FFT

T
he Restaurants Associa-
tion of Ireland (RAI) has
launched a new cam-
paign to retain a reduced rate
of value added tax (VAT) in the
tourism sector. The measure,
introduced two years ago as a
temporary policy to help make
the sector competitive, has
yielded impressive results, ac-
cording to the RAI.
The RAI launched its Keep
Vat at 9% campaign at its an-
nual conference in Dublin,
drawing on research con-
ducted by Economist Anthony
Foley of Dublin City University
(DCU) Business School. Ac-
cording to Foley, 1,000 new
jobs had been created in the
restaurant sector alone directly
as a result of the VAT reduction,
while other sectors such as
catering services, hotels, cine-
mas, theatres and hairdressing
have also benefited. Foley said
that the measure should be re-
tained because the difficulties
in the economy that led to the
reduction had not gone away
yet, and the sector had signifi-
cant potential for job creation.
Foley also called for more
joined-up thinking by the Gov-
ernment when it came to tax
and the hospitality sector. The
Government brought in the
nine per cent VAT rate basically
to help the hospitality sector
but in the meantime it in-
creased the general rate of VAT
from 21% to 23% which affects
alcohol serving in restaurants.
In addition it increased the ex-
cise rate on alcohol particularly
in wine, by over 40%, he
noted. So in fact paradoxically
T
he European Commis-
sion (EC) has scrapped
plans to change how
restaurants should serve olive
oil, just one week after intro-
ducing proposals.
The EC initially proposed
that restaurants should be
banned from serving oil to
diners in refillable glass jugs
or dipping bowls from next
year. However, the move led to
accusations of unwanted inter-
ference across the continent,
with British Prime Minister
David Cameron joining France
and the Netherlands in criti-
cism. "This is exactly the sort
of area that the European
Union needs to get right out of,
in my view," said Cameron. "It
shouldn't even be on the table,
to make a false pun."
EU farm commissioner
Dacian Ciolos announced the
u-turn, saying he had taken the
decision once it became clear
that consumers did not sup-
port the plans. "This is crucial
in my view, so I've decided to
withdraw this proposal and not
submit it for adoption," he re-
marked. "I wanted to come
here today to demonstrate that
I've been very alive to the cur-
rent debate in the press."
Ciolos said that he will pro-
pose revised rules to protect
olive oil producers and con-
sumers after further consulta-
tions with manufacturers,
consumer groups and the
restaurant industry, and prom-
ised to avoid any unnecessary
red tape.
There is no sincerer love than the love of food. Bernard Shaw June 2013
Making the Change:
How La Dolce Vita transformed
its business. .................Page 6
Local Focus: Donegal:
The restaurant scene in the
north east. ...................Page 8
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FOOD
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TIMES
TheDiningRoom.ie
Irelands premier foodie
destination ................Page 12
An Ear to the Ground:
Kilbeg Dairies is going from
strength to strength. ...Page 10
To BYOB or not to BYOB?
A new approach for drinks of-
fering.........................Page 15
T
aste of Dublin is set to
return to Dublins Iveah
Gardens this June for
four days of summer eating,
drinking and entertainment.
Running from June 13 to
16, the event will feature 20 of
the citys most popular restau-
rants dishing up their wares
for an al fresco gourmet feast,
while 100 producers provide a
bounty of the best food and
beverages.
Restaurants will fashion
special menus of starter sized
dishes for the occasion, in-
cluding signature dishes cre-
... cont on page 3
Taste of Dublin will return to Dublin's Iveagh Gardens.
This Copy
Belongs To:
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for June Return
FFT.ie is distributed to 10,000 businesses every month. Visit us at www.fft.ie
The EC reversed its plans after
a flurry of criticism.
The Launch of the Keep VAT at
9% Campaign
... cont on page 2
EC Changes Tack on Olive Oil
Keep VAT at 9%
Food For Thought June_Layout 1 05/06/2013 21:01 Page 1
News
FFT.ie June 2013
2
In this Issue...
Making the Change
How La Dolce Vita transformed its business..................................p06
Local Focus: Donegal
The restaurant scene in the north east. ..........................................p08
An Ear to the Ground
Kilbeg Dairies is going from strength to strength. ........................p10
TheDiningRoom.ie
Hot news on fine dining....................................................................p12
To BYOB or not to BYOB?
A new approach for drinks offering................................................p15
Payments Made Easy
A flat-fee card payment solution offers simplicity and value. ......p18
Events and Jobs
What's going on, and new opportunities. ......................................p21
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T
he TASTE Council of Ire-
land and Bord Bia have
launched the Future is
Food education module at the
third national food symposium
at Ballymaloe House in Shana-
garry, Cork.
Over 100 artisan food in-
dustry and education repre-
sentatives attended the
symposium, focused this year
on education in order to
broaden the appeal of local
foods, artisanal foods and spe-
ciality foods for future genera-
tions. The education module is
aimed at increasing Transition
Year students awareness and
understanding of the food in-
dustry and the artisan sector
in particular.
Food Harvest 2020 high-
lighted the emergence of a
significant artisan food sector,
responding to consumer de-
mands for locally produced
and distinctive foods. This has
brought a new stream of entre-
preneurs into the artisan sec-
tor, which now directly
supports 3,000 jobs, noted
Simon Coveney, Minister for
Agriculture, Food and the Ma-
rine, launching the initiative.
The Food is the Future Tran-
sition Year module will intro-
duce a new generation of
students to the richness of
local food and to the skills re-
quired for taking micro food
enterprises to the next level. I
would like to thank and con-
gratulate the Taste Council
and the pilot schools for com-
mitting to an exciting project
highlighting food as a driver of
the local economy.
Cait Noone, Education
Spokesperson for TASTE
Council of Ireland, explained
the aims of the initiative. The
Food is the Future module
aims to highlight and explore
how practical education can
increase students apprecia-
tion of the economic, environ-
mental and social benefits of
the food industry. We need to
teach the younger generation
about the immense value that
artisan food producers play in
Irelands agricultural land-
scape and relay the unique
product and brand stories.
Ballymaloe House was the
venue for the initiative.
Hybrid Consumer
Polarising Food Sector
A
new report by
Rabobank Retail has
urged food companies,
food retailers, and food serv-
ice companies to take account
of the rise of the hybrid con-
sumer in their sales strate-
gies.
Rabobank researchers
found mid-market consumers
are trading down on everyday
value-for-money items, such
as basic groceries, using sav-
ings achieved by this to trade
up to premium, high-end
brands in supermarkets and
fine dining. As a result,
Rabobank argues, middle-
ground players are struggling
to retain market share.
The implications of this
market trend are profound and
touch on areas such as prod-
uct offerings, distribution
channels, marketing, and
brand management, said
Rabobank senior analyst Marc
Kennis.Given the driving
forces of hybrid consumption,
i.e. womens increasing role in
household spending and the
growing importance of Millen-
nials [generations Y and Z], we
believe that hybrid consump-
tion is a long-lasting phenom-
enon. Therefore, food
processors, food retailers, and
food service companies alike
will need to adapt or risk fad-
ing away, he added.
To capture the hybrid mar-
ket, Rabobank urged compa-
nies to offer healthier
alternatives, use more natural
ingredients, and build in cor-
porate social responsibility
and sustainable business
practices. The report cites Per-
nod Ricard as a company that
has been successful in premi-
aumising its product offerings.
The report suggests that
firms can offer value products
within the premium segment
and premium products within
the value segment to cater to
consumers polarised needs.
Retailers can also use value
products to sell premium
products, Rabobank said, cit-
ing one well known UK-based
coffee chain offering low
priced coffee to go linked to
premium sandwiches.
Keep VAT at 9%
... cont
if the Government didnt main-
tain the 9% VAT rate in 2014, it
would leave the restaurant sec-
tor worse than it was before it
introduced the nine per cent
rate in July 2011.
RAI Chief Executive Adrian
Cummins said that the reduced
rate of VAT helped keep
restaurants on a competitive
footing, and was generating
employment. When the econ-
omy went into decline, restau-
rants endured falling numbers
of diners, rising prices, and
great financial uncertainty with
many facing closure, he said.
Money generated by this re-
duced VAT rate, however, has
kick-started a reversal of for-
tunes. In the past 18 months,
over 10,000 new contracts
were issued and this growth
will continue with an additional
5,000 jobs to be created over
the next year if VAT at 9% re-
mains in effect.
By contrast, he warned of
shockwaves throughout the
sector if the measure was re-
versed. Not only does it help
businesses in our industry but
it has had an immense impact
on food producers and suppli-
ers, workers, and the commu-
nities within which they
operate. The ripple effect is far
reaching as many of our trade
partners know to their benefit,
he said.
Vat at 9% has had a posi-
tive effect on all aspects of the
restaurant sector specifically,
but also the wider tourist indus-
try generally. This is why the
RAI fervently believes it would
be foolhardy to get rid of it. Re-
ducing VAT to this level is a real
success story so the RAI is
sending a clear message to
Government saying keep Vat at
9% because its about sup-
porting food, tourism, and jobs.
The retention of Vat at 9% will
undoubtedly lead to further job
creation in our sector, but also
in all the sectors that it sup-
ports, he added.
Tourism Minister Leo
Varadkar raised expectations
of retaining the low rate of VAT,
saying that it had outperformed
other initiatives thus far and
had increased competitive-
ness. I know that your sector
sees retention of the reduced
VAT rate as crucial and I also
want to see it continued
through 2014 and beyond, he
said, addressing restaurant
owners. But I need your help
to make that case. As you know,
the VAT reduction costs the ex-
chequer 350m a year and
there are many other demands
on that money. To keep it in
place, what I need from you is
hard evidence that this policy
has worked, and is continuing
to work.
TASTE Council, Bord Bia,
Hold Food Summer School
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bodies and other related parties.
All material copyright 2013. No part of this publication
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FFT.ie, 49 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2, Ireland.
This Months Poll:
Have tourist numbers to your restaurant risen in the
year of The Gathering?
Answers to editor@fft.ie
Last Months Poll:
Have customers started to drink less wine following
the duty increase?
Yes: 72%
No: 28%
News
FFT.ie June 2013
3
ated by chefs to specially re-
flect their philosophy and
showcase seasonal and pre-
mium ingredients.
Taste of Dublin has set a
target of over 30,000 visitors
for the four-day event. In infor-
mation for restaurants, the or-
ganisation notes that visitors
are 59% female, with 66%
aged between 25 and 45. 92%
of visitors from 2012, the or-
ganisers revealed, said that
they will visit again in 2013.
The event also caters for over
3,500 VIP guests each year.
T
tion of Ireland (RAI) has
elected Padraic Gal-
lagher as its new President.
The Leitrim native, who
opened Gallaghers Boxty
House in Temple Bar in 1988,
has long-standing experience
in the food business, having
worked as a chef in the
Caribbean and London. Gal-
lagher has said he was in-
spired to open the Boxty
House on his travels by watch-
ing how other emigrants ate
their native food. The Boxty
House produces speciality
Irish food such as Boxty, the
Boxty wrap and Boxty pan-
cakes.
Its important that restau-
rateurs fight to protect our in-
dustry- restaurants represent
one in four jobs in the hospital-
ity industry and it is vital that
we lobby to keep the VAT at
9% and fight any further in-
creases to local authority
rates. We, as restaurateurs, just
wont survive otherwise, said
Gallagher, who succeeds
Brian Fallon (owner of Fallons
of Kilcullen) as the RAIs 17th
President.
Padraic Gallagher owns
Gallagher's Boxty House in
Temple Bar.
Gallagher Elected RAI President
Taste of Dublin Set for June Return...
cont
Stonehouse Adds
to Fine Dining in
Clonmel
A
new fine dining eatery,
Stonehouse Restaurant,
has appointed Mark
Ahessy as Head Chef.
