Hotel & Catering Review - April 2014

HOTEL

News: MINISTER & AIRLINES WELCOME ABOLITION OF TRAVEL TAX

& CATERING

REVIEW

Education & Training: HOW DO WE SOLVE THE SHORTAGE OF CHEFS? Food Service: COMPASS GROUP IRELAND JOINS FORCES WITH NEVEN MAGUIRE Food Tourism: CORK PRODUCERS DOMINATE IN FOOD WRITERS’ GUILD AWARDS

APRIL 2014

HOTELANDCATERINGREVIEW.IE

SHOPPING FOR HOTELS

DALATA GETS BUSY BUYING I R E L A N D ’ S P R E M I E R M AG A Z I N E F O R T H E H O S P I TA L I T Y & C AT E R I N G I N D US T RY

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a n n i v e r s a r y

HOTEL

& CATERING GOLD MEDAL

AWARDS

Entries open for the 26th Annual

GOLD MEDAL

AWARDS

deadline for entries

7th May 2014

www.hotelandcateringreview.ie/awards/enter-now

CATEGORIES

2014

• Five Star Hotel • Four Star Hotel • Three Star Hotel • Country House • Guesthouse • Fine Dining Restaurant • Casual Dining • Ethnic Restaurants • Cafes and Coffee Shops • Best Spa • In House Catering

process

Sponsored by Keelings

• Institutional Catering

• Wine Experience • Field to Fork Award (Best Irish Restaurant) • Best Seafood Restaurant • Eco- Friendly Hotel of the Year • People Awards- Front of House • Supreme Winner • Service to Industry • Best Hotel Breakfast - Public Vote • Best Family Friendly Hotel - Public Vote • Hideaway of the Year - Public Vote • Best Value Hotel of the Year - Public Vote • City Hotel of the Year - Public Vote • Customer Experience - Public Vote

1. Entries are accepted through our online 1.

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entry form until 7th May Judges will site inspect every entry as a mystery guest in May/June Finalists will be announced in July In selected categories the online voting process will begin based on the finalists Winners will be announced at the 26th Annual Gold Medal Awards ceremony at the Double Tree by Hilton Dublin on 22nd September

Interested in sponsorship opportunities?

Want To Find Our More About EnterING?

Contact: Hilary O’Shaughnessy, Sales & Marketing Manager t: 01-432 2231 | m: 086-380 8177 e: hilary.oshaughnessy@ashvillemediagroup.com

Contact: Emma Nolan, Event Manager, Bar of the Year Awards t: 01-432 2226 e: emma.nolan@ashvillemediagroup.com

A GREAT SPONSORSHIP of a FANTASTIC EVENT! Sign me up for next year - thanks Tracey”. Hugh Murray, Classic Drinks IFC_1C_GOLD MEDAL AWARDS SPONSORSHIP ADVERT_ALS_H&C.indd 1

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CONTENTS 13 On the Move

New Appointments, Promotions and Recruitment.

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Wine New World Gems from Down Under - Mary O’Callaghan, Past President of the Guild of Sommeliers, takes a look at what some family-owned wineries in Australia and New Zealand have to offer the Irish market.

18 KEY to the Door

Openings, Closures, Refurbishments & Acquisitions.

20 Commercial Profile

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Cover Story: Dalata Hits the Acquisition Trail

Last month Pat McCann, Chief Executive of the Dalata Group, presided over a €265m initial public offering of the group on the Irish and London stock exchanges. Maev Martin talks to him about Dalata’s future investment plans and the development of their pioneering hotel management business model.

Tourism Ireland is embarking on an intensive and varied programme of promotional activity this year.

29 FOOD SERVICE

Compass Group Ireland launched its new partnership with award-winning chef Neven Maguire at a special event in the Aviva Stadium on April 3rd.

30 SUPPLY LINE

Essential Product Knowledge.

33 Food Tourism

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Interview: Advancing Adare

Whether it is carrying out extensive renovations to virtually every aspect of the hotel, introducing new services and facilities, or uniting with other hotels to promote the region, it has been a busy 18 months for the Woodlands House Hotel in Adare. Maev Martin reports.

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Education & Training: Filling the Gap Donagh Davern looks at what needs to happen in order to resolve the shortage of chefs in the Irish hospitality industry.

Cork’s reputation as the food capital of Ireland received a new boost last month at the 2014 Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Awards, with six of the seven awards going to Cork producers, organisations or individuals.

36 Five Minutes With

Ross Lewis, the Michelin star winning Head Chef and Co-Owner of Chapter One restaurant discusses career accolades, Irish food and his new cookbook with Hotel & Catering Review’s Valerie Jordan.

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EDITOR’S VIEW

Editor Maev Martin Email: maeve.martin@ ashvillemediagroup.com Telephone: 01 432 2271

Welcome to the April issue of Hotel & Catering Review and to the start of our preparations for the Gold Medal Awards 2014.

Last September Ashville Media Group hosted their inaugural Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Awards in The Double Tree Hilton Hotel in Dublin. Organised in record time with the support of our hard-working judging panel, the event was extremely successful. Last year the Gold Medal Awards received over 430 entries across 160 premises and we encouraged all of our entrants, finalists and winners, as well as our judges, to contact us with ideas that they believed would help make the 2014 awards even more successful. Since then we have been working on incorporating the feedback that we have received into our planning for the forthcoming event to ensure an even bigger and better Gold Medal Awards 2014.

