FFT.ie International Edition May 2019 Food For Thought THE IRISH HOSPITALITY GLOBAL DIGEST Dublin Beer Cup Awards Who took home the top gongs at this The Mind of the Palate year’s event ..................................p14 with BWG Foodservice The pleasures of the table throughout the event. Spence tray), plus a large conch shell reside in the mind, not is perhaps best known for his with headphones which plays “in the mouth” – perhaps work with Heston Blumenthal, seagulls and crashing waves to the primary message that and Sound of the Sea, the dish evoke a seaside atmosphere Professor Charles Spence of they created in 2007, has been while you eat tasty morsels Somerville College Oxford on the Fat Duck’s menu ever that originated there. has been demonstrating since. “It may seem obvious to us at Catex 2019 in the RDS While the seafood varies with now that the sound of the sea Simmonscourt. the season, the appearance would enhance the experience Grid Finance Professor Spence was of the dish has remained of eating shellfish, but it simply What to look for in your wait staff invited to Catex by BWG much the same - with edible wasn’t before we did it in .......................................................p15 Foodservice and has been sand and foam surrounding 2007,” says Spence. giving fascinating mini- the seafood (and actual sand Spence is proposing nothing symposia at regular times visible below it through a glass less than “a new science of cont. p17 Jägermeister Opens 2019 Scholarship Applications ollowing on from the successful 2018 edition, Jägermeister has opened F In Conversation with... applications for the 2019 Silk Tree Non Alcoholic Spirit Jägermeister Scholarship X .......................................................p19 Berlin Edition. 2018 marked the first time the Jägermeister scholarship went global. Over the course of five years, a total of ten barkeepers have now participated. In 2018, Jägermeister took it to the next level and launched the Berlin Edition, inviting bartenders from all 17 Hubertus Circle countries to apply for the scholarship and spend three months in Berlin to learn about the local bar scene and expand The Trouble with Irish Whiskey Part one of our overview of the cont. p6 booming Irish whiskey sector ..p20 2 @FFTresource | May 2019 Editor’s Note Ireland from an outsider’s per- ling all the way here? spective and not just assume That’s not a call for protec- that visitors will like what we do tionism, that instead is a call for because we say so. We need world beating quality and the to be proactive and adoptive, continued production of prod- to give the tourist from India ucts and experiences that sim- an authentic Irish experience ply can’t be had anywhere else through their lens, while shortly in the world. And the only way afterwards give the American we can ensure that is by looking tourist the same experience un- out into the world, gauging the derstood through their lens. temperature, and bringing that There’s never been a sharper knowledge and understanding focus on food and drink as the back to Ireland. main factor in deciding to visit In recent years, the chefs, a country, and the quality and hoteliers, entrepreneurs, and variety of such produced in industry stakeholders who Ireland is putting us on interna- have the potential to shape tional stages in a very serious economies, who left during the way. recession, have slowly come This needs to be a two way back home for good, armed exchange. What we produce with experiences spanning the domestically must be displayed globe. Just look at the menus of internationally. If we sell Ire- the newest restaurant openings t gives me great pleasure to and Joyce, for the rebellious- to Britain, to Europe, and in par- land as a producer of some of to give you an idea of the world introduce the first Interna- ness of Cork and the medieval ticular to America, in an attempt the world’s best beef, yet drop coming to Ireland. The wider tional Edition of the monthly side streets of Kilkenny. These to predict trends before they’re tourists off on O’Connell St to hospitality sector needs to take Food for Thought - FFT.ie deep roots aspects of Ireland as imported to Ireland and so we be surrounded by international their knowledge and learn from I fast food operators, then we are it, let them take the lead and use magazine. Its release comes a country are revelled in by vis- may more accurately gauge the at a time when the world is itors, but we need to be more temperature of the international setting up for a fall. Fake Irish it to help shape future policy. more globalised than ever, yet careful than ever to curate our tourism market. whiskey brands in America are tourists and locals alike are in- selling points - with hospitality No country operates in a bub- indicative of the very real issues