Who we are:
The TASTE Council is a voluntary representative group of the smaller food business sector made up largely of local, artisan and speciality food producers and formally established in October 2003.
Check out the TASTE Council website for more information.
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The name TASTE Council stems from:
Traditional Artisan and Speciality Trade Expertise in Food.
What we do:
The TASTE Council’s mission is:
To empower and enable the Irish speciality food sector at a strategic level to maximise its current and potential contribution to Ireland’s food and agri economy, society, culture and environment.
TASTE Council’s Objectives are:
- To provide a national framework with access to international expertise and markets for the strategic development of the sector;
- To form a cohesive group representative of the sector;
- To draw on the expertise of the group (experience, skills, and knowledge) to address strategic issues facing this sector
Meet the Taste Council Members
Evan Doyle - Chairman
Background: Co-owner of the critically acclaimed Brooklodge Hotel at Macreddin Village, Wicklow
Expertise: For 21 years, now, through his menus at The Strawberry Tree, Evan has been a pioneer of the organic movement, and has publicly advocated a total emphasis on sourcing only organic, artisan and wild foods for his restaurant. Evan is a director of The Organic Trust, a Committee member of Eurotoques, the European Community of Cooks and has been deeply involved with SlowFood since its introduction to Ireland.
Darina Allen
Background: Veuve Cliquot Business woman of the year 2002, Owner/Manager Ballymaloe Cookery School, founder Midleton farmers market, author and journalist. Organic farmer. University of Ulster conferred honorary doctorate for contribution to Irish Cuisine and Irish hospitality in 2003. Winner of André Simon Cookbook Award 2010
Expertise: Chef and business expertise, speaking, media expertise including broadcast media. Organic farmer and cookery school management expertise, has worked with small local producers through Ballymaloe for many years. Strong links to the US market. Advocate and practitioner in the establishment of farmers markets.
Hugo Arnold
Background: Food Journalist and consultant
Expertise: Hugo Arnold has written food columns in the London Evening Standard, the Financial Times and now in the Irish Times. He has written 11 books. He also works as a restaurant consultant specialising in menu development.
James Burke
Background: Having spent over 20 years with Superquinn holding many roles such as store manager, business development manager, group purchasing manager and trading manager. James is now a food consultant specialising in strategy and business planning for small and large food companies. James has an MBA in retailing and wholesaling from Stirling University.
Expertise: business strategy, food retailing
Birgitta Hedin-Curtin
Background: Originally from Sweden studied marine biology and started up Burren Smokehouse in Lisdoonvarna 21 years ago. Produces award winning organic Salmon,Trout,Eel and mackerel. Chairperson of Slow Food Clare, chairperson of IASC, member of Good Food Ireland. Member of Foras Organach Marketing board.
Ed Hick
Background: Fourth Generation Pork Butcher.
Expertise: Traditional pork butchery including sausage making, bacon curing and smoking, continental and native processing techniques, animal husbandry and slaughter. Micro-producer and market stall holder.
Domini Kemp
Domini Kemp trained as a chef at Leith's in London before co-writing New Irish Cooking and working in the Michelin-starred Peacock Alley. In 1999, she opened the hugely popular itsa with her sister Peaches. Together, they run four branches of itsa, as well as the café, itsa@IMMA in the RHK. They run the outdoor catering company, Feast catering which has recently taken over as resident caterer in Powerscourt House in Co. Wicklow. They run the gastro-neighborhood restaurant itsa4 in Sandymount and operate the restaurants in both Brown Thomas Cork and Dublin. Domini is member of Euro Toques, writes a recipe column in The Irish Times and her second cook-book ‘Itsa Cookbook’ was published in 2010 by Gill and Macmillan.
Ross Lewis
Background: Ross is from Cork and, and a graduate of University College Cork. He has travelled and worked in the restaurant industry in New York, London and Switzerland. His passion & drive to open his own restaurant brought him back to Ireland where he has become immersed in Ireland’s emerging food culture.
Expertise: Ross was Commissioner General for Eurotoques Ireland from 2001 – 2004 and is currently one of it’s commissioners. He also sits as a member of the Taste Council of Ireland. Both organisations are dedicated to promoting the use of organic and artisan locally produced ingredients and Ross’ dedication to this is evident in the menus he creates at Chapter One. Since it’s opening Chapter One and it’s team have been the recipients of numerous awards for both service and food. Ross was awarded with a 1* Michelin in 2007. Chapter One has also been internationally feted by top U.S food magazine’s former food editor as his favourite Dublin restaurant and by Australian Gourmet Traveller as having “a reputation for serving the very best of Irish inspired cuisine”.
Raymond O’Rourke
Background: A qualified Barrister and a specialist food regulatory and consumer affairs lawyer. He worked for many years in legal firms both in Dublin and Brussels. Prior to that he worked in Brussels at the European Parliament and also for the European Consumers Association (BEUC). He has written two books European Food Law (3rd edition) (2005) Thomsen/Sweet & Maxwell and Food Safety & Product Liability (2000) Palladian Law Publishing. He is a regular speaker at conferences on food law issues. Raymond is also a member of the FSAI's Artisan Forum
Kevin Sheridan (Vice Chairman)
Background: Co-founder and owner of Sheridans Cheesemongers Ltd. Chairperson Artisan Food Producers of Meath, Co-ordinator Irish Raw Milk Cheese Presidium
Expertise: Chilled distribution, retail and market stall management.
Peter Ward (Chairman 2003 - 2008)
Background: Owner/manager Country Choice, independent delicatessen, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary. Peter was the founding Chairman of the TASTE Council since 2003 and has been hugely influential in the achievements of the Council to date. He represented the views of Irish Speciality Food on curriculum enhancement for adult education with TEAGASC, submissions to small business forum and the consultation process for National Rural Development Strategy as well as appearing before a number of Joint Oireachtas Committees.
