Local chefs get set for Washington

Four local top chefs are to showcase local-style cuisine at a gala dinner in one of Washington’s most prestigious restaurants later this month.

The chefs will join celebrity Irish restaurateur, Cathal Armstrong, at his Restaurant Eve, in Alexandria, Va for a gourmet master cooking class and gala dinner.

This event is just one of over 40 arts and cultural events taking place throughout Washington DC which aim to raise US awareness of the region’s thriving economy, revitalised cities, unique and fascinating culture and its people’s sense of pride and passion. The ‘Rediscover Northern Ireland’ programme will challenge and influence perceptions of the region and will illustrate the calibre and vitality of the region as a place to visit, invest, study, work and live.

Agriculture Minister, Michelle Gildernew MP, took the opportunity to meet with the chefs before the event and said: “The gala dinner is a great opportunity to promote fantastic local food and talent. I am pleased that as the new local Minister, I am able to support and do all I can to maximise the impact of our visit to Washington.

“Our agri-food sector has a winning combination of great natural resources, matched with first class quality and I believe that Washington won’t fail to be impressed by our ability to compete on an international culinary level.”

Ms Gildernew said that while in Washington she also hoped to meet with a range of trade and government contacts to promote local food and drink and encourage fewer trade restrictions.

The invitation-only dinner will include influential food and travel trade as well as American political representatives. The event is being organised by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), Invest NI, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) and Tourism Ireland. It is being sponsored by Bushmills whiskey and also includes a delegation of local food and drink companies led by Invest NI.

Speaking on behalf of the chefs, Sean Owens, Chef and Patron, Gardiners Restaurant, Magherafelt, said: “We have some of the best naturally produced foodstuffs in the world and it is important that our farmers, fishermen and food producers can compete in today’s global markets. This event will be a fantastic shop window to prove that as a region, we have what it takes and can rival any cuisine in the world.”

Alan Clarke, Chief Executive, NITB, said: “Northern Ireland is fast developing an international reputation for its food tourism products with farmers markets, an extensive calendar of food events and award-winning restaurants. Events such as the gala dinner offer an opportunity to further develop this reputation on a world stage.”

Allison Offor, Head of Corporate Relations at Diageo NI, event sponsor said: “Bushmills is delighted to be working in partnership with the Northern Ireland Executive in bringing a newly confident and outward looking Northern Ireland to the heart of Washington.”

Notes to Editors:

1. All media enquiries to DARD Press Office, tel: 028 9052 4619.

2. Four Northern Ireland companies will also be taking part in an Invest NI organised mission to Washington coinciding with the Masterclass. The companies are:

• Bushmills Distillery, Bushmills, a producer of Irish whiskey and Ireland’s oldest licensed distillery.
• Classic Mineral Water, Lurgan, a producer of natural and flavoured waters from its own spring.
• Johnson’s Coffee, Lisburn, blender of a coffee range.
• Tayto, Tandragee, a producer of crisps and snacks.

3. About the Chefs

• Noel McMeel serves as Head Chef for Castle Leslie in Co. Monaghan. He has successfully married the memory of growing up on a small farm in Ireland with his extensive professional experience in Ireland, Paris and the USA. He has trained in Northern Ireland, Johnston and Wales, Boston University and cole le Ntre in Paris. His experience working with world leading chefs including Jean-Louis Palladin at the Watergate Hotel, Washington and Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in San Francisco, as well as his work on high profile events like Sir Paul McCartney’s wedding, have combined to make Noel McMeel one of the most accomplished chefs working in Ireland today.
• Belle Isle Chef, Liz Moore, operates a renowned cookery school in County Fermanagh with her business partner the Duke of Abercorn. Liz is one of the new generation of young Irish food ambassadors, concentrating on Irish food with a lighter and more modern twist. Liz has cooked for many prestigious events in Ireland and lists among those who have tasted her culinary delights H.M. Queen Elizabeth II and the internationally acclaimed chef Michel Roux, a consultant to the Belle Isle School of Cookery.
• Sean Owens is Chef and Patron of Gardiners Restaurant. He travelled and trained around the world, including work as a chef’s apprentice in Hotel Montana in Zurich, Switzerland; in F.G. Brittinghams Irish Pub and Seafood Restaurant Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania and at the International Sporting Club, in London, England as Senior Sous Chef. He served as Head Chef at the Ballygally Castle, and later as Sous Chef at the Europa Hotel Belfast. He served as Chairman of the Northern Ireland Association of Chefs and Cooks and was one of the first chefs to be inaugurated to the Northern Ireland Culinary Academy.
• Nick Price, trained at Bournemouth Hotel School where he graduated as Student of the Year, has worked in the hospitality and affiliated industries for the last 36 years. After travelling extensively, in 1978 he returned to his native Northern Ireland to set up a restaurant and bar operation known as Daft Eddys (also the name of a local folk hero) in Strangford Lough. In December 1989, he launched Nick’s Warehouse in Belfast in an old warehouse that formerly was used by The Bushmills Whisky Company located in the Cathedral Quarter, Nick’s Warehouse has listed in the Bridgestone Guide’s 100 Best Restaurants in Ireland, and is twice winner of the Irish Food and Drink Magazines Best Value in Ireland Award.

4. ‘Rediscover Northern Ireland’ began during the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations on March 15 2007 and will culminate in the Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Festival from June 27 – July 8 2007.

For further information on ‘Rediscover Northern Ireland’, access their website.