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The Hotel School in GMIT will host the first national “Foodie Forum” on Thursday February 2nd 2012. The event will be an interactive one day experience which will showcase the abundance and variety of excellent local and artisan produce available in Ireland. In addition the event aims to support local food businesses and promote consumer sustainability.

The forum will include a series of Master classes with leading chefs and seminars by well known and established industry professionals. In addition visitors can experience micro-brewers and participate in food and wine workshops coupled with an indoor market of local producers. An impressive line up of contributors have joined The Foodie Forum team in their quest to educate on the importance of the providence of food, the support of local suppliers and the use of seasonal Irish food. The event will conclude with a celebratory culinary dining experience, prepared by Hotel School Lecturers and Students

This initiative, the inspiration of three Hotel School Lecturers, Cormac Handy, Colin Gilligan and Jacinta Dalton and supported by the Hotel School at GMIT, was pitched on twitter to like minded “foodies” and momentum gathered within a matter of hours. The team said that whilst they knew there was a strong foodie presence on twitter, they were pleasantly surprised at the pace at which their idea has taken off and the goodwill amongst individuals wishing to get involved.

Team Cáit Noone, Head of Hotel School believes that this event is an excellent opportunity to showcase the excellent work being done by Local and Artisan food & beverage producers in the West of Ireland and beyond and is an appropriate prelude to the Volvo Ocean Race which will arrive in Galway in the summer of 2012. ‘ At the launch of the countdown to the Volvo Ocean Race the LDIG team announced the four main pillars of the race next summer – marine, green, innovation and food. The food pillar will provide Ireland with a global showcase opportunity to share with the world our food experiences and the outstanding locally sourced produce we have to offer.

The event in the Hotel School in GMIT will provide an introduction to the many wonderful culinary experiences visitors to Galway can expect next summer

The Foodie Forum is open to the public and industry colleagues and is set to attract a large number of visitors. In the first instance all wishing to attend the event must register their interest at FoodieForum_Registration. Ticket Line and Registration for this event are now closed

In the meanwhile for regular updates follow the team on Twitter, @thefoodieforum and find TheFoodieForum on Facebook.
Free parking is available in the Galwegians RFC.
You can pick up your Event Pass via the Northern Entrance at the GMIT.

The Foodie Forum ~ Line Up

The Demonstration Theatre, The Melting Pot
10.30-11.30Enda McEvoy & J.P McMahon
Aniar & Cava Restaurants, Galway		Terroir and Foraging Philosophies
11.30-12.30Ruairi O'Morachain, CorkThe Druid Chef
12.30-13.30Brian McDermott, DonegalThe Community Chef
13.30-14.30Stefan Matz, Ashford Castle, MayoMatz Masterclass
14.30-15.30Wade Murphy & Mickael Viljanen
Doonbeg Lodge & Gregans Castle, Clare		Classical Cuisine with Modern
Techniques
15.30-16.30Bryan McCarthy
Springfort Hall, Cork		Nose to Tail – Sausage Making
16.30-17.30Jack McCarthy of Kanturk, CorkThe Fundamentals of Boudin Making
The Dem, Unit Ten, The Melting Pot
11.00-12.00Ronan Reynolds, Ard Bia, GalwaySeasonal Gourmet
12.00-13.00Graham Roberts
Connemara Smokehouse, Galway		The Art of Traditional Smoking
13.00-14.00Billy Garvey Kai Café, Galway
Knorr Student Chef of the Year 2010		Contemporary Cuisine
14.00-15.00Stephen McKenna
Catex Open Fish Gold Medal Winner 2010
O’Gradys on the Pier, Barna, Galway		Simply Seafood
15.00-16.00Kamil Dubanik
Eurotoques Young Chef 2011
Knockranny House Hotel, Westport		Eurotoques on a Plate
16.00-17.00Danny Coleman, IiTBC, GMIT, GalwayIntroduction to Molecular Gastronomy
Award Winning Patisserie: Live Kitchen Unit 9, The Melting Pot
12.00-15.00Mary Reid, Lecturer, GMITGMIT President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching 2009
Kevin Ward, Executive Head Chef at the Sheraton,AthloneCatex Gold Medalist 2009 2010
Avril O’Connor, GalwayCulinary World Skills Medalist
Anthony Kelly, Proprietor Chef at Riverside Restaurant, MayoPress Award Winner at The World Sugar Art Pastry Competition, Paris
Paula Stakelum, Head Pastry Chef, Ashford Castle, MayoCatex Gold Medalist 2011 Plated Dessert

9.30-12.00

ABC – Artisan Basket Competition Unit 1, The Melting Pot

Sponsored by Eurotoques
Judges:
Frank O’Connor, Lecturer GMIT
Martin Ruffley, Lecturer GMIT
Maurice McCarthy, Executive Chef, Salthill Hotel, Galway Wade Murphy, Eurotoque