Expertise: Independent and multiple retail experience.
Caroline Byrne
Caroline Byrne graduated from Trinity College in 2006 and has since then pursued a career in professional food writing, in trade and consumer press. She was editor of grocery and FMCG magazine, ShelfLife, from April 2008 until January 2010, and is currently an editor and writer with Bridgestone Food Guides. Caroline is also wine columnist for the Irish Garden magazine and holds an Advanced Certificate from the WSET. She also provides consultancy services to restaurants and other food businesses.
Siobhan Ni Ghairbhith
Siobhan Ni Ghairbhith is a native of Inagh, Co. Clare. She is a former school teacher turned cheesemaker when in 1999 she took over the making of St Tola Goats Cheese. At the time the cheese was being made near her parents’ house in Inagh by Meg and Derrick Gordon; brave pioneers in the Irish Artisan Food industry. Siobhan brought the cheese up to full Organic standards (I.O.F.G.A.) built new, state of the art cheese making premises and developed St Tola from a small local cottage industry to a world recognised brand producing a range of cheeses. St Tola has been the proud winner of many awards over the years including Best Organic Cheese at the British Cheese Awards, Best Overall product at the National Organic Awards and Premio Roma in Italy. Siobhan is the former Chairperson of CAIS, a member of Slow Food Ireland and a member of the Taste Council. She is a fervent believer in organic farming practises, a fluent Irish speaker and a passionate advocate of Irish food, culture and music.
Fiona Lavery
Fiona Lavery is the Invest Northern Ireland representative on the Taste Council and has been involved since the Council's inception in October 2003. She has worked with the small business sector for twenty years and her current role includes management of Invest NI's overseas participation at food and drink shows.
Robert Ditty
Ditty’s is a thriving third generation bakery based in Castledawson, Co. Derry, Northern Ireland, which has been going strong for 45 years. Robert uses local producers such as traditional smoke houses, organic dairies and local farmers to offer a broad range of oatcakes, specialty biscuits, pastries, breads and savoury foods that combine natural ingredients with traditional baking recipes. Robert’s passion for promoting Northern Ireland’s unique bakery tradition resulted in HRH Prince Charles visiting Ditty’s Bakery in 2004. Robert was the first Irish baker to become chairman of the British Confectioner’s Association and was one of the founding members of the North East Ireland Slow Food Convivium. Robert is currently on the Good Food Ireland Steering Group and is a member of the Institute of Northern Ireland Beekeepers.
Alan Kingston
Alan Kingston set up Glenilen Farm together with his wife Valerie, producing yoghurts, chilled dairy desserts and butter on the family farm from the milk of their own dairy herd in West Cork. Since 1997 they have seen the business grow from a farmhouse kitchen base to a nationally recognised brand . The core of Glenilen Farm is quality and authentic farmhouse taste. Alan and Valerie are driven by the satisfaction of producing award winning quality food from a small farm and providing employment to the local rural community.
Sarah Furno
Sarah Furno is cheese-maturer at Beechmount farm where her family the Grubb's created Cashel Blue in the early 80's followed by Crozier in the 1990's. In 2003 she joined the family business together with her husband Sergio in the belief that their experience in both the commercial/branding, organoleptic and making aspects of the wine trade could benefit the home business. Sarah is responsible for managing the stock of up to 30,000 wheel's of Cashel Blue and Crozier Blue cheeses and is committed to training both her own team and the wider consumer across all age groups to gain a better understanding of blue cheese, and indeed overcome their fear of the blue's. Both her cheeses Cashel Blue and Crozier Blue have received Great Taste Awards in the last consecutive 3 years.
Michael Kelly
Michael Kelly is a freelance journalist, author and social entrepreneur. In 2009 he established a not-for-profit called GIY (Grow it Yourself) to inspire people to grow their own food and give them the skills they need to do so successfully. GIY supports back-yard food growing by getting amateur growers together in the community and online to exchange skills, knowledge and produce. There are over 75 GIY groups and approximately 5,000 GIYers in Ireland and Australia. Michael is an Ashoka Fellow, a Social Entrepreneurs Ireland awardee and a recipient of the inaugural 2010 Arthur Guinness Fund. He is a contributor to The Irish Times and has written two books. He worked for ten years in the IT industry in Dublin but now lives the good life in Dunmore East, Co. Waterford with his wife and an ever-expanding coterie of farm animals.
Associate Members
Randolph Hodgson
Background: Owner/Manager Neal's Yard Dairy, Chair of the UK Specialist Cheesemakers Association. Instrumental in the founding and committee management of London's Borough Market. Winner of the Tio Pepe, Carlton London Restaurant Awards 2003 for an outstanding contribution to London restaurants.
Expertise: UK, USA and international chilled retail and distribution. Has also worked with international cheese makers for many years, in addition has liaised successfully on policy adaptation for speciality food in Britain.
Kevin Thornton
Background: Michelin star chef and restaurant owner. Upon graduating he worked at Walton's in London, subsequently travelling through vineyards in Europe to learn about wine. He then expanded what he knew by working and travelling - to Switzerland, to Canada, then back to Ireland to the Shelbourne before going to France to work at the multistarred restaurant of Paul Bocuse in Lyon. Kevin is the first Irish chef to have gained two Michelin stars.
Expertise: Chef and business expertise. Teaching skills (college of catering). Kevin was instrumental in getting the DIT to set up a four-year degree course in Culinary Arts.
Simon Pratt
Background: Owner/Manager Avoca Hand weavers.
Expertise: Family business expertise. Food hall retail and foodservice management expertise. Instrumental in the writing and publication of the Avoca series of cookery books.