So, following our review of last year’s awards, we have introduced eight new categories this year, including Hideaway of the Year and City Hotel of the Year. In addition, following the judges’ site inspection and announcement of the finalists, a number of selected categories in the 2014 awards are subject to a public vote. This voting system will be powered through the Hotel & Catering Review website and through our Facebook and Twitter accounts.

The Gold Medal Awards categories are as follows: Five Star Hotel, Four Star Hotel, Three Star Hotel, Country House, Guesthouse, Cafés & Coffee Shops, In-House Catering, Institutional Catering, Fine Dining Restaurant, Casual Dining, Ethnic Restaurant, Field to Fork Award, Best Seafood Restaurant, Best Spa, Wine Experience, Eco-Friendly Hotel of the Year, Best Hotel Breakfast (Public Vote), Best Family Friendly Hotel (Public Vote), Hideaway of the Year (Public Vote), Value for Money Hotel of the Year (Public Vote), City Hotel of the Year (Public Vote), Customer Experience (Public Vote).

In addition to these categories, we are also accepting entries for the following - Service to the Industry Award, which recognises and honours an individual’s outstanding contribution to the hospitality industry over a significant period of time, and Hospitality Person of the Year. This award will recognise people who are the face of the industry, from the receptionist to the waiting staff. Both of these categories can be entered by emailing your submission directly to emma.nolan@ ashvillemediagroup.com and providing a minimum of 150 words about the nominee.

Entries are now open for the 26th Annual Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Awards and will close on Friday, May 7th.

The Gold Medal Awards process will run as follows: n Entries are accepted through our online entry form from April 2nd to May 7th; n Judges will site inspect every entry as a mystery guest in May/June; n Finalists will be announced in July and the online voting process will begin in selected categories; n Winners will be announced on September 22nd at the 26th Annual Gold Medal Awards ceremony at the Double Tree by Hilton Dublin. n If you have any queries relating to the awards, please call the Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Awards Event Manager Emma Nolan on (01) 432 2226.

We look forward to hearing from you (hopefully along with your entry!).

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“ last year the gold medal awards received over 430 entries and we encouraged everyone who participated to contact us with ideas that they believed would help make the 2014 awards even more successful” VISIT US ONLINE

www.hotelandcateringreview.ie

@

EMAIL US

info@hotelandcateringreview.ie FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

@HC_Review LIKE US ON FACEBOOK

www.facebook.com /hotelandcateringreview Editor: Maev Martin Editorial & Production Manager: Mary Connaughton Design: Jane Matthews Layout: Alan McArthur Advertising Design: Séamus Neeson COVER IMAGE: ©iStock/Thinkstock.com Stock Photography: Thinkstock.com Production: Nicole Ennis Sales Director: Paul Clemenson Managing Director: Diarmaid Lennon Published by: Ashville Media, Old Stone Building, Blackhall Green, Dublin 7. Tel: (01) 432 2200 ISSN: 0332-4400 All rights reserved. Every care has been taken to ensure that the information contained in this magazine is accurate. The publishers cannot, however, accept responsibility for errors or omissions. Reproduction by any means in whole or in part without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. © Ashville Media Group 2014. All discounts, promotions and competitions contained in this magazine are run independently of Hotel & Catering Review. The promoter/advertiser is responsible for honouring the prize.

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News & Views

NEWS & VIEWS Amie Peters, Head of Direct Mail & SME at An Post with Pádraic Óg Gallagher, President of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, at the launch of the awards.

Cliff House Hotel Wins Deloitte Award The five star Cliff House Hotel overlooking the village of Ardmore in West Waterford was the only Irish hotel new entrant on the award winner’s list in this year’s Deloitte Best Managed Companies Award. A total of 85 companies that operate at the highest levels of business performance were recognised at the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards event in Dublin on March 7th.

Once the shortlist was announced, The Cliff House Hotel underwent a rigorous review by the judging panel of every aspect of its operations, demonstrating how the multi-award winning property is meeting its strategic objectives and adding value to the business.

The Search is on for the ‘Ultimate Foodie’ Town!

The Restaurants Association of Ireland, in association with Admailer.ie from An Post, launched the search for Ireland’s premier foodie destination on March 20th. The ‘Foodie Town of Ireland’ award will recognise a destination that actively promotes itself through joint promotional activities such as food festivals, gourmet trails or farmers’ markets, as well as great dining experiences. The winning Irish town will have established a local producer/supplier network which is utilised and promoted by local businesses. Plans for future growth and investment in the food and hospitality industry at a local level will also be taken into consideration by judges.

Education, training, development and employment will be key components of the ultimate foodie destination.

Communities across the country are urged to get involved and work with local businesses, foodie groups, Chambers of Commerce and other working groups to submit their applications and promote their area to both local people and visitors. The deadline for applications was April 9th. All applications will be reviewed and a shortlist of 10 finalist destinations will be announced and awarded a certificate. The top ten towns will then be subject to a pre-arranged visit to the town by independent assessors, a representative from the Restaurants Association of Ireland, and a representative from An Post. A national public voting campaign will also be held, with each of the ten finalists canvassing the country to vote for them. The final decision will be made by combining the judges’ votes with the public vote - both components account for 50% of the overall mark a town receives.