12.00-15.00

GMIT Barbecue at The Herb Garden, The Melting Pot

Culinary Arts Students from GMIT with Lecturer Mairtin Clancy

12.00-15.00

A Taste of GMIT, City of Galway Training Restaurant,
in The Melting Pot

Culinary Arts Students from GMIT
with Lecturers Sadie Daveron & Anne O’Leary

12.00-15.00

Master Class on Bread-making, Unit 8
in The Melting Pot

with
Lecturer Ann Kelly

The Forum
A series of informative sessions for both industry and students alike with contributions from:
11.00-12.00Bullseye – Conor HydeFood Trends
12.00-13.00CaterCare – Sinead O’Halloran Food Allergens in Menu Planning
13.00-14.00 The Blog Spot – Mona WiseBlogging for Business: Build a Blog
14.00-15.00Conor Kenny
Conor Kenny & Associates
www.conorkenny.com		15 Marketing Questions You Should Be Able To Answer
15.00-16.00Euro Toques- Ruth HegartyBuilding a Food Culture through Food Education
16.00-17.00TravelShake.com – Laughlin RigbyOptimising Social Media for Small Businesses
Wine Tasting at The Drinks Quarter
11.00-12.00 Martin Evans Next Door/Lohans, Salthill French Wines: A Wonderful World of Reds, Whites and Roses
12.00-13.00 Frank Kineen The Vineyard, Galway South American Wines: A Taste of Chile and Argentina
13.00-14.00Peter Boland & Daniel AdamskiCases Wine & The Black Cat, Galway The Joy of Food & Wine Matching
14.00-15.00 Declan Owens Thomas Woodbury’s, Galway Italian Wine: From Top to Toe
15.00-16.00 Martin Evans Next Door /Lohans, Salthill Spanish Wine: The Best of What’s Hot and What’s Not
16.00-17.00 Declan Owens Thomas Woodbury’s, Galway Weird & Wonderful Grape Varieties
Craft Beers & Cider at The Drinks Quarter 11.00-15.00
Craft Beer & Cider ShowcaseGalway Bay BreweryBay Ale, Strange Brew, Stromy Porter
Dingle Brewing Company Tom Crean’s Premium Irish Lager
Eight Degrees Brewing Company Howling Gale Ale, Knockmealdown Porter
Galway Hooker Galway Hooker Irish Pale Ale
The Porter House Brewing Company Porter House Red, Oyster Stout, Plain Porter, Hersbrucker Lager
O’Hara’s Brewing CompanyO’Hara’s Irish Stout, O’Hara’s Irish Red, O’Hara’s Irish Pale Ale
Stonewell Cider Irish Craft Cider
The Market 10.30-15.30
The Friendly Farmer Bronze Turkey
Cait Curran Organic Fruit and Vegetables
Marty's Mussels Fresh, delicious mussels
Castlemine Farm Traditional Farming/Artisan Food
Cobie den HeyerLow-Sugar Jams
Donegal Rapeseed Oil Rapeseed Oil
Connemara BreadsHand Made Breads
Kate O DwyerJams, Cordials
Kelly's of Newport Artisan Butchers
Linnalla Ice-Cream Taste of the Burren
Tasty Treats by ElaineHome Baked Goods
The Foods of Athenry Gluten Free Products/Artisan Bakery
Mike BrownSmoked Fish, Shellfish, Honey
Piece of Cake – Hazel Heneghan Baked Goods
Sheridan’s Cheese Selection of Locally Produced Cheese
Paddy’s O’Granola Granola
Catherine Nee Marty’s Mussels
Galway Chocolate CompanyHandmade Chocolates
Cathal Keogh – Mocha Beans The Art of Roasting
James McGeough Artisan Butchery
St. Tola Organic Goats Cheese
Springfort HallGourmet Products
Solaris TeaTeas in Harmony with Life
Connemara Hill Lamb100% Natural Irish Lamb
and lots more besides....

The Foodie Forum ~ Event Organisers

Jacinta Dalton

Jacinta Dalton, from Oughterard, Co. Galway a Hotel Management and Business Graduate of GMIT, joined the Hotel School, GMIT as a Lecturer in Food & Beverage Operations and Marketing in September 2010

Prior to joining GMIT Jacinta has had direct operational experience at senior management level in the restaurant/hotel and industrial catering sectors over the past 20 years.

In more recent years Jacinta has gone on to specialise in industry specific legislative training and worked as a freelance mentor to food & beverage businesses in the areas of cost management and menu planning as well as other key legislative areas.

Cormac Handy

Cormac Handy, from Clara Co. Offaly, now in living in Galway has been working as a Lecturer in Culinary Arts, at The Hotel School, GMIT since 1999. Prior to joining the GMIT team, Cormac worked as a culinary teacher in Bilbao, Spain where his love for teaching and training was born.

Graduating from NUIG with a Masters in Adult Learning and Development, Cormac immersed himself into the world of e-Learning and social media. This passion for social media was the catalyst for the creation of TheHandyKitchen.com; an online and iPhone App cooking resource.

Having a keen interest in artisan produce and culinary arts, Cormac is delighted to be part of The Foodie Forum team. “I am thrilled that we can provide a platform to showcase the excellence in culinary skills and innovation and a forum where local producers, industry and the public can meet, share ideas and build new relationships”

Colin Gilligan

Colin Gilligan, a native of Mayo, now living in Galway is a Lecturer at the Hotel School in GMIT for the past seven years. A former graduate of the school, Colin has worked in various high profile hotels in Ireland and the continent before returning to GMIT.

He continues to maintain strong links to industry and this was one of the reasons that prompted him to get involved with the FoodieForum. "My main area of interest for the FoodieForum is the Drinks Quarter, where some well known craft beer producers will showcase their products and where a number of wine merchants will do wine-tasting classes and food matching.

So many people in Ireland are interested in wine and in particular there is a growing trend towards craft beer and cider. The FoodieForum will provide visitors with an interactive opportunity to come and see the best of what’s available locally"

The Foodie Forum ~ Event Location