Owned by Jim and
Anthony Smith, who also run
the Lautrecs Tapas and Wine
Bar in Kilkenny City,
Stonehouse Restaurant is
based in Clonmel, Tipperary.
Ahessy, 30, has previously
worked in some of the coun-
try's best restaurants including
Dublins Pichet and the
Michelin starred L'Ecrivain
and Chapter One.
Mark brings a fresh ap-
proach with a passion for
excellent presentation to
Clonmels first fine dining
restaurant. In keeping with
Stonehouses ethos of using
local, sustainable and seasonal
produce, Mark believes in let-
ting ingredients speak for
themselves particularly
Irelands high quality pro-
duce, said a statement issued
by Stonehouse Restaurant.
Ahessy, the statement added,
has created Stonehouses new
summer menu featuring the
best of local, seasonal pro-
duce from Fethard poultry to
Cashel pork.
Stonehouse was recently
nominated for Best Restaurant,
Best Customer Service and
Best Chef in Tipperary in the
Restaurant Association of
Ireland regional awards.
A
new 5m investment
by Linden Foods, which
will create 179 jobs,
has been hailed by Northern
Irelands Enterprise Minister
Arlene Foster.
Linden Foods, a market
leader within
the Northern
Ireland fresh
meat process-
ing industry, has
benefited from
Invest NI assis-
tance of
520,000 under
its Jobs Fund to
support its
growth plans. This investment
is very welcome news for the
food industry which is a key
contributor to Northern Ire-
lands economy, said Foster.
Invest Northern Irelands
support will enable this pro-
gressive meat processing firm
to recruit its new staff mem-
bers quickly and capitalise on
growth opportunities.
This investment is an im-
portant part of our long term
development strategy and un-
derlines our commitment to
the Dungannon area. The sup-
port from Invest NI through its
Jobs Fund will allow us to cre-
ate the workforce we need to
meet the demand for our
range of new and innovative
p r o d u c t s
among ex-
port cus-
tomers and
enable us to
cement our
leading po-
sition within
the meat
processi ng
i n du s t r y,
said Trevor Lockhart, Chair-
man of Linden Foods.
Linden foods opened a
new, purpose-built facility ad-
jacent to its existing process-
ing site at Granville. The 5,740
square metre premises in-
cludes a dedicated innovation
centre and development
kitchen enabling the business
to continually innovate and
create products that are ahead
of current trends in the food
retailing sector.
Linden Foods Scaling Up
Q
T Comments, a new
tool for providing
anonymous feedback
to business, has been nomi-
nated in two categories at the
prestigious Startup Awards.
The company is in the run-
ning for Food & Drink Entre-
preneurial Startup of the Year
and Social Enterprise Startup
of the Year, sponsored by Bord
Bia and DCU Respectively. The
Startup Awards aim to recog-
nise the very best of young
Irish businesses and reward-
ing them for their innovation,
endeavour, and graft, with a
judging panel including
Bobby Kerr and Vodafones
Jonathon Rutherford.
Its a good piece of
recognition for the product in
its very early stages, and we
are looking forward to the
presentation night, says
Ronan Morris, Client Director
at Webtogether, which mar-
kets QT Comments. We are
delighted to get to this stage,
and anything further would be
a bonus.
The winners of the awards
will be announced on June 10.
QT Comments Welcomes
Award Recognition
News
FFT.ie June 2013
4
F
ilte Ireland has an-
nounced a new search
for 12 food champions
to help build Irelands reputa-
tion as a food tourism destina-
tion.
The agency is asking the
public to nominate people
who have a resounding pas-
sion and belief in Irish food
and could influence the future
of food tourism in their region.
The 12 champions must be lo-
cated along the Wild Atlantic
Way, the 2,500 kilometre driv-
ing route stretching from the
Inishowen peninsula in Done-
gal to Kinsale in Cork. Nomi-
nees should be involved in a
food business for at least two
years and have received
awards for their work.
The 12 people will receive
assistance from Filte Ireland
to develop networks in food
tourism. The participants will
travel to Norway to see how it
promotes food tourism along a
network of established driving
routes.
This is the second year of
the food champions initiative.
Helen McDaid, Food Tourism
Manager for Filte Ireland,
said that last years selected
champions were already mak-
ing a major difference in their
areas. The closing date for en-
tries for the initiative is July
15th and the winners will be
announced at the Dingle Food
Festival in October.
FSAI Served Nine
Enforcement Orders in April
T
he Food Safety Author-
ity of Ireland (FSAI) is-
sued seven Closure
Orders, one Improvement
Order and one Prohibition
Order on food businesses
during the month of April for
breaches of safety regulations.
Three restaurants in Laois
alone with one restaurant each
in Mayo, Meath, Clare and Tip-
perary, were subject to clo-
sure orders. The Improvement
order was issued to a Spar
store in Dublin, and a Probhi-
tion Order was served under
the FSAI Act, 1998 on a Dublin
restaurant.
Failte Ireland Seeks
Food Champions
A
record number of en-
tries have been lodged
by Northern Irish arti-
san food and drink
companies for this
years UK Great Taste
Awards. A total of 627
products have been
entered in the UK
Guild of Fine Foods
prestigious event, a
29% increase on last
years event.
The remarkable
growth in interest in
the awards has clearly
been stimulated by
the achievements of
many local companies
in what is the UKs
most important food
event over the past
few years, said Invest
Northern Ireland Trade Direc-
tor Dr Vicky Kell. Entries have
grown rapidly from just 51 in
2008 to over 600 for the forth-
coming competition. This
means entries from Northern
Ireland have increased over
ten fold since 2008.
In 2012/13, a total of 47
companies gained almost 200
gold stars at the event includ-
ing five at three-star level.
Northern Ireland companies
McCartney Butchers and Han-
nan Meats, both from Moira,
gained the overall Supreme
Champion Award in succes-
sive years, showcasing the out-
standing taste and
quality of our food,
added Kell.
The entries
from Northern Ire-
land are being
judged at the Dorset
headquarters of the
UK Guild of Fine
Food. The judging
panel includes some
of the most experi-
enced and demand-
ing palates from
Ireland and the UK,
including nationally
acclaimed restau-
rant critics, award-
winning chefs, food
writers, journalists
and restaurateurs, food retail-
ers and buyers. Invest NI spon-
sors the Northern Ireland
Regional Champion Award at
the event.
T
tion of Ireland (RAI) and
the Nutrition and Health
Foundation (NHF) have an-
nounced a new voluntary ini-
tiative, Kids Size Me, to provide
child size portions of adult
meals in restaurants.
The initiative aims to en-
sure that children have access
to healthier food options when
dining out as an alternative to
ordering from the standard
children's menu. Voluntary
guidelines for Kids Size Me
have been devised by Dr.
Muireann Cullen, Dietician
and Manager of the NHF.
Suggestions for cooking
and presenting healthier op-
tions on both the adult and
children's menus include no
longer using salt in the prepa-
ration and cooking of foods,
striving to use fresh fish, meats
and ingredients at all times
rather than processed fare and
using colourful fruit and veg-
etables to encourage their
consumption. If offering chips,
the guidelines say, chunky
homemade oven chips are the
healthier alternative and
should be served salt free.
Meanwhile, if alternatives such
as salads, or potatoes are
available for the adult menu,
these should also be made
available for the children's
menu in appropriate portion
sizes. Baking or grilling chil-
drens food, and using whole-
meal pastas, wraps and
breads where possible to help
increase fibre intake is also
recommended.
Restaurants providing
child sized portions of health-
ier adult main courses have
been urged to permit the
choosing and sharing of
starters from the adult menu,
choose foods that are easy to
provide in reduced portions,
to ensure that these dishes are
also the healthier options on
the menu, and provide addi-
tional plates where necessary.
Using salad plates for half por-
tions, the guidelines advise
will make the meal look big-
ger and thus help prevent over
eating
Fresh fruit, yoghurts, fruit
smoothies, milk puddings and
sugar free jelly and ice cream
have been highlighted as ideal
desert options for children. To
participate in the Kids Size Me
Initiative, restaurants can sent
their Childrens Menu to
info@rai.ie or the Restaurants
Association of Ireland, 11
Bridge Court, Citygate, St. Au-
gustine Street, Dublin 8.
Great Taste Sees
Record NI Entries
RAI, NHF, Team for Voluntary
Kids Meal Initiative
Burger King Returns to Irish Beef
B
urger King has an-
nounced that it will re-
turn to using 100% Irish
and British beef in its burgers
sold in Ireland and the UK. The
move follows a new partner-
ship with Kepak Group who
will supply beef to its Irish and
British restaurants.
The fast food chain ended
a 30m relationship with ABP
in February of this year after
samples of meat from the sup-
plier were found to contain
traces of horse DNA. An-
nouncing the move, Burger
King said that Kepak will un-
dergo frequent and rigorous
audits to ensure industry lead-
ing safety and quality, with the
Irish Government committing
to on-going inspection and
testing.Minister for Agricul-
ture, Food and the Marine
Simon Coveney welcomed
the announcement and
thanked Burger King for their
support for the Irish beef in-
dustry. This is a very positive
news story for the industry
today and an endorsement of
the high quality product that
we are best in the world at
producing, he remarked.
The Burger King brand is
proud to bring back 100%
Irish and British beef to our
restaurants, said Raj Varman,
Senior Vice-President and
General Manager for North
West Europe at Burger King
Worldwide. Our partnership
with Kepak means that our
guests can continue to have
every confidence in the prove-
nance and high quality of the
locally sourced and great tast-
ing burgers they enjoy at our
restaurants.
News
FFT.ie June 2013
5
T
he Chief Executive of
the Food Safety Author-
ity of Ireland (FSAI), Alan
Reilly, has urged restaurants
and food service businesses
to educate themselves on food
safety regulations, pointing to
a range of information offered
by the agency.
Full compliance with food
safety and hygiene standards
is essential for all food busi-
nesses. There is absolutely no
excuse for putting consumers
health at risk through negli-
gent practices. We are urging
businesses to take full advan-
tage of the information and
support provided by the in-
spectorate and the FSAI to en-
sure that they have the correct
food safety management sys-
tems in place, said Reilly.
As part of a new aware-
ness campaign, the FSAI will
be holding a series of free
Breakfast Bites events over
the coming months aimed at
owners and managers of small
food businesses as well as
those thinking of setting up a
small food business. The
events will feature expert talks
on everything from starting a
food business, through to la-
belling requirements and food
safety practices.
Information on the events
and registration details are on-
line at www.fsai.ie/events.
Food business operators can
also contact the FSAI advice
line on 1890 336677 or go to
the food businesses section of
its website www.fsai.ie.
Alan Reilly urged businesses
to take advantage of educa-
tion.
FSAI Urges Businesses
to Sample Information
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EC
Publishes
Beef
Product
Survey
T
he European Commis-
sion has published the
results of its coordinated
EU-wide testing for horse
meat DNA and phenylbuta-
zone.
The results show that,
across the EU, there were
4,144 tests under the horse
meat DNA programme, of
which 193 were positive. In
Ireland, all of the results of the
50 DNA tests on Irish beef
products under the EU pro-
gramme were negative. In ad-
dition, there were 7,951 tests
reported for horse DNA car-
ried out by food business op-
erators across the EU, of which
110 were positive.
In testing for phenylbuta-
zone, there were 16 positives
recorded from 3,115 tests. In
Ireland, only one of the 840
tests carried out by the De-
partment of Agriculture, Food
and the Marine on horse car-
cases for phenylbutazone was
positive. This carcase was de-
stroyed and the case is under
investigation by the Depart-
ment of Agriculture, Food and
the Marine, according to the
Food Safety Authority of Ire-
land (FSAI).