The winning town will be crowned ‘Foodie Town 2014’ at the final of the Irish Restaurant Awards on June 9th and will receive a prize package worth €5,000, combining an Admailer. ie postcard marketing package and mentorship from senior An Post marketing executives to help raise the profile of their town. The nine runners up will each receive an Admailer.ie prize package to the value of €500 each.

(l-r): Adriaan Bartels, General Manager, accepts the award on behalf of The Cliff House Hotel from Andrew Hastings of Barclays and Brendan Jennings of Deloitte.

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News & Views

Westport Woods is Greenest Hotel in Ireland Ireland’s top ten Green Hotels, as verified

by The Green Hospitality Programme, were announced at the ‘Responsible Tourism Conference’ which took place in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Golden Lane in Dublin on March 20th.

The Green Hospitality Programme has produced its first league table listing for the Greenest Hotels In Ireland. This is based on 2013 environmental benchmark figures produced by Irish hotels that reveal what they are doing to reduce their environmental footprint. Benchmarks for waste, energy, water and carbon footprint were considered. And the Westport Woods Hotel, which was one of the first hotels to join the Programme in 2004, came out on top.

The Westport Woods Hotel was rated the number one hotel in the Waste Management category and number one in the CO2 Management category.

This was achieved by placing a huge focus on energy awareness, energy efficient building design, and the use of biomass to provide heating for the pool and hotel.

In second place was The River Lee Hotel in Cork city. This hotel has been a committed Green Hospitality member since 2009 and holds the Green Hospitality Gold Award. The Garryvoe Hotel in Co Cork was in third place. A committed Green Hospitality member since 2007, the hotel now holds the highest certification level available to

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Pictured (l-r): Scott Barclay, River Lee Hotel, Cork City, Michael Lennon, General Manager, Westport Woods Hotel and Duncan Stewart, representing The Garryvoe Hotel, Co Cork at the awards event.

Green Hospitality hotels - the Platinum Award - and even installed one of the first cryogenic CHP plants in 2011.

Ireland’s Top 10 Greenest Hotels are: The Westport Woods Hotel, Westport, Co Mayo; The River Lee Hotel, Cork; Garryvoe Hotel, Co Cork; Bewley’s Hotel, Dublin Airport; Radisson Blu Hotel, Galway City; Castle Court Hotel, Westport, Co Mayo; Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise, Co Laois; Carlton Hotel, Dublin Airport; Buswell’s Hotel, Dublin City; Maritime Hotel, Bantry, Co Cork.

Sandie Dawe, CEO of VisitBritain, and Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, signing a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), at a business event in Imperial College London.

Tourism Agencies Sign Partnership Agreement Tourism Ireland and VisitBritain recently announced a new agreement to boost tourist numbers from long-haul markets such as China and India. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, and Sandie Dawe, CEO of VisitBritain. The announcement was made in London, at a business event, organised by the British Irish Chamber of Commerce to mark the State Visit of President Michael D Higgins to Britain. Under the agreement, Tourism Ireland and VisitBritain will work more closely together, particularly in long-haul markets outside of Europe and North America, to promote the island of Ireland and Great Britain as destinations to be visited as part of a single holiday. The aims of the MoU are twofold: to align the work of both agencies, combining their activities in markets where appropriate; and to increase visitor numbers and revenue to both the island of Ireland and Great Britain from long-haul markets.

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News & Views ‘Guide to Food Markets in Ireland’ Launched Over 120 food producers, stall holders and food market managers gathered at Belvedere House and Gardens, Mullingar, Co Westmeath on April 8th for the launch of Bord Bia’s new practical ‘Guide to Food Markets in Ireland’. The guide highlights the evolving food market models in Ireland, advises those involved on how to set up and manage a market based on best practice, outlines the characteristics of a good market, and reviews future market trends.

According to a Bord Bia research study carried out in 2010, the annual sales of food and drink at farmers’ markets are valued at approximately €27m.

“Food and Farmers’ Markets have experienced considerable growth in recent years, growing from fewer than 100 markets in 2006 to almost 150 currently in operation,” says Aidan Cotter, Chief Executive, Bord Bia. Bord Bia research, conducted in November 2013, shows that Irish consumers place great importance on sourcing food locally, with seven in 10 adults considering buying local produce to be important when shopping for food.

The PERIscope research revealed that 82% of Irish consumers are now aware of the term ‘food miles’ and the impact that has on the food they purchase.

The guide is part of a series of publications from Bord Bia, including the ‘Guide to Distribution for Food and Drink Producers’ and the forthcoming ‘Guide to Farmers’ Markets for Small Food Producers’. The ‘Guide to Online for Small Food Producers’ and the ‘Guide to Foodservice for Small Food Producers’ will complete the series in 2015.

The air travel tax fell to €0 from April 1st. Marking the occasion are (l-r): Simon Fagan, Chief Commercial Officer, Stobart Air (formerly Aer Arann); Declan Kearney, Director of Communications, Aer Lingus; Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar; Minister of State in the Department of Finance, Brian Hayes; Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland; and Kenny Jacobs, Chief Marketing Officer, Ryanair.