It’s through these actions and creasingly intent on sourcing now accounting for over 10% ble and Ireland is no different. we are going to come up against by keeping a wide view of ma- ‘authentic’ experiences. of employment (over 260,000 We are building an unprece- in a globalised marketplace; ture and emerging markets that jobs) and 4% of GNP (€9.42bn dented number of hotel rooms because ultimately if tourists Ireland’s hospitality industry will In Ireland, we have authentic- in 2018), any hits to our sector - 4,000 rooms were under con- can get a pretty good ‘authen- continue to thrive long into the ity in spades, yet often we don’t can be disastrous. struction nationally by the end of tic’ Irish experience by walking future. even know it. Tourists come It is with that in mind that we Q1, 88% of which are in Dublin. down the road to an Irish bar here for the Irish pub, for rural have launched this International For all that additional capacity, and sipping an Irish whiskey, Mark Murphy living, for the old Dublin of Yeats Edition, so we can look abroad we’re going to need to look at why would they bother travel- Managing Editor In this Issue... Contacts: Dublin Beer Cup Awards For any editorial, PR or content related queries please contact our Managing Editor, Who took home the top gongs at this year’s event ........p14 Mark Murphy, on [email protected] or tel +353 1 254 9860 Grid Finance For subscriptions, accounts or general enquiries please contact: [email protected] Tel: +353 1 254 What to look for in your wait staff..................................p15 9860 In Conversation with Queries with relation to advertising should please be Silk Tree Non Alcoholic Spirit .......................................p19 addressed to: [email protected] Tel: +353 1 254 9860 The Trouble with Irish Whiskey All material copyright 2019. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior consent of Part one of our overview of the booming Irish whiskey the Publisher. Opinions and comments herein are not necessarily those of the Publisher. sector ............................................................................p20 Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that all information contained in this publication is factual and correct at time of going to press, the Publisher cannot be held The Secret Meun responsible for any inadvertent errors or omissions contained herein. March of the Macro Beers .............................................p23 FFT.ie, Top Floor, 59 Merrion Square, Dublin 2 In Conversation with This Month’s Poll: Gravediggers Pub, Dublin ............................................p25 Lighter Side Has your insurance gone up in the previous 12 months? A look at the lighter side from the month ......................p26 Answers to [email protected] Letters Last Month’s Poll: Your questions answered .............................................p27 Do you intend to renovate your interior fit out this year? Yes: 41% No: 59% Design... Clear Designs Telephone: 01 445 9363 [email protected] Clear Designs www.cleardesigns.ie May 2019 | @FFTresource Food News 3 Dublin Chef to Open Myrtle Restaurant in London ublin chef Anna Haugh is set to open her first Drestaurant in London this coming April. Called Myrtle, in reference to Ballymaloe House co-owner and Michelin starred chef Myrtle Allen, the restaurant in Chelsea will focus on “Sophis- ticated yet informal dishes”. Once open, the menu will include dishes such as cele- riac wellington with tarragon and cep mushroom duxelle, crispy stuffed chicken wings with wild trompette purée, and buttermilk panna cotta. Chef Haugh, originally from Tallaght, has previously held Michelin stars at restaurants including Pied a Terre, as well as working alongside Gordon Ramsay. She began her ca- reer cooking at l’Ecrivain with Derry Clarke. She has long advocated Irish ingredients and will be using Myrtle as a platform to highlight some of her favourite Irish products. Entries Open for 2019 Blas na hÉireann ntries are now open for Research has shown that itor locations throughout Ire- large and small producers. general food-loving public. the 2019 Blas na hÉire- the Blas accreditation has the land and abroad.” Judges come from a range The independent endorse- Eann awards, the larg- highest recognition among The judging process for of food backgrounds from ment of a Blas award is a rec- est largest blind-tasted food Irish consumers and having the awards was developed chefs to restaurateurs, aca- ognised quality guarantee that awards on the island of Ire- the award logo on products by Blas with the Food Science demics, journalists, authors, can help get a product onto the land. encourages shoppers to pick Dept of UCC and the Univer- food champions, caterers and shelves of a particular retailer The annual awards are de- them up.