T
wenty three competitors
shone at the inaugural
Flogas Mayo Masterchef
Competition, held in late April
at the Mayo Abbey Cookery
School just outside Claremor-
ris.
The event featured bud-
ding student chefs from the
School alongside seasoned
professionals in vying for top
honours in the five competition
classes. Michael Keogh, local
area representative for spon-
sor Flogas, was on hand to
present the prizes to the win-
ners.
"We are one of the leading
suppliers of LP Gas to the
hotel, restaurant and hospital-
ity industry. Because of this, we
are always looking at ways to
encourage and promote stan-
dards of culinary excellence
so we were delighted to come
on board and support this
very worthwhile initiative,
said Keogh.
Ann-Marie Heneghan,
manager of the FS LTI Cook-
ery project at Mayo Abbey,
spoke of the projects achieve-
ments to date. "We run courses
all year round including a 48
week FAS full time Profes-
sional Cookery Programme
which has proven to be very
successful with 85% of last
year's students now in em-
ployment. We also run other
short Culinary Skill Pro-
grammes. The idea for the
Master Chef Competition
originated with me and assis-
tant co-ordinator Ronan Fox,
when we were looking at ways
to demonstrate what our stu-
dents are capable of," she re-
marked. We want to thank
Flogas very much for their
generous sponsorship of the
event, which enabled us to
present prizes to all our win-
ners. It helped to sharpen the
knives' and give the competi-
tion that extra bit of good-hu-
moured edge on the day."
The Chefs of Mayo Club
also supported the initiative,
setting out competition rules
and criteria for each class as
well as organising the profes-
sional judging panel. The Fish
Open Class was won by Barry
Ralph from the Bayleaf Restau-
rant in Castlebar, who pre-
pared a dish of Clew Bay
scallops with burnt apple and
vanilla curd, black pudding
and pistachio crumble, cele-
riac, pickled apple and
smoked paprika scraps.
Declan Martin from Holly-
mount, a mature student at the
Cookery School, edged out
many professionals to scoop
second place in the Fish Open
class with a dish of Seared
Fresh Seabass, petite rata-
touille, orzo and fresh tomato
sauce. "I am just so delighted
to be placed second and with
the support I've received from
my family, tutors and class-
mates, revealed Martin. A
year ago, my life was very dif-
ferent, I was unemployed and
spent days trawling the pages
of the local paper looking for
work. I always liked cooking
and I couldn't believe my luck
when a local paper advertised
a course in the Mayo Abbey
Cookery School; it was a
chance to fulfil a lifelong ambi-
tion. The skills I gained built up
my confidence and I now
combine my Level 5 FETAC
cookery course with part-time
work in the Knock House Hotel
under chef Frank Lyons.
The Mayo Abbey Cookery
School, a charitable non-profit
making organisation, was set
up just over two years ago. It is
supported by FAS and is run
by a voluntary management
committee. A horticultural
school is based in the same
premises which supplies most
of the fruit and vegetables to
the catering school.
Mayo Masterchef Competition
Cooks Up a Storm
Business Focus
FFT.ie June 2013
6
L
a Dolce Vita is like many
restaurants here in Ire-
land. Family-owned, it
still relies on a close-knit team
to serve loyal clientele. It
started with a small coffee
shop before growing into fine
dining. And it's coping with a
similar basket of issues to any
other establishment.
A New Environment
One thing that separates La
Dolce Vita from its peers, how-
ever, is that management de-
cided to make a major change
in the business model, moving
from the heart of Sandyford
village to the local industrial
estate. "Wed been based in
Sandyford village prior to that,
in the catering sphere, for the
past 13 years. But it was get-
ting quiet up there and it was
time for a change sink or
swim. We were given an op-
portunity by an investor to
move forward, and we took it,"
explains Orla Hendley, part of
the management team and the
restaurant's self-described
"dogsbody".
The Italian restaurant leapt
into the humming hub of local
commercial activity, taking
over a brand new space. With
glass surrounding a spacious
dining room, there's a bright
and modern feel to the restau-
rant, in contrast to the cosy
space La Dolce Vita previously
occupied. "The initial restau-
rant we had was like a cosy lit-
tle kitchen. The second one
was a bit more geared to fine
dining. It was above a pub, but
trying to get that ambience
all carpeted and wallpapered.
It was lovely, with lovely light-
ing and a beautiful bar. But this
one has so much light in it. Its
surrounded by glass, so you
get a great atmosphere just
looking out the window and
gazing at the world. The other
place was lovely, upmarket
and trendy, but also tied in with
the pub. This one is a bit more
sleek," Hendley remarks.
Refreshing the Atmosphere
The change has also been re-
flected in the general atmos-
phere at La Dolce Vita. "The
atmosphere has changed, and
theres always people there
theres a buzz about the place
now, and the passing traffic has
helped hugely," says Hendley.
A changing environment has
invigorated the business, par-
ticularly at lunchtime. "Were
surrounded by Microsoft and
Salesforce is right above us.
Were more corporate now at
lunch. There are a few people
who come in casually but, be-
cause theres not that much
parking, its corporate domi-
nated. Still there are a few peo-
ple coming in who dont work
in the area. Its very busy. This
week, were doing a lot of
team meetings for JP Morgan,
so thats going very well," she
notes.
To capitalise on this, and to
bring people in for the dinner
service, the restaurant has
made changes to its opening
hours. "We dont close any
more. We used to close part of
the restaurant, but now we stay
open from ten in the morning.
The night trade starts at four,
and we have a full bar now
also," says Hendley. "What hap-
pens is that a lot of people will
come in after work for a drink,
because theres nothing in the
industrial estate. That then car-
ries through to the night trade
weve great early birds, and
a meal deal on at the moment.
Weve the live music also on a
Friday. So nights have been
flowing really nicely. Were also
right on the Luas line, and Stil-
lorgan and Mount Merrion are
in walking distance."
Internal Changes
While La Dolce Vita had an ef-
fective formula, a new market
inevitably has a different
palate. Reflecting that, Orla re-
veals, can be a bit of a balanc-
ing act. "Were in the process
of changing the night-time
menu because weve gotten a
new chef in. When we moved
initially, the staff that we had
stayed with us, but weve taken
a new chef on, bringing us to
three full-time chefs. In that
process, the menu is going to
change and well divert a little
bit," she explains. "Of course, if
you divert too much, people
ask wheres that gone? and
whats happening?. Even
though they want a change,
they still want the old stuff
there. And the menu is quite
broad as it is. Were going to
put a bar menu in as well a
few little bits of tapas and stuff.
Were in the process of doing
all those menus up. Its excit-
ing, especially coming into the
summer, as weve the outdoor
terrace for when its sunny."
A new change brings with it a
new approach to marketing,
and Hendley says that work
online has been a big priority.
"Im using social media a lot
more than before, Facebook
and Twitter. Im planning a big
Making the Change
La Dolce Vita has made a major change, moving from Sandyford Village to the heart of the local in-
dustrial estate. FFT talks to Orla Hendley about the move and the issues that poses.
A fresh new dining
room, and a new
location, has
invigorated La
Dolce Vita
The new La Dolce Vita has a sleek, modern feel.
Business Focus
FFT.ie June 2013
7
leaflet campaign coming up
soon," says Hendley, adding
that the restaurant is also work-
ing using restaurant sites to
promote itself. "Ive done a few
banner ads [online], which Ive
never done before. We also do
a text message service for
customers, and will be putting
banners outside the restau-
rant."
Smart investment helps
draw diners in, though word-
of-mouth and appealing re-
views are also vital. Luckily, La
Dolce Vita earned glowing
praise from one well-known
connoisseur of Italian fare,
Paolo Tulio. "Paolo turned up
on a Wednesday night, but we
havent had many writers com-
ing. Id like a few to come in
after we change our menu!"
laughs Hendley. For now,
though, some gushing com-
ments from the Irish Inde-
pendent writer on the
restaurant's fine pizzas will
serve to encourage diners.
Groundwork Required
While Hendley says that every
challenge posed by the move
was surmountable, it's clear
that she doesn't take the suc-
cess for granted. She's quick
to praise the "close-knit, good
team" at the restaurant, which
helped scaling up the busi-
ness to an all-day opening.
Staffing can normally be a
challenge, and having built up
a team over a number of years
has greatly helped.
However, moving to a new
area won't bring immediate
results unless it's accompa-
nied by hard work. "Were
lucky enough to have corpo-
rates during the day, but you
have to work at the passing
trade at night time. Its a matter
of constantly marketing your-
self, and always maintaining
your standards. From food to
front of house, you have to
keep an eye on everything. Its
a full time job to keep the qual-
ity going and keeping good
staff. If theres a failing there, it
will go out onto the floor," says
Hendley. For now, though, La
Dolce Vita's busy floor is pos-
itively humming thanks to a
bold relocation move.
La Dolce Vita
The Chase,
Carmenhall Road,
Sandyford
Industrial Estate,
Dublin 18
Tel: (01) 294 6903
Web:
www.ladolcevitasandyford.com
Twitter: @dolceorla
*When you spend over 60 Ex. VAT - Valid till 30/05/13
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Natural light fills the space in daytime.
Top
Tips
Moving to a new
location can be
daunting, but
following a few
simple rules should
help
Know the Area
Even moving a short dis-
tance can bring your restau-
rant to a completely different
environment, and change
your customer profile dra-
matically. Put in time and ef-
fort to understand what the
passing trade is like in your
targeted area, and what kind
of customers live nearby.
Retool
Knowing your new targeted
customer, you need to think
of any necessary changes to
your business model that
will appeal to them. Do you
need to spice up the menu
for more adventurous
palates, or make things a lit-
tle more sedate? Should
your opening hours stay the
same? What kind of look will
appeal to your new cus-
tomers?
Staff
Relocating will mean big
changes for your existing
team, particularly if your
opening hours change. Give
them as much notice as pos-
sible to let them organise
themselves and make new
arrangements - that way, you
can prevent many teething
problems before they occur
Over-buget
Even though getting build-
ing work done is cheaper
than in the boom years, proj-
ects often overrun, and
problems can emerge mid-
way through. For that reason,
ensure that you 'over bud-
get', both in terms of time
and resources for converting
a new space and your move.
The last thing you need is
half-finished space, no
restaurant open, and no way
to finish the move.
Market
Setting up in a new area is
like starting from scratch:
you don't enjoy the accumu-
lated baseline business that
an established restaurant
does. So you need to invest
time and resources to mar-
keting yourself, always con-
sidering your new customer
profile when allocating any
marketing spend.
Local Focus
FFT.ie June 2013
8
W
ith rolling hills,
breathtaking views
and tonnes of his-
tory, it's little wonder why
Donegal is a tourism hotspot.
The restaurant scene in the
north-west corner of Ireland
largely reflects that character.
Influenced by visitors, tradi-
tional Irish restaurants under-
standably dominate -
moreover, with the largest
mainland coastline of any
county in Ireland, seafood is a
natural fit for Donegal.
A Diverse Taste
That's not to say, however, that
restaurant owners can disre-
gard the local palate - Donegal
is a food-loving county, and re-
fined tastes abound. Indeed, to
judge by Tripadvisor, the
highest-rated restaurant in the
county is Chandpur, an Indian
restaurant in Donegal Town. "A
huge amount of our take-away
business comes from locals,
very much so. And Donegal
town people are very honest
if you make a mistake, theyll
tell you. People will get a take-
away week-in, week-out. And
if there is something wrong
one time, theyll tell us. So we
have to be on top of our game.
Donegal is a foodie town," says
Susan Miah, who helps hus-
band Rana to run the restau-
rant with a busy team. The pair
took full ownership of Chand-
pur in 2012, though a restau-
rant has been on the site since
2004. That, coupled with the
loyalty of customers, has Miah
confident of future success.