Dingle Farmers’ Market.

Minister & Airlines Welcome Abolition of Travel Tax On the eve of the reduction of the air travel tax to zero, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar marked the occasion and welcomed the response of the airlines to the Government’s move in the last Budget. “Following the general election this Government said it would cut the air travel tax to zero if the airlines were willing to increase capacity on our key access routes,” said Minister Varadkar. “The airlines have responded with more than 20 new flights into Ireland and increased capacity on existing routes. That is why we are fulfilling that commitment this week.

My focus as Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport is to generate even more direct air and ferry services into Ireland in the years ahead.” Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said that, in addition to new Aer Lingus services from San Francisco and Toronto, there would be extended services from Etihad and Emirates later this year. “It is wonderful to see new Ryanair flights starting in April from important tourism markets like France and Germany,” he said. “Tourism Ireland is committed to working with airports, airlines, ferry operators and other tourism interests to drive demand for services from international markets to the island of Ireland and to help maintain our vital network of routes.”

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News & Views

GroupLeader. com Goes Live

Irish Appeal Remains Strong as Tourism Continues to Recover The annual Visitor Attitudes Survey, conducted by Millward Brown on behalf of Fáilte Ireland, reveals that almost four out of 10 (39%) overseas visitors reported that their experience in Ireland exceeded their expectations while a further six out of 10 (60%) said that Ireland met their expectations. Over half (56%) said they would definitely return in the next few years while a further four out of 10 hoped to return at some time in the future. Over half of overseas visitors (51%) found Ireland to be good or very good value while a further four in 10 (39%) found the value for money levels here to be fair. Food and drink costs,once a bugbear during the Celtic Tiger years, were mentioned as competitive disadvantages by only 9% of visitors (down further on last year where drink costs had been cited by 16% and food costs by 13%). The full survey, conducted with 1,514 overseas visitors to Ireland throughout 2013, is due to be published in the coming weeks.

Tim Fenn, Chief Executive, IHF; Richard Sears, Business Development Executive, GroupLeader. com; Michael Vaughan, Outgoing President, IHF; Charlotte Fenning, Account Executive, GroupLeader.com; and Fergal O’Brien, Managing Director, GroupLeader.com.

New travel technology company GroupLeader.com, which is based in the digital docklands area of Dublin, is now live and ready to start sending group bookings to hotels in Ireland.

The website provides a mobile responsive platform to find and book hotels, ground transport, tour guides, and visitor attractions. Brands such as Radisson, Marriott, Ibis, Ramada, The Doyle Collection, Holiday Inn, Bewleys and Jurys Inn are already on board, together with independent hotels and resorts such as Hayfield Manor, The Merchant Hotel, Parknasilla Resort & Spa, The Europe Hotel & Resort, Fota Island Resort, Carton House, Brooklodge Hotel and Castleknock Hotel & Country Club. The site will be multi-currency and multilingual and will be promoted globally. Further roll-out will include partners such as ground transport providers and tour guides by mid-2014. New destination territories including mainland Europe and the US will go live later in 2014 and 2015.

O’Callaghan Hotels Bake for Temple Street

Pictured at the O’Callaghan Hotels Great Irish Bake for Temple Street are (l-r): Noel Healy, Davenport Hotel, David Malanapy, Group General Manager, O’Callaghan Hotels, Robert Clarke, Alexander Hotel and Anne Cooney, Temple Street Children’s Hospital.

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Over €2,000 was raised in just three hours at the Mont Clare Hotel in Merrion Square on April 4th in aid of Temple Street Children’s Hospital. It was the O’Callaghan Hotel group contribution to The Great Irish Bake for Temple Street event as the hospital encouraged people to bake and raise funds. A total of 200 cakes, 50 each baked at the group’s four Dublin hotels - Mont Clare, Alexander, Davenport and Stephen’s Green - were purchased by members of the public between 10.30am and 1.30pm on the day. The proceeds will go towards three OmniBed incubators for premature and newborn babies fighting for life. Temple Street Children’s Hospital is one of the O’Callaghan Hotels selected charities for 2014. In its first partnership earlier in the year the hotel group donated €5,000 to fund a complete infusion pump for the neonatal ward at the hospital.

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NEWS & VIEWS

SILE SAVOURS THE FLAVOUR OF FIRST IRISH STRAWBERRY Keelings celebrated their first harvest of Irish strawberries on March 11th when David Keeling presented TV presenter Sile Seoige with a punnet of the strawberries. Keelings Irish strawberries have been available in store since March 13th.

“Strawberries are one of the fruits most widely associated with the Keelings brand and so the first harvest is always special to everyone at Keelings and marks the beginning of a new growing season,” says David Keeling. “This year’s Keelings Irish strawberry harvest is the earliest ever to ripen.

We have an exclusive early Spring variety which, in addition to new growing techniques that we’ve adopted, has resulted in this extra early start to the Irish season. We are very pleased with how this year’s crop tastes, with the delicious sweetness you’d expect from an Irish harvest.”

