City Hall turned into food paradise
City Hall was awash with bright colours and delicious smells last week as the Cork & Kerry Food Market took place.
It was a foodie paradise showcasing a wide array of food producers alongside live cookery demonstrations in the Millennium Hall, and a dedicated area that became a symposium for food talks and seminars.
The market, which has become a regular event at Cork City Hall, showcased the best of artisan and local food and drink, giving visitors a chance to discover, taste, explore, and learn why Cork and Kerry have earned their reputation as an international hub of food excellence.
The Concert Hall at City Hall was buzzing and jam-packed with producers bringing a vast array of products to discover, taste and explore. Visitors had the opportunity to meet and connect with producers and food experts, hear their stories, and discover the passion that fuels Ireland’s thriving food and drink sector. The event offered something for everyone, featuring a diverse array of artisans—from solar-powered jam makers and specialist bakers to beekeepers, distillers, brewers, chocolatiers, urban farmers, chefs, confectioners, spice experts, and so much more
Two stages
The Cookery Demonstration Stage, hosted by Caroline Hennessy, showcased an impressive lineup of culinary talent, including well-known chefs. Highlights featured acclaimed chef Kevin Aherne from Sage, alongside talented TV regulars like West Cork-based New Zealand chef Matthew Brownie and Tralee’s Max Bagaglini.
Vegan cuisine specialist Meadhbh Halton tantalised audiences with mouth-watering plant-based dishes, while Athula Kuruppu-Achchinge of Athula’s Fusion Foods and Chris Braganza, known as the Spice Genie, delighted with their spice-infused fusion creations.
The lineup also included zero-waste catering expert Orla McAndrew, Jerome Wilkinson of Ecofish, and Frank Keane of Koko Kinsale, who presented an utterly delectable truffle recipe. Rounding out the event, organic fitness specialist Colman Power and nutritionist Kara O’Donnell shared recipes focused on healthy eating.
In the food seminar area, Cathy Fitzgibbon took visitors on a journey with speakers across a vast array of areas from beekeeping and honey making, to brewing, distilling, cocktail maxing and mixology, coffee making, fermentation, food science and enterprise.