In any case, she argues,
there's a distinct buzz about
the county and the town in
particular. "I think Donegal is
bucking the trend its a su-
perb town, and businesses are
springing up every day of the
week. If you come to Donegal,
there are shops, ladies clothes
shops, new stores opening. So
Donegal seems to be holding
its own.
Tourism
Along with traditional tourist
spots such as Letterkenny,
Donegal Town is a key point
for tourists, both to visit and to
tour the county more gener-
ally. Tourists remain a key part
of the business mix, and
restaurant owners are keenly
conscious of numbers given
the year of The Gathering.
Thus far, however, Susan says
that the volume of numbers re-
mains strong. That's helped,
she adds, by having quality
hotels nearby that are happy
to recommend quality local
restaurants.
While hotels around the
country have strived to retain
customers on the property,
sometimes aggressively,
Donegal town hotels have
more of a live-and-let-live ap-
proach. "Not all of them
[tourists] eat out some eat in
the hotel but were lucky in
that the hoteliers will eat with
us, and theyre very good
about recommending us. They
admit that they want cus-
tomers to stay in the hotel, but
they know thats not always the
case. People might book one
night in the hotel restaurant
and, the other two nights,
theyre going out of town. So
theyll ask what the best
restaurant is and we know that
at least three hotels recom-
mend us. Were very lucky in
that respect theres no nasti-
ness," says Susan. "They do
want to keep customers
Deirdre from Harveys Point is
a great friend of ours. She ad-
mits that they want the cus-
tomers to stay in the hotel but,
if theyre not going to do that,
we do get recommended. I
know that because wed talk to
the customers and ask them
how they arrived here. Some
of them would say Tripadvi-
sor, others would say theyre
staying in The Mill Park or Har-
veys and they recommended
us."
Keeping a Local Buzz
A real business community,
with restaurants and hotels
mutually supportive, helps
everyone, as evidenced by the
Local Focus Donegal
FFT takes an in-depth look at Donegal Town.
The castle is a
key draw for
tourists.
Cooking up a storm in the kitchen.
Local Focus
FFT.ie June 2013
9
popular Taste of Donegal Food
Festival. The grass-roots initia-
tive draws some 20,000 visi-
tors to the town every August
to see leading Irish chefs and
taste the wares of local restau-
rants. Run by a committee of
local business leaders and
Donegal Town Community
Chamber, this year's event will
be held in marquees on the
newly refurbished pier area in
the town.
Unsurprisingly, the Chand-
pur team all participate in the
event. "We have a stall every
year, and my husband has
won the gold in the chef s
competition for the past two
years in a row. He won silver
before that, so thats huge for
us," explains Susan. "We sell
hot tiffin boxes based around
the idea that tiffin boxes were
given to Indian workers for
5. People are getting two
starters, chicken and curry
and rice for 5. Were selling
things for half price. But peo-
ple can smell and taste the
food. We have a great festival
I cant speak for anyone else,
but were busy.
"Because were open also,
its a very difficult weekend for
us. You spend three weeks
preparing, getting everything
ready, setting it all up and
everyone wants to make their
stall look as nice as possible.
Were also open, so half our
staff are going down to the
stall. Its a stressful weekend,
bringing food down and that.
So thats our involvement
paying for a stall and being
part of it," she explains.
Other initiatives also keep the
town humming over. "Theres
always a lot going on theres
a summer festival, though we
dont get too much from that. It
tends to be based in the Dia-
mond in Donegal: they have
live bands, its more for the
young ones. Theyre more into
drinking and going to the bars.
But anything that brings peo-
ple into the town helps!" says
Susan. Donegal has a lot of
things going on, and were
very lucky with the hotels in
the town. The Abbey Hotel, for
example, runs country and
western weekends four times
a year, and they bring huge
numbers of people to the
town. Im not sure we get a
spin-off from that, but we
might.
A Diverse Mix
"Were all involved in the Taste
of Food, and everyone does
their own thing. Were the only
Indian restaurant, so were not
stepping on anyones toes. The
Castle Bar is fantastic for
seafood, and right beside the
castle. The Harbour restaurant
has a great locale across from
the pier, so theyve got their lo-
cals, and theres a Thai restau-
rant as well. Everyone seems
to have their own wee slice of
the action," she adds.
Other popular restaurants in
the vicinity include The Village
Tavern, a traditional Irish
Restaurant, like the Olde Cas-
tle Bar and Whites on the Dia-
mond. Manhattan Steakhouse,
the busy Blueberry Tea Room
and the seafood orientated
Harbour Restaurant are also
present, with an Italian twist of-
fered by La Bella Donna and
Sabai Thai represents south
east Asia.
By and large, Susan says,
local restaurants operate a
healthy year-round model
rather than relying on three
months of the year to make
their money. "We certainly
dont rely on the summer
were open seven nights a
week all year round. We only
close on Christmas day. Other
Indian or ethnic restaurants [
might be like that. Most of the
restaurants are open year-
round: they dont just rely on
summer business. A couple of
restaurants in Donegal might
open Thursday to Sunday in
winter, but a lot of them are
open for food seven nights a
week," she says.
"You have your figures
you might look back and see a
couple of weeks in a month
that were quiet, that kind of
way. But overall, even though
the moneys not there, busy
times like Valentines Day,
Mothers Day, Saint Patricks
Day have been fantastic."
Reduced Spending
Despite the buzz, there are
pressures on the local restau-
rants, including the average
budget for visitors. "With the
recession, people who could
have afforded to spend 30 a
week can only now afford to
spend 10," says Susan. Like
many restaurants, Chandpur
tries to cater for that reduced
spend. "Weve introduced a
Sunday buffet, all you can eat
for 10.95. And for children
aged five and under, its 5.95.
Thats been a huge thing for
us. We might not make much
money off that, but people are
tasting our food and we
know that, when they taste it,
theyll come back," she notes.
Other restaurants in the locale
are doing something similar.
"There are lots of people doing
early birds, though Im not
sure that people do what we
do we offer a set menu for
two with a bottle of wine for
44.95, and I think were the
best value in town for that. I
think the hotels are doing
something similar, but theyre
more expensive."
Thus, even while Donegal
town is enjoying strong visitor
numbers, restaurateurs are still
modifying their offering to suit
a reduced consumer budget
like their peers across the is-
land. That flexibility, coupled
with plenty of activities and
pro-active moves to entice vis-
itors, will help the local restau-
rant scene keep ticking over in
more straitened times.
Key
Restaurants
and hotels
Chandpur Indian
Restaurant
Main Street, Donegal Town,
Co Donegal.
Tel (074) 97 25452
Harvey's Point
Lough Eske Donegal Town,
Co Donegal, Ireland
Tel (074) 9722208
The Village Tavern
Co Donegal.
Tel (074) 973 5622
The Olde Castle Bar
Castle St, Donegal Town, Co.
Donegal.
Tel (074) 972 1262
Whites on the Diamond
The Central Hotel, The Dia-
mond, Donegal Town, Co
Donegal.
Tel (074) 972 1027
Manhattan Steakhouse
Co Donegal.
Tel (0)74 97 40111
Blueberry Tea Room
Castle Street, The Diamond,
Donegal Town, Co Donegal.
Tel (074) 972 2933
La Bella Donna
2, Bridge Street, Donegal
Town, Co Donegal.
Tel (074) 972 5790
Sabai Thai
Co Donegal.
Tel (074) 97 21111
The Taste of Donegal festival is
a highlight of the local calendar
Chandpur's dining room
T
he Kilbeg Dairies story
starts with a promising
passion: a simple love of
food. Jane Cassidy and hus-
band Kieran, who together
founded the company, have
been farming and devoting
themselves to quality produce
for years. "Our overriding pas-
sion has always been quality
food. Kieran and Jane use a
natural resource of delicious
Irish milk from grass fed cows
to produce the myriad of prod-
ucts that they have today.
Getting it Right
Producing a delectable quark,
a German Fat Free Soft
Cheese, got the ball rolling for
Kilbeg Dairies, which now of-
fers 13 varieties of cheese,
creams and yogurt - including
an excellent fat free range.
However, the journey to the
success currently enjoyed by
Kilbeg Dairies wasn't entirely
straightforward. When we de-
veloped the cheeses, we were
looking for full mouth feel,
round flavour and the full ex-
perience. We wanted a velvety
texture, we wanted a great
taste and we wanted it to per-
form well in the kitchen," Jane
reveals. "Every product is
made with this same thing in
mind even though there are
different products, densities
and many kinds of variety. No
matter the product we want to
achieve a smooth, texture with
a full, rounded flavour. To en-
sure absolute uniqueness we
develop each product individ-
ually - and painstakingly I
might add! But it is because of
this that the flavour of our prod-
uct stands up really well, adds
Jane.
Chef-Focused
For the Cassidys, there's al-
ways been a focus on serving
top-quality chefs in the kitchen.
"The object of the whole proj-
ect was to enhance the flavour
of dishes coming out of all
kitchens. It was really just to
make the dishes of very good
chefs, where possible, even
better, while providing them
with an Irish product," Jane ex-
plains. "What we want to do is
to serve chefs. We offer a pre-
mium product, which is versa-
tile in its usage and offers great
value for money.
Getting Feedback
Through this fascinating jour-
ney Kieran and Jane have kept
their ears to the ground, taking
in feedback from professionals
and distributors alike. "We dis-
covered that distributors
wanted a long shelf life on a
broad range of creams, yo-
gurts and cheeses for the
kitchen. We learned that, if we
progressed from that base
model to the premium quality
we have achieved today, that
chefs would be interested in
our products. That's how our
products journeyed to suc-
cess, simply because we lis-
tened to feedback from
distributors and chefs, and
more importantly acted upon
it," says Jane.
In recent years, that feed-
back has been extremely pos-
itive. Kilbeg have just received
a Gold Irish Cheese Award in
the Soft Cheese Category, just
announced at BLOOM 2013. A
Silver Medal at the latest instal-
ment of the World Cheese
Awards was also picked up by
the business in December
2012. Through the years Kilbeg
has also won multiple Great
Taste Awards and were de-
lighted and very proud to win
Gold at the Food & Wine
Awards in December 2012.
Moreover, an impressive array
of top chefs have praised the
products highly with Nevan
Maguire leading the way with
his continued endorsement
and praise for the Kilbeg
range.
You might forgive the Cas-
sidys for being taken aback by
a flood of praise - however, like
many thriving businesses, the
apparent overnight success
has taken some years to foster.
"I think it took a while for it to
happen actually. I think that
doors were opened by the
Great Taste and the Food &
Wine awards. Certainly, chefs
have become more aware that
we are trustworthy and care
about chefs," she remarks,
adding that the endorsements
have taken on a momentum of
their own. "Only last week, I
was made aware of an en-
dorsement from Georgina
Campbell. It all helps."
That momentum took time
to develop. "There's a huge
movement among chefs to try
and use Irish produce. For me,
it wasn't one endorsement that
did it - it was the consistent
quality of the products, plus the
repeated endorsements we've
received that made chefs re-
alise we're really serious, were
here to help and were here to
stay," Jane explains, pointing
particularly to the highly-re-
garded professional awards
received by Kilbeg Dairies.
"The awards really help be-
cause they show people that
we weren't just here for a year
or so: when we began to win
more, people truly saw that our
quality, consistency and ab-
solute commitment was win-
ning through and being
rewarded. Artisan producers
need to be taken seriously.
We're not a huge company, but
we are experts at what we do."
Continued Commitment
Amidst the joy of creating de-
lectable products and bringing
them to Irish kitchens, of
course, there has been some
strain, and a major commit-
ment from all the Cassidy fam-
ily was needed. "Developing
each product was a challenge,
but it was a passionate one.