To honour Keelings first Irish strawberry harvest the company teamed up with The Nicky Bryne Show on 2FM to run the Spot The Giant Strawberry four-day radio promotion from March 18th March 21st. Once harvested, Keelings strawberries are stored in carefully controlled atmospheric and chilled conditions to ensure that they reach their customers in the best possible condition. The quality in the cold-stores is constantly monitored by quality controllers and samples of strawberries are regularly tested to ensure that no problems have developed.

The ingredients for Keelings’ nutritionist Aveen Bannon’s First Irish Strawberry Spicy Salsa Recipe are: one punnet of finely chopped strawberries, one avocado chopped finely, a large handful of finely chopped spinach, half a red onion finely chopped, one red chilli chopped finely and the juice and zest of one lime.

Gently combine all ingredients in a bowl. Serve as a dip with some raw carrot or wholemeal pitta bread or as an accompaniment with some freshly cooked white fish or chicken.

Claire Myler, River Lee Hotel, Cork; Francis Brennan, Park Hotel, Kenmare; Carol Hinch, Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, Connemara; Tony Keane, IrishTourism.com; Jim Deegan, Railtours Ireland First Class; Jayne Shackleford, Tourism Ireland; Dermot O’Neill, Abbey Tours; Siobhán Byrne Learat, Adams & Butler; Jason Powell, Causeway Coast and Glens; and Tanya Warren, Tourism Ireland, in Toronto during Tourism Ireland’s Connect Canada sales blitz.

‘CONNECTING’ CANADA AND IRELAND Eight tourism companies from around the island of Ireland joined Tourism Ireland in Canada earlier this month for a four-day sales blitz called Connect Canada, which targeted more than 120 influential travel agents, as well as 40 key travel and lifestyle media, based in Toronto and southern Ontario. The four-day sales blitz provided Tourism Ireland and the Irish tourism partners with a valuable opportunity to showcase and sell their product to the influential travel agents and media and to position the island of Ireland as a ‘must see’ destination for Canadian holidaymakers in 2014. With a significant (+70%) increase in airlines’ seats between Canada and Ireland this summer, there is now a new opportunity to position the island of Ireland as a year-round destination for Canadian travellers.

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News & Views

Sodexo Sponsors Ballymaloe LitFest Sodexo Ireland is now a premium sponsor of the Kerrygold Ballymaloe Litfest for the second year. The Litfest, which takes place from May 16th to 18th, is hosted by Ballymaloe House in Shanagarry, Co Cork. It is dedicated to food and wine writing and this year’s international guest speaker lineup includes René Redzepi of Noma, London-based deli, restaurant and cookbook supremos Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, Australian cook and artisan food champion Maggie Beer, Mexican cook, food writer and conservationist Diana Kennedy, writer and broadcaster Tom Parker-Bowles and English chef-writers Simon Hopkinson and Rowley Leigh. Daniel Klein and Mirra Fine of The Perennial Plate web documentary series will present a collection of their documentaries which have been filmed around the world and are dedicated to socially responsible and adventurous eating. Irish authors and foodwriters include Darina Allen, Rachel Allen, Rory O’Connell, Ross Lewis, Paul Flynn, Donal Skehan, Martin Shanahan, Catherine Fulvio, and Clodagh McKenna, wine columnists John Wilson, Tomás Clancy, Raymond Blake, Leslie Williams and Mary Dowey, and writers Imen McDonnell, Tom Doorley, Nessa Robbins, Lily Higgins and John & Sally McKenna.

Darina Allen is pictured in a greenhouse surrounded by bunches of kale.

New Strategy to Boost French and German Visitor Numbers

Niall Gibbons, Tourism Ireland CEO; and Finola O’Mahony, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Europe.

A new three-year plan, ‘Germany and France - A Strategy for Growth’, unveiled by Tourism Ireland on April 1st sets out ambitious targets which will see the number of German and French visitors to the island of Ireland grow to 1.1 million by 2016, delivering revenue of €602m for the economies north and south. 2013 was a record year for visitor numbers to Ireland from Germany and France - our third and fourth-largest tourist-generating markets. The new strategy - developed in close co-operation with Fáilte Ireland, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC), as well as commercial industry and travel trade partners at home and overseas - will build on this success and drive accelerated growth from both markets over the coming three years.

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London Launch for Limerick The British launch of Limerick City of Culture 2014 took place this month at the prestigious Embassy of Ireland in London. Organised by Tourism Ireland, the event was attended by key British travel trade and media contacts.

Tourism Ireland is highlighting Limerick City of Culture across the world. The organisation has an extra-special focus on Limerick in its promotional programme in Great Britain, the United States, France, Germany and Canada.

Mike Fitzpatrick, Interim Head of Limerick City of Culture, Coman Kenny, Tourism Ireland,and Sheila Deegan, Limerick Arts Officer, at the launch of Limerick City of Culture 2014 at the Embassy of Ireland in London.

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News & Views

Damien Barrett, Managing Director of Henderson Foodservice (centre), with Andrew Hastings of sponsor Barclays, and Brendan Jennings, Deloitte.

An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, presents Chairman of The Mount Charles Group Trevor Annon with the ‘Gold Standard’ certificate at the Deloitte Best Managed Companies awards.

