy to take home. Space in the original café didn’t allow this concept to develop, so Aran and Colleen McMahon set about locating a second premises and Spencer Street suits them admirably. Over the last year Rua has lived up to all the expectations and Good Food Ireland are proud to have them as members and as winners of the Good Food Ireland New Member Award.