Backing it financially was ex-
tremely challenging - it was
tough. At times, there were so
many hours of work for Kieran
and I, it seemed daunting but
in truth we were really well
supported and loved by our
children and extended family
and friends, which has really
helped get us to where we are
today. We are all committed to
Kilbeg Dairies, its not just
Kieran and myself. If a cus-
tomer needs a product on
short notice, we move quickly.
That takes a full commitment
from our really wonderful team
of operators and our excellent
management team. What we
have achieved is simply not
possible without their expert-
ise, passion and committment,"
notes Jane. In this very chal-
lenging time we are delighted
to have grown and look for-
ward to offering further em-
ployment to more members of
our community.
Next on the agenda, how-
ever, is capitalising on all that
hard work. "Exporting has
begun and is growing over the
recent months" Jane reveals.
"And obviously, we want to
have our product in as many
restaurants as possible in the
country. We're also developing
a new Soft Cream Cheese at
the moment, which I think will
be interesting based on the
feedback I've had so far, so
watch this space!"
"We develop all our new
products based on feedback
from chefs. The Irish palate is
becoming more and more dis-
cerning: menus change and
chef requirements change:
therefore, we need to adapt ac-
cordingly. Between exports
and national sales, we're ex-
tremely busy at the minute. But
we're getting great feedback,
and it's always good when
you're getting that!"
Business Solutions
FFT.ie June 2013
10
An Ear to the
Ground
The success of Kilbeg Dairies has been built by a commitment to quality, and a keen
ear for feedback.
Kilbeg Dairies
Kilbeg Dairies products are
offered by the most nationwide
wholesale stockists:
Pallas Foods
Paneuro Foods
Gleneely Foods
BD Foods
Corrib Food Products
Seaview
Dairyland Cuisine
Gortaclare
Five Mile Town
Independent Irish Health Foods
Sheridans Cheese Mongers
Jane Cassidy Director Kilbeg Dairies.
P
ossibly the most un-
pleasant combination
Ive ever experienced in
this respect and I dont know
how it came about was
smoked salmon and red Bor-
deaux. It was like chewing rot-
ten fish dusted liberally with
iron filings.
Most opportunities for
wine and food to have a violent
argument are less extreme. For
example, if youre in the kind of
restaurant that does reduced
sauces based on Madeira or
Port (youre also in a time warp
by the way) there are very few
wines that will survive the ex-
perience.
A Cotes du Rhone or Chi-
anti, for example, will just
shrivel up and die at the first
blow. A steroidal bodybuilder
of an Australian Shiraz will put
up a manly fight but it will be
pretty battered and bruised by
the time youve licked the
plate.
The commonest question I
get asked on Twitter (where I
tweet about wine with the hash
tag #tomwines, and where Im
@tomdoorley) is what to drink
with what. The odd thing is that
Im rarely asked for advice on
challenging dishes like, for ex-
ample, a Thai fish curry (the
answer is German Riesling
with a little sweetness, as it
happens) but much more
everyday things like the Sun-
day roast.
First things first. There are
no rules in wine, apart from
that which was given in
Katharine Whitehorns Cook-
ing in a Bedsit, which was red
with lino, white with carpet.
So, what Im going to sug-
gest here works for me; it may
not work for everyone; and
there may well be better com-
binations, which Ive yet to ex-
perience; with wine, you never
stop learning.
That lovely spring lamb
that has just become available
is divine. To me, it comes as a
great relief after the rather
pungent, hoggety lamb that
marks the winter months. New
season lamb has a purity that
dances on your palate and its
only respectful to partner it
with a wine that doesnt batter
it into oblivion.
My top choice, in an ideal
world, would be a Pinot Noir
from Burgundy. Not one of the
top Burgundies, you under-
stand, because (a) that will re-
quire an extension of your
mortgage and (b) they tend to
have a bit too much going on
in them which means that
theres a danger the lamb will
get shouted down.
No, what we want here is a
nice middleweight Burgundy. It
could be a Savigny-les-Beaune
or Cotes de Beaune Villages or
even a straight Gevrey-Cham-
bertin. There is the occasional
mere Bourgogne Rouge that
will do the trick. The problem
is that they are all far too dear
and theres a consistency
problem, which means that
many people who experiment
with this famous wine region
will be sorely disappointed.
Theres a fine line between
the lively acidity, light colour
and lithe fruit of a pleasant Bur-
gundy, on the one hand, and a
tart, dried out, tannic and
downright nasty one.
So, maybe leave Burgundy
for the time being. Pinot Noir is
grown very successfully in the
New World, particularly in
New Zealand where the vines
must put the fear of God into
the extensive local lamb pop-
ulation.
The problem is that good
New Zealand Pinot is expen-
sive, some examples snapping
at the heels of quite serious
Burgundy in terms of price and
even, on occasion, of style too.
Two examples are worth
seeking out without breaking
the bank. Lidls Marlborough
Pinot Noir (12) is lovely, with
that proper rusty, tawny shade
which is the hallmark of the
grape, good backbone of acid-
ity, ripe but not overpowering
cherry/strawberry fruit and a
decent finish.
The other one that has re-
cently impressed me is the
rather more luscious and lush
Yealands Estate R3 Pinot Noir
(21.99, Marks & Spencer)
which has some real complex-
ity, true Pinot character and the
kind of style that I tend to asso-
ciate with stuff costing twice
the price.
Theres plenty of Pinot Noir
from Chile but what you tend to
get here is a ripe, supple,
easy-drinking experience
rather than complex notes
which will have you groping
for the la mot juste. The very
widely available megabrand
Cono Sur does a lovely exam-
ple for small money.
If youre in the right neck of
the woods, you might try your
Wicklow Lamb with the
Ardeche Pinot Noir from the
Wicklow Wine Company (at a
very reasonable 11.25): un-
usually dark, well upholstered
with fruit and underpinned by
zippy acidity.
After all that, I have a con-
fession to make. If Im having
new season lamb Im just as
likely to have a good red Bor-
deaux with it. Or a Rioja. Or, in-
deed, pretty well any red that
happens to be in the house at
the time. However, we must
strive for the ideal. And ideally
Bordeaux and Rioja go with
beef, of which more anon
News,
views
and insight
Wine and Food -
A Baa-Baa-Brilliant Combination
A lot of people seem to believe that for every dish in the world theres a perfect wine to partner it.
Its a fallacy. Wine marriages made in heaven are rare but wine clashes are pretty common.
M
y favourite places to
eat in Ireland would
go like this
Whitefriar Grill Aungier
Street
This is a favourite of mine for
brunch on a Saturday or Sun-
day morning after a tough
game. There is a really chilled
atmosphere with a DJ in every
so often playing music you can
kick back to. The menu is
quite varied but a favourite of
mine would be the crab cake
eggs benedict. It has gotten
very popular recently so
booking would be advised.
The Butcher Grill Ranelagh
This is a small restaurant in the
heart of Ranelagh that prides
itself on its meat cuts and it
doesnt disappoint. It again
has a cool, kind of industrial
vibe with the subway tiles on
the wall. There is a cosy feel
about the place being able to
see into the modest kitchen.
The staff are always friendly
and the seats are high bar
stools which is a bonus for
those of us who are slightly
above average in height! You
cant go here without trying
the baby back ribs.
Ananda Dundrum
Somewhat of a hidden gem
on the third floor of the cin-
ema building in the Dundrum
Shopping Centre. Easily the
best Indian restaurant that I
have been to, it takes a con-
temporary twist on classic
dishes. Ananda doesnt fall
into the trap that a lot of Indi-
ans tend to do with the dcor,
it has a light, airy feel and por-
trays the feeling of a high class
restaurant. It can be a bit
pricey but there are a lot of al-
ternatives on offer such as set
menus and early birds.
The Oystercatcher Bistro
Carlingford
My father grew up in Carling-
ford and my granny is still a
resident so I have a lot of fond
memories of growing up in
this little coastal town in Louth.
The Oystercatcher is a small,
privately run bistro that uses
the freshest of produce
straight out of the sea. Obvi-
ously the seafood is the main
draw here and it is always
cooked to perfection. One of
my favourites is the seafood
chowder but their signature
dish is undoubtedly the oys-
ters.
Chapter One Parnell
Square
This is the choice for an ab-
solute treat or a special occa-
sion. Can be a bit pricey but
for a celebration the quality
that you will get is worth pay-
ing for. Unrivalled service
coupled with highest standard
of food adds to the occasion. If
youre a foodie and youre
feeling like doing something
extra special the chefs table is
a must, set in the heart of the
kitchen where each course of
the tasting menu is presented
and described by the chef
who prepared it. This is an ex-
perience not to miss: be sure
to book well in advance
though.
Andrew Rudds
Favourite Places to Dine
Andrew is one of Irelands top chefs and has turned a lifelong passion for food into a successful and expanding career,
primarily providing cookery demonstrations, private catering and fine dining to food lovers nationwide. He has had a
fascination with food for over 20 years and has explored the culinary delights of many cities around the world, some of
which can be seen on TV3s Ireland AM breakfast show that Andrew regularly contributes on.
T
heDiningRoom wants to promote you and your food,
please send us all chef profiles, recipes, videos so that
we can build public awareness of your brands and
amazing food.
Calling all
Chefs &
Restaurants
W
pa
l'Ec
Stam
Citr
Sha
stair
If you want to support TheDiningRoom, please email
Keith Mahon, Managing Director -
kmahon@TheDiningRoom.ie or call 0858504392
B
elow are my favourite
places to dine out in no
particular order
LEcrivain, Merrion Row
For me, food is intrinsically
linked to people and the
pleasure that you gain from
the overall experience. Not
only is the food exceptional in
LEcrivain, but Derry and Sally
Anne are two of the nicest
people that you could ever
meet.
Pichet, Trinity Street
I love the relaxed ambience of
Pichet. Nick and his team are
always so welcoming and
Stephen never fails to impress
in the kitchen.
Thorntons, Stephen's Green
When Im looking for a real
treat, Thorntons is my port of
call. Kevin is one of the most
unassuming people that I
have ever met, but in the
kitchen, he is a genius. Once
again with me, its all about
the teamwork and people.
Muriel, Kevins wife and busi-
ness partner is always so wel-
coming, warm, and
accommodating.
The Butchers Block, Dun-
drum
I have been to the Butchers
Block on a number of occa-
sions with friends. Honest to
goodness food with some
great wines. The very relax-
ing environment and layout of
the restaurant provides for a
great craic evening
The Trocadero, St Andrew's
Street
This is a gem of a restaurant,
made all the more inviting
with Robert at the helm and
his sister Liz in the kitchen. It
is firmly embedded in the
Dublin
restaurant circuit. The food is
consistently good, and the at-
mosphere is second to none.
This is a firm favourite with
my friends. The one disap-
poi nt -
ment is that Robert does not
have my mugshot framed and
in pride of place. Tut tut
Devin Toner
My Favourite Restaurants
Devin Toner is a professional rugby player. Educated at Castleknock
College, Dublin, he plays in the second-row for Ireland and Leinster. At
nearly seven feet, he is the tallest player in the Heineken Cup. Devin
has established himself with Leinster in recent seasons, chalking up
more than half a century of senior provincial caps. He made his Ireland
Wolfhounds debut in the Churchill Cup against Canada in June 2009,
and helped his side win the tournament in Denver with a memorable
win against the England Saxons. He has six Ireland Wolfhounds caps in
total. In November 2010, he was selected by Irelands head coach De-
clan Kidney to make his International debut for Ireland against Samoa.
He then came off the bench against the All Blacks and Argentina.
To find out about how we can deliver more profit to your business,
visit us at www.bewleys.com or call us on 1850 248 484.