Northern Companies are Tops in Best Managed Awards Henderson Foodservice and The Mount Charles Group were among Ireland’s most successful companies in the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards Programme. Henderson Foodservice, a division of the Mallusk-based Henderson Group, has experienced sales growth of 33% in the last two years and staff numbers have increased by 20% to over 250. The company has recently added 15 new vehicles to its fleet, meaning that 50 lorries now transport deliveries across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland six days a week. The Mount Charles Group was named as one of Ireland’s ‘Best Managed’ companies for the fourth year in a row. Companies that have been recognised as a Best Managed Company for four years running are awarded a special gold standard accolade.

The Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards Programme, in association with Barclays Bank Ireland, recognises indigenous Irish companies across the island of Ireland which are operating at the highest levels of business performance. The Programme takes into consideration management strength, ability to innovate, strategic initiatives and financial performance. This year’s winning companies were congratulated by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, at an awards gala dinner in Dublin on March 7th. The Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards Programme is open to companies from all 32 counties on the island of Ireland.

Free Calorie Calculator for Food Service Businesses The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) unveiled ‘MenuCal’- a new online calorie calculator - on April 9th. The FSAI is making the calculator available to Ireland’s 22,000 food service businesses free-of-charge to enable them to calculate the calorie values in the food they sell and serve to customers. The online tool, which was launched by the Minister for Health Dr James Reilly, was developed to address the food industry’s concern about the lack of the expertise and resources to accurately calculate calories for display on menus and the associated costs involved. In response, the FSAI brought together a team of nutritionists, computer scientists and food business trainers to create a bespoke solution for the Irish market that would act as a resource to assist chefs and cooks identify calorie values, taking account of types and quantities of ingredients used, method of preparation and portion size. MenuCal is considered a first of its kind in Europe and the FSAI has already received interest from other jurisdictions wishing to adopt the system. The tool incorporates over 450 useful tips and prompts depending on ingredient and recipe type. It includes an initial 2,000 popular food ingredients which users can add to and customise based on their own recipes. It also provides a secure and safe place for chefs and cooks to keep personalised recipes and maintain files of their most popular dishes under password protection. MenuCal can be tried and tested at www.menucal.ie.

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News & Views

Margaret Hayes – A Pioneer in Modern Irish Tourism

An Appreciation by Matt McNulty, Former Director General of Bord FÁilte

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here has been deserved recognition in recent weeks that Margaret Hayes (Urlingford, Co Kilkenny), who passed suddenly, quietly and unexpectedly on 19 February last, was an outstanding public sector talent serving as Secretary General of the Departments of Tourism and Trade, Tourism, Sport and Recreation, and finally of the Department of Community Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

I was privileged to work with Margaret as Principal Officer and Assistant Secretary with responsibility for tourism from the late 1980s when she was central to the preparation of Ireland’s first case for structural funds for tourism. One has to recall that, prior to 1988, government capital investment in tourism was of the order of one million pounds per year - a sum that showed scant understanding of the economic and social potential of this sector. Post 1989, this was leveraged up to an initial £150m of structural funds which attracted the first concentrated investment of one

Ballygarry House Wins Radio Kerry Award The privately-owned and managed Ballygarry House Hotel and Spa in Tralee has been announced as the 2014 Radio Kerry Tourism and Hospitality winner. The inaugural gala awards, which was attended by 350 people, was the culmination of a 12-month initiative by Radio Kerry to recognise excellence in the Kerry business world.

There were 72 monthly winners across six categories representing a diverse range of business interests from across Kerry. An independent judging panel had the task of choosing the final six winners. This award joins a long list of accolades for Ballygarry House such as TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice top 10 hotels in Ireland, Weddingdates four-star wedding venue of the year, as well as an IASI Supreme award for excellence.

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billion punts into Irish tourism. This transformed the sector so that, in the first five years of the government’s recovery plan for the economy, tourism created half the total new jobs - 30,000+ in that five-year period.

Growth averaged 15% per annum over that five-year period and would raise the number of visitors to Ireland from two million to six million inside a decade - a feat of growth that has never been exceeded by any developed country.

In addition to all the capacities one might expect from a senior civil servant, Margaret also had vision, purpose and courage which sustained her in the inevitable battles that were necessary to prove that tourism was going to be a critical and necessary pillar of Ireland’s economy. The investments made were purposefully designed to reduce the viability barrier imposed by seasonality and to cater for the new diversity of special interest tourism. And so they did, as during her term 65%+ of Ireland’s visitors were attracted outside what had been the peak period. The Department of Tourism also led on the demand within government that Ireland as an island must be served by a wide and competitive airline network.

This advocacy led to the end of the protectionist period of air transport in Ireland and the opening of true competitive opportunity for both Aer

Lingus and Ryanair, making Ireland one of the world’s leading examples of success in the new ‘open skies’ era.

Margaret preferred always to remain and operate below the radar of publicity but no one who knew her doubted the strength of her commitment to tourism and that she cherished the principles of value for money, efficiency and transparency. Doing the expedient was not on her agenda - getting it right was. Inevitably she ensured that the credit went to the Ministers she served and to the department but no one can deny her contribution on the critical implementation side in ‘getting it done’ and ‘making it happen’ and in the process transforming Irish tourism and its impact on the national economy and the local economies of rural Ireland.