Drinks
FFT.ie June 2013
15
F
or years, it's been an ac-
cepted fact that selling
food is rarely as prof-
itable as it should be, but serv-
ing wine is the cash cow that
keeps businesses rolling.
Moreover, the conventional
wisdom states, restaurateurs
often get an unexpected wind-
fall when they eventually sell
up or shut down, discovering
that the bottles gathering dust
in their cellar has appreciated
considerably in value.
A Changing Market
A few things have changed that
one-sided perspective, how-
ever. Firstly, the recession has
made those boozy corporate
lunches rarer, and encouraged
more social diners to stick to
one or two drinks. Tax changes
- enacted despite bitter oppo-
sition from the RAI and others -
have been absorbed by many
restaurants rather than risking
the wrath of customers. And,
thanks to a more diversified
off-trade, consumers are often
able to get the wines you're of-
fering off the shelf - given that
those consumers are more
prickly than ever about the
prices they pay, charging a
hefty mark-up risks alienating
them. Even flogging off the
wine cellar has taken a hit, as
some high profile scandals in
the wine investment world
have deterred several retail in-
vestors. In any case, the Irish
palate is evolving at a rapid
rate, and today's hot bottle
might be pass by September
- indeed, some discerning
customers have been turning
to premium beer rather than
wine with their meals.
With these developments
in mind, it's hard to ignore the
fact that restaurants with vast
wine cellars are often tying a
huge amount of capital into
products that might not sell for
years. Few small businesses
can engage in this sort of prac-
tice, but restaurateurs do this
without a moment's thought.
The BYOB Alternative
What, a vexed owner might
ask, is the alternative? One
novel idea being trialled by
restaurants in Ireland is a bring
your own bottle (BYOB) ap-
proach. By reducing the cost of
wine for customers, the logic
goes, a restaurant will attract
more diners, who'll have more
money to spend on food or hot
drinks. And less pressure to
have a packed cellar catering
to every possible taste re-
duces the cost for restaurants.
The Right Kind of Customer
Restaurateurs are understand-
ably anxious about a funda-
mental shake-up of their
business model, and certain
reservations are very much
justified. In particular, many
owners fear an influx of cus-
tomers who'll just want to order
appetisers and drink them-
selves silly - the thought of
unfed students ploughing
through multiple bottles of
Buckfast, before decorating the
dining room with their regurgi-
tation, fills anyone in the busi-
ness with justifiable terror. So
getting the right kind of cus-
tomer - someone who re-
To BYOB or not to
BYOB?
Is selling wine the
most bankable part
of the restaurant
business, or is it re-
ally a cash strangle-
hold on your
business? FFT looks
at an alternative.
Drinks
FFT.ie June 2013
16
spects value rather than abus-
ing it - is vital.
To do this, certain restau-
rants charge a moderate cork-
age fee for customers bringing
their own booze. This is, of
course, a balancing act - pitch-
ing it too high will have the
awkward squad accusing you
of profiteering. But it is remark-
able how a small fee of just 2
to 3 seems reasonable to
sensible diners, lets you get
some value our of your service
and glassware, and deters the
type of person who would oth-
erwise just get sozzled at
home.
Another idea is pitching
the BOYB offer as part of a spe-
cial set menu. This allows you
to tailor the offer to suit the kind
of customer who appreciates
value but isn't just looking for a
cheap, warm place to drink - a
food lover who would enjoy the
opportunity to choose their
own wine. It also allows you to
ensure that any BYOB cus-
tomers get a substantial meal,
minimising the risk of bad
drunken behaviour, and guar-
antee the profitability of each
service. Finally, presenting that
offer lets you dip your toe in
the BYOB water, gauging its
appeal to the local market be-
fore you change your funda-
mental model.
Keeping an Offering
Indeed, one potential mistake
a restaurateur could make is
going head-first into the BYOB
approach and failing to offer
drinks to customers at all. This
would obviously be a shame -
some diners, after all, aren't in-
clined to stop by the off-license
on the way to dinner, and ap-
preciate being able to take
recommendations or try new
wines. If you remove your wine
offering completely, you're not
serving these people with the
experience they want, and
restaurants can't afford to shut
out potential customers these
days. So, maintaining a drinks
offering is a good idea, but
having a BYOB offer puts you
under less pressure: you can
focus on the most suitable and
popular wines at your restau-
rants without feeling the need
to spend thousands on prod-
ucts that may not sell.
If you do decide to go
down the BYOB route, do make
sure that you capitalise on it -
you are, after all, foregoing po-
tential profits to entice more
diners. So actively promote it,
whether you adopt a set menu
BYOB offer, an open system
with corkage fees, or a verita-
ble free-for all.
Innovation, while offering
customers choice and value,
has kept many restaurants
afloat through five lean years.
This is one innovation that
won't suit every restaurant but,
for some, adding simplicity of
stock management and an at-
tractive offer for consumers
makes eminent sense.
Wine of
the Month
Terra do Lobo,
Godello,
Monterrei D.O.,
2010
This wine is a wonderful
alternative to the more fa-
mous neighbouring Al-
barinos. Meaning 'wolf's
land' in the Galician di-
alect, Terra do Lobo is
grown on granitic soils on
steep slopes, and the
Godello grape expresses
freshness, body and aro-
mas of the grape sub-
limely. Made from 100%
Godello, the wine under-
goes no aging to pre-
serve that character.
Bright yellow in color, the
wine has intense aromas
of apples and citrus that
continue on to the palate.
Elegant, clean and fresh
with a long and very
pleasant finish.
The wine is paired well
with the subtle taste of
chicken, particularly
grilled or Asian dishes.
Levying a small
corkage fee still of-
fers value, but keeps
people who'll abuse
BYOB establish-
ments away.
Want to run
your catering
business more
efciently?
now you can
CALOR
ENERGY
SOLUTIONS
ROI: 1850 812 450
NI: 028 9045 5588
W: www.calorgas.ie
FFT.ie June 2013
17
Hot Drinks brought to you by
I
rish consumers are getting
increasingly accustomed
to taking their caffeine
cold, and the first frapp of
summer is becoming a per-
sonal milestone for many. Iced
teas represent a great way to
tap into the need for a more
refreshing cuppa in the sum-
mer.
Based on customer feed-
back, Bewleys have intro-
duced iced tea to their
product portfolio. Easy to
make and guaranteed to
quench any thirst, iced teas
add a touch of the exotic to
your summer menu.
chooseWith two tempt-
ing flavours to choose
from - Original Iced Tea
and Jasmine & Lime
Iced Tea - the range can
appeal to traditionalists
and more adventurous
palates alike.
Promising margins
of up to 74% from this
product, Bewleys can
provide everything you
need to serve this
drink, including plastic
cups with dome lids
and impactful point of
sale material. You can
also offer pitchers of ice
tea for groups, or use a
pitcher by the point of
sale unit to offer free
samples! So, if you're looking
to diversify your caffeine of-
fering, Bewleys' iced teas rep-
resent a simple and profitable
way to offer your customers a
new choice.
Iced tea is part of the Be-
wleys summer menu, which
also includes delicious
flavoured frappes such as our
Cherry Cino, Banana Split or
Hazel Rock and our compre-
hensive range of Specialty
Teas. To find out more about
stocking our summer drinks
menu, visit www.bewleys.com
or call 1850 248 484.
As summer finally kicks into gear, you can
capitalise on the weather by offering your
customers delicious iced tea.
Cocktail
of the Month
The Sazerac
Sometimes, one stumbles
across a 'cult drink' - a cock-
tail with a long and estab-
lished history that, despite
never hitting the near-univer-
sal popularity of the Martini,
or more contemporary con-
coctions. The Sazerac falls
neatly into this category.
It's easy to understand why
this is for, while it's definitely
delicious, the Sazerac is po-
tent, with whiskey, strong bit-
ters and an undeniable hint of
absinthe. While it's not for
everyone, it definitely offers a
new experience, and its ori-
gins go right back to the ear-
liest days of the cocktail.
Around 1850, Sewell T. Taylor
began to import a brand of
cognac named Sazerac-de-
Forge et Fils to the USA and,
at the same time, Aaron Bird
started to offer the Sazerac
cocktail using Taylor's spirit
and bitters produced by the
local chemist. A phylloxera
epidemic in Europe deci-
mated Europe's grapes, forc-
ing a switch to rye whiskey,
and the rest is history. Cre-
ation has also been attributed
to Antoine Amadie Peychaud,
the Creole apothecary who
moved to New Orleans from
the West Indies, and
Louisiana has also pro-
claimed it as New Orleans' of-
ficial cocktail.
The Sazerac can be pitched
as a classic but exotic drink,
with a unique flavour and a
hint of New Orleans - a must-
have with Cajun-Creole fare,
with a strong flavour to cut
through the spice!
Ingredients
2-3 drops Peychaud's bitters
1 lump sugar
5-6 ice cubes
1/2 measure still mineral
water
1 1/4 measure rye whiskey
3 drops absinthe
1 strip lemon peel.
Method
Drop the Paychaud's bitters
onto the lump of sugar and
place it in a mixing glass.
Crush the bitters-soaked
sugar with a pestle.
Add the ice, water, whiskey
and absinthe. Stir with a mix-
ing spoon for 10 seconds.
Cut the lemon peel, pinch it
between your fingers over
the mixing glass to release
the oils.
Strain into a rocks glass and
serve immediately.
Notes
Sourcing Rye Whiskey in this
Irish-and-Scotch-dominated
market might be a challenge.
However, the Celtic Whiskey
Shop have a credible range,
and Sazerac is also a brand of
Rye Whiskey owned by the
Sazerac Company and pro-
duced at the Buffalo Trace
Distillery. There are two cur-
rent expressions, an 18-year-
old and a six-year-old, with
both bottled at 90 proof.
Drinks
Get in on the Ice Action
P
oliticians are eager to
see Ireland moving to-
wards universal card-
based payments but, on the
ground, merchants are strug-
gling to justify the change. Pay-
ing through the nose on
transaction fees, rental of hard-
ware and initial set-up charges
is a major drain, particularly
when the volume of business
generated by card payments
isn't exactly transformative.
"The way that the traditional
terminal providers and acquir-
ing banks work, they usually
construct quite complicated
business models. Its hard for
the small business owner to
know exactly what they are
paying. Usually, its split up into
several different components.
One, theres the subscription
fee that youre obliged to pay
for at least a 24-month period,
regardless of how much you
transact. Then, you either lease
or buy a terminal up-front for
between 200 and 400. Then
theres a transaction cost on top
of this as well either a per-
centage fee which can vary
between 2% and all the way up
to 10%. And its not uncommon
either to have a 10c or 20c
minimum fee per transaction.
So, for small ticket size transac-
tions that you might have in
coffee shops and small retail
stores, its really quite expen-
sive," notes Petter Made, Chief
Operating Officer and Co-
founder of Sumup. "Its a busi-
ness model that locks out a
very large number of small
businesses out of the market,
because they just dont trans-
act enough for it to be worth
their while to have a payment
terminal."
Changing the Game
For Made, a Swedish native,
the lack of affordable card-pro-
cessing solutions for small
businesses represented a
major opportunity. "In Sweden,
people generally dont carry
cash anymore they use cards
for pretty much everything. Ive
travelled quite a bit, notably in
Germany, the UK and Ireland,
where its quite the opposite.
Theres a fairly widespread
use of cards, but people tend
to use them at ATMs to get
cash. You cant really use the
card as a form of payment in a
lot of places," he notes. "Theres
a company in the US that was
very successful offering card
payments to small merchants. I
sat down with my co-founders
from the very beginning, and
we thought that this would be a
great idea in Europe. We went
about looking at what it would
take to get this going in Eu-
rope. I have over ten years of
experience in the online card
payments business myself, so
it felt like an interesting area to
explore, bringing the ease of
online payments into the offline
point of sale world.
"We started the company
in October 2011, and immedi-
ately hired a number of devel-
opers to start working on the
system. With the advantage of
being from the industry, we
knew pretty well what we
wanted to build, so there was
no time wasted on figuring
things out. We knew how to
build the payments gateway
and, after that, designing the
app and developing the hard-
ware to bring it all together,"
says Made.
Sumup
The product of that work is
Sumup. The company offers a
free card reader and app
which integrates with a smart-
phone or table. The hardware
connects with a smartphone or
tablets 3.5mm headphone
jack, allowing excellent porta-
bility, while the software is
compatible with both Android
and Apple devices.
Perhaps most importantly,
however, Sumup has a simple
charging structure: 2.75% of
any transaction. With no set-up,
monthly, or minimum transac-
tion fees, the system allows
merchants to process pay-
ments simply and, critically, to
know how much it's costing
them. Moreover, bank transfers
to merchants are completed
on a daily basis.
"You can use an iPad, and
Special Feature
FFT.ie June 2013
18
Sumup offers a much-needed antidote to expensive and complex card-processing packages.
A Payments
Revolution
Sumup has a simple charging structure:
2.75% of any transaction. With no set-up,
monthly, or minimum transaction fees, the
system allows merchants to process pay-
ments simply and, critically, to know how
much it's costing them.
Special Feature
FFT.ie June 2013
19
Sumup for 2.75%, and youre
ready to go without worrying
about subscription fees or how
much you use it. If you use it for
one month, then use it two
months later, that doesnt mat-
ter: you only pay when youre
doing business yourself. Thats
the fairest way to have usage
built into the business model.
We try to keep it as simple as
possible, so you only pay for
the transaction and dont have
to worry about other costs:
theres nothing hidden," Made
notes.
Hurdles Overcome
With such an obviously attrac-
tive proposition, you'd be for-
given for wondering why
nobody has done something
similar already. However, as
Made explains, there are
plenty of hoops that the Sumup
team had to jump through be-
fore talking to businesses.
"Its taken a lot of time to get to
where we are today because
there are a number of signifi-
cant hurdles to do what we do.
The first and perhaps most sig-
nificant is that you need to be
licensed as a Payment Institu-
tion here in Europe to be able
to act as an aggregator, where
youre the merchant of record
for consumers and all of the
small business that you work
for are signed up with you. To
get that license is quite a lot of
work. The advantage is that,
when you have it, you can then
passport it to other European
countries," adds Made. "Then
you have several other chal-
lenges: notably, you need to
have a good relationship with
the card companies, Visa and
Mastercard. This is a very new
area were innovating in and to
have good relationships with
them when were running on
the rails of the card schemes is
very important. Thirdly, we
need to have the right hard-
ware: to have a cost-efficient
solution so you can reach the
small businesses and they can
afford to use us. That means
that you need new hardware
because the old hardware and
terminals that you see every-
where is very expensive, and
another part of the prohibi-
tively expensive business
model thats currently the
norm if youre accepting card
payments," he continues.
"Fourthly, we needed to de-
velop our own payments pro-
cessing platform and put all of
these different pieces together
then communicate it out to
the market. So there are a lot of
challenges and a lot of hurdles
weve had to overcome," says
Made.
.
The Take-Up
Having done all that, however,
Sumup has hit the ground run-
ning. since launching in August
2012, the solution has seen
broad take-up in Ireland and
other markets. "Ireland in par-
ticular is a good example of an
area where there just isnt
enough competition," opines
Made. "We have had a lot of in-
terest, particularly from mobile
merchants," Made reveals.
"Were finding good traction
from those segments, and we
also have a lot of interest from
smaller shops and coffee
shops: small businesses that
might not make many transac-
tions per day, but the transac-
tions that they do make are
important to them."
With partners now ranging
from mobile tradesmen to bed
and breakfasts, Sumup has
gained a substantial foothold in
the local business community,
doing more than any politi-
cian's promise to make wide-
spread card payments a reality.
For any small business looking
to offer more flexibility to its
customers, Sumup offers
peace of mind, predictable
pricing and a very affordable
solution.
n
Sumup
To find out more about
Sumup, or order a free card
reader visit
www.sumup.ie
Events & Jobs
FFT.ie June 2013
20
All Ireland Restaurant
Awards
The national final of the
Restaurants Association of
Ireland (RAI) event takes
place in the beautiful sur-
roundings of the Burlington
Hotel in Dublin. Dress code
is black tie, and contact 01
6779901 or email
sinead@rai.ie for tickets.
When: June 10, 18:30
Where: The Burlington
Hotel, Dublin
How much: 130 (single
ticket) / 250 (pair) /
1,000 (table of eight) /
1,200 (table of ten)
EFCEM General Assem-
bly 2013 and European
Catering Equipment Con-
ference 2013
Europe without Barriers, a
conference that networks
the European and interna-
tional foodservice equip-
ment industry and its
supply chain partners, is in-
corporated along with the
European Federation of
Catering Equipment Manu-
facturers's annual assembly.
The event includes a tour of
the House of Lords, net-
working events, and an in-
depth conference
programme on interna-
tional trends in the sector.
Presentations will include
The European and Interna-
tional Economic Outlook,
The Next Five Years of Euro-
pean Legislation and Regu-
lation, Export
Opportunities, and Carbon
and Energy Reduction - the
Opportunities for the Sec-
tor.
When: June 26-27
Where: Marriot Hotel,
County Hall, London
How Much: Varies
Waterford Festival of
Food, Fish & Fun
The festival promoting cul-
ture and food in pictur-
esque Waterfood is being
run with input from The
Lemon Tree restaurant, Az-
zurro Bar & Restaurant, The
Strand Inn, the Haven Hotel,
The Spinnaker Bar &
Restaurant and The Ocean
hotel. Saturday June 22 will
see an arts and crafts fair all
day in the Fisherman's Hall,
and a Famer's Market all
day in the harbour. Contact
info@lemontreecatering.ie
or phone (051) 383164 and
talk to Joan for more details.
When: From June 21, 21:00
Where: The Strand Inn, Wa-
terford
How Much: Free
Streetfeast
Streetfeast is a day of local
lunches across Ireland on
June 23 hosted by individu-
als. Organised in partner-
ship with Centra, the
local-centric festival is en-
couraging feasts anywhere:
out on the street, in a local
park or even private gar-
dens. Visit
www.streetfeast.ie to find
out more.
When: June 23
Where: Various Locations
How Much: Varies
Taste of Dublin
Ireland's favourite food fes-
tival returns to the Iveagh
Gardens in Dublin for two
days of great eating and en-
tertainment. 30,000 atten-
dees, top restaurants,
interactive masterclasses
and more are promised.
When: June 13-16
Where: Iveah Gardens,
Dublin
How much: Varies
The Westport Festival of
Music and Food
An annual 2-day family
friendly festival, set amidst
the picturesque 400-acre
grounds of Westport House.
The historic house and es-
tate is located in the heart of
one of Irelands most
charming seaside towns
which is renowned for its
music, excellent food and
warm welcome. Organisers
promise a fantastic fun-filled
weekend of entertainment
with music from interna-
tional and Irish musical acts,
comedy, amazing food vil-
lage, quality on-site camp-
ing, beer tents and wine
bars in a truly relaxed and
welcoming atmosphere.
Find out more at www.west-
porthouse.ie
When: June 29-30
Where: Westport House,
Mayo
How Much: From 10
Industry Events
What's on in the culinary world.
Jobs
Chef - Crackpots, Kinsale,
Cork
A full or part-time chef is re-
quired to join the team in
this busy, well established
restaurant in Kinsale. The
ideal candidate will have
three to four years of expe-
rience as a Chef in a similar
restaurant. He or she must
be willing to contribute to
the menu, able to work as
part of a team and fluent in
English.
Crackpots
3 Cork Street, Kinsale, Co.
Cork
Tel: (021) 477 2847
Chef de Partie - Gilbert's
Restaurant & Townhouse,
Cobh, Cork
This role requires a person
to be very organised and
comfortable working in a
high-pressure environment.
They must also be able to
give orders, as well as reli-
ably carrying out orders
handed down to them. The
candidate must be able to
oversee the preparation,
cooking, and presentation
of meals in the restaurant.
Duties include directing
chefs in their section in
preparing, cooking and
presenting culinary dishes,
enforcing strict health and
hygiene standards in the
kitchen, and trouble-shoot-
ing any problems that may
arise. Three to four years of
experience is essential.
Gilbert's Restaurant &
Townhouse
11 Pearse Square, Cobh,
Co. Cork
Tel: (021) 481 1300
Chef de Partie - Mill Park
Hotel, Donegal
This leading hotel is seek-
ing a Chef de Partie, report-
ing to the head chef. The
successful candidate will
ensure the cleanliness of
the kitchen is in line with
food hygiene regulations
and that food preparation
and production are carried
out to the highest standards
to ensure customer satisfac-
tion. The ideal candidate
must have previous Chef de
Partie experience at three
or four star hotel level.
Mill Park Hotel
The Mullins, Donegal Town,
Co. Donegal
Tel: (074) 972 2880
Head Chef - Dublin City
Centre
Three Q Recruitment is
seeking to recruit an expe-
rienced Head Chef who
can plan, develop and de-
liver for a busy city centre
restaurant. Experience in
International Asian Cuisine,
and the ability to bring a
western influence to a tradi-
tional Asian experience,
have been highlighted as
necessities, along with five
years of experience as a
Head Chef in a pub or
restaurant environment. Ex-
cellent knowledge, applica-
tion and proven track
record with HACCP sys-
tems and EHO audits, an
ability to deliver challeng-
ing and engaging menus
with your team, confidence
in delivering service for
100 - 250 customers per
day (off peak to peak num-
bers), a minimum of two
years certificate in Cookery
or Chef Qualification, and
current and valid HACCP
certification is also re-
quired.
Three Q Recruitment
7 Abbey Street Lower,
Dublin1
Tel: (01) 878 3335
Pastry Chef - Market Lane,
Cork City
An experienced pastry
chef is required for busy
city centre restaurant. Pro-
fessional qualifications are
essential, and candidates
should be able to demon-
strate flair, creativity and
skill in the Kitchen. Excel-
lent communication, inter-
personal and organisational
skills are essential, as is the
ability to work as part of a
team and on one's own ini-
tiative
Market Lane
5, Oliver Plunkett Street,
Cork, Co. Cork
Tel: (021) 427 4710
Available positions in
the foodservice sector.
Get in Touch
Do you have an event you wish to promote,
or a job to feature in FFT? Email
editor@fft.ie to let us know.
A place on the web to celebrate amazing culinary destinations
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destinations ry

Q&A
FFT.ie June 2013
22
Your Letters
and business
queries answered...
NERA Are Calling -
Should I be Worried?
My small restaurant is
chugging along de-
cently - we're modestly
in profit and, while cash-
flow is always a chal-
lenge, we've always
been able to meet our
obligations. One big
problem we had last
year was a Revenue
audit - it seemed to take
forever and, while we
were eventually found to
be compliant, we paid
out a lot in accountancy
fees.
Now, I've received no-
tice of an inspection
from the National Em-
ployment Rights Author-
ity (NERA). I'm
extremely worried as I'll
struggle to pay legal
fees if this turns into an-
other protracted back-
and-forth.
While I believe I've
done everything by the
book, there are a couple
of matters I'm concerned
about. Like many restau-
rants, I've had a high
level of turnover. As I'm
sitting here, I cannot be
certain that every em-
ployee who came
through the door in the
past two years was is-
sued with a written con-
tract. Also, while I paid
tax and social insurance
on every payment to em-
ployees - and had
payslips done up - I'm
concerned as not every-
one signed for their pay-
ment.