Margaret worked consistently in partnership with the industry and with Bord Fáilte to transform the tourism industry and to triple the Irish tourism economy in 10 years. She helped greatly to bring a new focus and determination to the tourism effort and to sustainably build a new powerful tourism sector that would play a major role in the economy and help spread benefits where FDI was unlikely to reach in rural Ireland. Margaret’s work stands the test of time - more than most she can claim to have made a difference and that difference has been sustaining. ‘Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis’.

Padraig McGillicuddy Proprietor of Ballygarry House Hotel and Spa, accepting his Hospitality and Tourism award from Martin O’Neill, Republic of Ireland Manager, and Paul Byrne, Radio Kerry.

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News & Views Fishing Family Opens West Cork Restaurant A new restaurant has opened in Bantry promoting fresh seafood.

West Cork fishing family, the Murphys, who own Murphy’s Irish Seafood, have opened Trawl and Trend on High Street in Bantry. Trawl and Trend aims to offer the freshest of produce and to present seafood straight from the trawler to the table with the minimum of delay as the owners have their own fish processing business. The modern restaurant serves fresh local produce with a special emphasis on seafood from the Murphy’s Gearhies-based fish processing facility and the restaurant is run by Gareth Murphy and his team.

As well as seafood and meat dishes, the restaurant has a café serving Badger and Dodo coffee and 21 different flavoured teas. Throughout the day the restaurant has eight different seafood or meat/salad options, from crab claws, prawns and fish, to wings and meatballs. A wide

World Class Golf Without ‘The Office People’

selection of wines are available.

Originally a daytime café and restaurant, Trawl and Trend has expanded its restaurant to become Bantry’s first tapas and wine bar at the weekend and will open nightly from Easter. The venue transforms from 6.30pm on Fridays into a restaurant and lounge setting with live acoustic music. West Cork’s first bean bag wine lounge will open there in the Summer.

Gareth Murphy of Trawl and Trend.

Are you a hospitality worker, slaving away to please those pesky ‘office people’? Do you have a tendency to feel sorry for yourself, given your unsociable working hours? Well, you shouldn’t. You’re actually privileged.

Every Monday and Tuesday, while the 9am to 5pm workers are at their desks, you can now play the acclaimed 7,419 yard Palmerstown Stud Golf Course for a mere €39 green fee - and that includes a scrumptious lunch with tea or coffee at Palmerstown’s Empery Bistro.

Palmerstown Stud is an exciting, challenging course set amid the tranquility of the Kildare countryside and surrounded by thousands of mature trees. And our €39 midweek offer gives you the opportunity to wind down, relax and enjoy world class golfing without the crowds. To find out more and book your green fee, visit palmerstownhouse.com or call (045) 906901. Palmerstown Stud Golf Course in Johnstown, Co Kildare is located just off the N7, Exit 8.

Special 5 day membership rate to the Hotel & Catering Community of €750 Special offer for Pay & Play on Mondays & Tuesdays Golf and Lunch for just €39 when booked in advance quoting H&C Offer

Palmerstown Stud Golf Club offers an outstanding golfing experience Palmerstown Stud Golf Course, designed by golfer Christy O’Connor Jnr, is truly a golfer’s paradise. This expertly designed course offers impressive bunkering, imaginative water features and challenging fairways over 18 beautifully appointed holes. Our challenging course was host to the Irish Region Championship in 2005 and the Irish Seniors Championship in 2007. Golf at Palmerstown Stud Golf Club is open to visitors all year round.

To book a tee time or for more information regarding group or society bookings contact +353 (0) 45 906 901 or email golf@palmerstownhouse.com

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News & Views

Michelin Star Chef Joins Inishbofin House Team

Ireland Back on International Holiday Radar Inbound tour operator businesses experienced an 11% increase in 2013, an indication that Ireland is firmly back on the international holiday radar. The Incoming Tour Operators Association (ITOA) annual survey looks at the nature, scale and value of inbound tour operators to Irish tourism and the results of the survey were announced at the ITOA Tourism Sales Workshop in Fitzpatrick’s Hotel, Dublin, on March 27th. It shows that ITOA members delivered 465,000 holiday and business tourism visitors to Ireland in 2013 - an 11% increase on 2012. The average length of stay for tour groups in 2013 was 7.5 nights, with packaged individual business averaging 4.5 nights. On this basis, the total number of bednights generated by incoming tour operators was almost 2.2 million in 2013. Group and coach tours accounted for 57% of the turnover and individual travel accounted for 27% of turnover. Business tourism (incentive, corporate meeting and events) accounted for the remaining balance of 16%. Incoming tour operators spent €170m purchasing tourism product such as accommodation, transport, visitor attractions, restaurants and pubs. In addition to this spend, the visitors handled by ITOA members spent €393m in the Irish economy while on holiday in Ireland. Meanwhile, figures issued by the CSO on March 26th show that overseas visitor numbers to Ireland increased by +11% for the December 2013 to February 2014 period. Visitors from Britain grew by +14% for the three-month period.

Raymond McArdle, Chef Consultant, Taidgh Macdonald, Head Chef, and Niall J Coffey, General Manager, launching Inishbofin House Hotel’s new menu for the summer

The award-winning Inishbofin House Hotel and Marine Spa is set to become an ultimate destination for foodies with celebrated chef Raymond McArdle onboard as their Head Chef Consultant and new Head Chef Taidgh McDonald.