I'm worried that an em-
ployee might be stirring
up trouble and will deny
being paid - I'm also
concerned that we might
have made an honest
mistake in relation to
someone, and that per-
son has then decided to
contact the Authority
rather than sort the issue
with me. Should I be pre-
emptively making cut-
backs to deal with the
fallout from this, or am I
overreacting?
If you're expecting a simi-
lar process to Revenue
Audits, you might be
pleasantly surprised.
NERA officials take their
job seriously, but are a bit
more collaborative in their
approach than their tax-
collecting cousins.
While the inspection
could have arisen from
the complaint by the em-
ployee, NERA also con-
duct inspections based on
random selection. They
also expect employees to
try and resolve issues
with their employers be-
fore calling them in so, if
someone's gone to them
before alerting you to an
issue, you can expect a
comparatively sympa-
thetic ear. For an em-
ployee, an approach to
NERA should be a last re-
sort rather than a first re-
sponse - they don't like to
be used as a tool to ha-
rass honest businesspeo-
ple.
The process for most
standard inspections is
straightforward. They'll
look for an example of
your contracts and a list of
employee names and ad-
dresses with PPS numbers
and pay rates. Officials
will write to about 10% of
these with a standard
questionnaire. They'll also
study payments over a set
period of four weeks, al-
most always including a
bank holiday, and ask for
copies of payslips for all
staff for that period.
They'll also want holiday
records and details of how
people are paid for holi-
days.
Using that information,
they'll be able to work out
whether you're calculat-
ing things like overtime,
holiday pay and bank hol-
iday pay correctly. They'll
also see whether you're
complying with the rules
on breaks set out in the
Organisation of Working
Time Act.
Unless they believe
you're deliberately short-
changing your employ-
ees, they will most likely
advise you of anything
that needs to change, and
simply look to ensure that
all employees have been
fairly remunerated. In
other words, if you've
been calculating things
correctly, it shouldn't be a
painful or expensive
process.
However, from what
you've said, you may
need to set up a more re-
liable process for paying
staff. In this day and age,
not issuing contracts and
making cash payments
without acknowledgement
is asking for trouble. This
doesn't need to entail an
ongoing cost - you can
get a basic, user-friendly
software package, or pay
an expert to get you or-
ganising your own payroll
properly. NERA them-
selves will likely suggest
some positive changes
you can apply in the busi-
ness.
Can I Be Chased on
this Loan
About five years ago, I
was a director in the
company behind a fairly
successful restaurant. I
decided to get out while
things were good,
though, so resigned as a
director in 2008 and
have had no dealings
with the company since.
However, while I was
a director of the com-
pany, I signed a personal
guarantee for a business
loan. While I was guided
by a solicitor through my
resignation, and in-
formed the bank of it, it
appears that this loan
guarantee was never
dealt with by either
party.
The two current di-
rectors have since filed
audited accounts, but
the restaurant is going
belly-up. The bank is
calling in the loan - and
chasing me as a guaran-
tor. I'm wondering why
the bank hadn't changed
the terms of the loan. Am
I on the hook for this or,
given than I had nothing
to do with the business
in the last five years, will
I be given a reprieve?
Unfortunately, it looks like
you're on the hook for this
one. From what you've
said, it appears that the
original guarantee is in
place and wasn't changed
by the new directors -
after all, they had no rea-
son to. From the bank's
point of view, it probably
would have been better to
restructure the loan secu-
rity, but a personal guar-
antee is a personal
guarantee - they wouldn't
be too concerned either
way.
Unless you expressly
instructed your solicitor to
get your name off the loan
(if you did, and he or she
neglected to do so, you
may well have a case to
pursue litigation), then the
responsibility lies with
you alone. This may prove
an expensive lesson on
the importance of tying
up loose ends when you
exit a business.
Leafletting Worth-
while?
I've recently set up my
restaurant. While I've
had a bit of an early rush
from curious locals, I
don't want to rest on my
laurels, and really want
to tap the local area for
customers.
I'm not a techy per-
son at all, and the local
age profile would be
quite high. Because of
this, I'd be tempted to
invest in some leaflet-
ting. I've spoken to some
companies about print-
ing and delivering a
leaflet, and the costs are
quite affordable. But is it
worthwhile in this day
and age? And can I
guarantee that people
will actually read it?
First of all, fair play for
setting up, and also for
taking a pro-active ap-
proach to building the
business. It is worth not-
ing that, even if you're not
technically minded, your
potential audience may
well be: localised online
advertising, deals
providers and prestige
sites like
Thediningroom.ie, are
very cost-effective ways
to reach people.
That said, there is still
a place for leaflets, even
in the age of 'no junk mail'
stickers. However, rather
than just announcing your
existence, you should
probably offer something
that really grabs the atten-
tion - something like a
voucher for a special
meal deal, or 10% off a
person's first order, will
make people more likely
to save your leaflet. In
terms of delivery, don't
automatically choose the
cheapest firm, as there
are some cowboys out
there. Go for a reputable
delivery outfit - getting a
referral if possible - or set
aside a few hours with
your family to deliver
them yourself. That ap-
proach might even get
you face to face with po-
tential customers, giving
you the best possible op-
portunity to sell your
restaurant.
Less Serious Stuff
FFT.ie June 2013
23
Less Serious Stuff
Bizarre stories from the
world of foodservice
Meat-Tastic
Argentineans are known to
love meat of all shades - with
that in mind, offering diners a
kilogramme worth of meat
makes sense! Sugar Bar in
swinging Buenos Aires is offer-
ing the 'Sugar Daddy', a truly
hefty creation with onion rings,
alioli, papas fritas, egg and of
course multiple patties. What's
more, they've offered the mega
burger with a drink at a special
promotional price of 75 pesos
(just over 10) - a dangerously
tempting combination.
A Stranger Kind of
Taco
Tex-mex fare is taking the
world by storm - it's cheap,
flavourful, and has plenty of va-
riety. But that's not enough for
some. A Florida taquera, Taco
Fusion, specialises in "exotic
tacos", containing meats from
sharks, kangaroos, beavers and
other non-traditional fillers.
The restaurant has been open
since February, making a name
for itself locally. It came to our
attention, however, when it was
forced to remove its latest
menu addition - lion tacos - in
the wake of social media up-
roar.
The big cat tacos cost a
hefty $35 per shell, and the
restaurant claimed that its lion
meat came from a reputable
vendor in Illinois. Despite Big
Cat Rescue reassuring local
media that lions are not endan-
gered, and Taco Fusion's Oper-
ation Manager Brad Barnett's
best efforts, many were out-
raged by the meat's mere sale.
Since pulling the controversial
item from its menu, Taco Fusion
has issued a statement con-
firming that it has no plans to
offer lion tacos again. However,
anyone with an adventurous (or
simply weird) palate won't be
disappointed - gator, gazelle
and camel meat remain on the
menu, while Taco Fusion plans
to introduce iguana, zebra and
bear meat in the foreseeable
future.
A Real Kitchen
Nightmare
Restaurant reality TV often
becomes a damp squib and,
when sparks do fly, you wonder
why a restaurateur let the cam-
eras in. One Arizona owner,
though, is facing bigger conse-
quences than some bad pub-
licity: he's been earmarked for
possible deportation by the US
authorities after participating in
Kitchen Nightmares.
Samy Bouzaglo, co-owner
of Amy's Baking Company Bak-
ery Boutique & Bistro, has been
accused of failing to report a
criminal past when he entered
the country. With a rap sheet
including drug distribution and
extortion, he's already per-
sona-non-grata in Germany
and France. That apparently
didn't stop him seeking added
exposure for the restaurant.
To go on national TV when
you're on shaky ground with
authorities, you'd imagine a
person needs to be slightly
batty: Bouzaglo and his wife
Amy didn't disappoint. On
camera, they were seen shout-
ing and physically threatening
customers before calling the
police, allegedly withholding
tips from employees and re-
sponding in less-than-genteel
fashion to Ramsey's suggested
improvements. Eventually, the
fiery celebrity chef walked out
on the project, the first time
he's cut-and-run - one could
hardly blame him.
Undeterred by the public-
ity, the pair enlisted a PR com-
pany and organised a press
conference so they could tell
the real story of their Kitchen
Nightmare. However, Kitchen
Nightmares' production com-
pany sent the Bouzaglos a let-
ter reminding them of their
non-disclosure contract, and
the PR company resigned the
account, citing differences with
the pair on the strategy to
adopt.
Amy's Baking Company re-
cently launched its week-long
"Grand Reopening" and, while
customers without reservations
were turned away, at least one
diner reported that "Samy was
really nice" adding that "the
food was good." Perhaps the
pair have learned some harsh
lessons in the publicity
firestorm, but we doubt this is
the last we've heard from the
bizarre Bouzaglo.
Rough
Injustice
If you think your patrons
can be beastly, here's some
sobering perspective: a world-
renowned Japanese chef has
died after two customers bru-
tally attacked him.
Miki Nozawa, whose
sought after Japanese-Italian
fusion dishes have pleased the
palates of Mikhail Gorbachev
and Denzel Washington, suf-
fered a cerebral hemorrhage
when two German patrons
turned on him. The two men,
local media report, visited his
popular eponymous restaurant
in the resort island of Sylt. After
having a beef, vegetable and
fried noodle dish, the pair al-
legedly refused to pay and left.
Nozawa, however, ran into
the pair again at a strip club,
and the by-now intoxicated
men were in no mood to part
with the 20 they owed him. A
fierce quarrel turned physical
and Nowaza was rushed to a
local hospital with massive in-
ternal bleeding.
Nozawa, the former head
chef at Flavio Briatore's Billion-
aire Club in Sardinia, suc-
cumbed to his injuries despite
the best efforts of doctors. The
two men were detained but
subsequently released, and an
investigation into the incident is
ongoing.
Food Photos Foil
Fraudsters
Two seasoned identity
thieves have been undone by
many a diner's compulsion -
Instagramming their food.
Nathaniel Troy Maye and Ti-
wanna Tenise Thomason, who
between them have stolen
thousands of identities, couldn't
help uploading a picture of a
Morton's steak with macaroni
and cheese to the popular
photo-sharing site.
For most diners, this would
have brought nothing more
than a raised eyebrow from the
waiting staff. But IRS agents had
been tracking this tearaway
pair for some time. In fact, the
duo met with an IRS informant
at YOLO Restaurant in Fort
Lauderdale, though the agency
couldn't yet track down their
real identities.
However, two days later, the in-
formant arranged to meet with
the couple at Morton's to dis-
cuss exciting new techniques
in identity theft. The couple
handed over a flash drive of
identities, and agents parssed it
for data linking it to the real
owner. Finding Maye's public
Instagram profile, complete
with a photograph of the din-
ner he ate with the informant,
confirmed that they had their
culprit identified.
After an IRS swoop, the case
made judicial history: for the
first time ever, an Instagram
food photo was cited as evi-
dence in the federal felony
complaint. The couple have
pleaded guilty Friday to aggra-
vated identity theft and posses-
sion of unathorised access
devices, and now face up to 12
years in federal prison.
Send your completed puzzle in
to Food for Thought at 49
Fitzwilliam Square Dublin 2 and
be in with a chance of winning a
new set of Wusthof Trident
knives worth over 400
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Ireland.
T: +353 (0)69 20200
F: +353 (0)69 20400
W: www.pallasfoods.eu
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Farranfad Road,
Seaforde,
BT30 8NH
T: +44 (0)28 4481 1500
F: +44 (0)28 4481 2500
W: www.crossgar.ie
E: sales@crossgar.ie
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