Inishbofin House Hotel, which was last year voted one of the top five places to visit in Ireland, reopened its doors for the summer in March.

Raymond represented the North of Ireland in BBC2’s 2013-2014 Great British Menu.

He previously worked as Head Chef with Inishbofin House Hotel General Manager Niall Coffey in the Nuremore Hotel from 2001 to 2011. Raymond is now running his own restaurants in Belfast, Warren Point and Tyrone, including Restaurant 23, currently recognised in all international food guides.

Taidgh McDonald has worked in a number of restaurants, including Richard Corrigan’s two establishments in Mayfair, London, and Thornton’s restaurant on St Stephen’s Green in Dublin.

Sparking Supper at The g The g Hotel Galway and Tindal Wine Merchants joined forces for a special ‘Sparking Supper’ event in the hotel’s Restaurant gigi’s on April 10th, which featured a four-course gourmet menu paired with Henriot Champagnes.

Pictured at the launch of the event in The g is James Miley of Tindal Wine Merchants and Aoife Kenny, Duty Manager at The g. Tickets were priced at €59 per person. The night included a Prosecco cocktail reception on arrival in the Grand Salon at the hotel.

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On the move

The Kingsley Appoints General Manager

Fergal Harte The Kingsley Hotel, which is scheduled to open this summer, recently announced the appointment of Fergal Harte as General Manager.

The 131-bedroom hotel will have extensive spa and leisure facilities and restaurants, as well as bar and conference facilities. Born in Trim, Co Meath, Fergal Harte attended St Michael’s CBS there and then studied hotel management at the CERT Training College on Dublin’s Amiens Street as part of their Trainee Manager Development Programme. Fergal worked in the Sligo Park Hotel and the Kenmare Bay Hotel before moving to London in 1995 to work for the 900-bedroom Cumberland Hotel.

From February 1997 to April 1998, Fergal was Event Manager at the Cumberland, winning Cumberland Hotel Food & Beverage Employee of the Year in 1997. In 1998 he moved to Imagination Ltd, a multinational design and event management agency, initially as Catering Manager, and he was then promoted to the position of Event Manager. In 2002 Fergal returned to Ireland, taking up the role of Sales & Marketing Manager at Knockranny House Hotel in Westport. The hotel almost doubled in size during the six years that Fergal worked there, with the addition of a luxury spa and 43 new rooms. Fergal moved to the Sheraton Fota Island Hotel & Spa in Cork in 2008 where he was initially employed as the Director of Sales for the hotel with Sheraton/ Starwood. He was then promoted to the position of Resort Director of Sales when the Sheraton contract ended in August 2009.

New Head of Sales for Nestlé Ireland

Tamara Whitney

Nestlé Ireland has appointed Tamara Whitney as its new Head of Sales. She assumes responsibility for Nestlé Ireland’s sales operations which includes its wide portfolio of products across the confectionery, beverage, food and pet care categories. She will lead Nestlé’s commercial strategy in Ireland as it continues to expand its presence and deliver category growth. Ms Whitney joins Nestlé Ireland from Pernod Ricard where she was Business Unit Controller for the Grocery Multiple Channel across the UK and previously held a number of other commercial management roles, including Field Sales Controller.

Prior to this, Ms Whitney’s industry experience spans a number of commercial roles in the food and beverage sector, including Premier Foods, GlaxoSmithKline and Coco Cola. Born in London, UK, Ms Whitney is a graduate of Oxford Brookes University with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science.

New Financial Officer for O’Callaghan Group

Eoin Likely

Eoin Likely, FCA, has re-joined the O’Callaghan Hotel Group as Chief Financial Officer. He previously held the position of CFO of the Group in 2005/2006 before relocating to Cork to become Head of Operations & Finance at Alchemy Properties, a subsidiary of Reox Holdings plc. In 2009 Eoin became Chief Financial Officer of Reox Holdings plc. He brings significant financial and commercial experience to the O’Callaghan Hotel Group. Prior to first joining O’Callaghan Hotels in 2005 Eoin had been Group Financial Controller at United Drug plc and had held various positions at KPMG, including Associate Director. Eoin is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland. The O’Callaghan Hotel Group has four hotels in Dublin Alexander, Davenport, Stephen’s Green and Mont Clare - as well as the Eliott Hotel in Gibraltar and the Annapolis in Maryland in the US.

on the

New Appointments, Promotions and Recruitment

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cover story

Dalata Hits the

Acquisition Trail Last month Pat McCann, Chief Executive of the Dalata Group, presided over a 2265m initial public offering of the group on the Irish and London stock exchanges. Maev Martin talks to him about Dalata’s future investment plans and the development of their pioneering hotel management business model.

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T

he Dalata Group began trading in 2007 but Pat McCann’s career in the hotel business began back in 1969 with Ryan Hotels plc. Having worked in Ryans in both Ireland and the UK, he left the company in 1989 to join Jurys Hotel Group as General Manager of its flagship hotel in Dublin. He became Operations Director of the company in 1994 and was responsible for the integration of the Doyle Hotel Group following the acquisition of that company by Jurys in 1999. He became Chief Executive of the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group in 2000. “I ran the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group for eight years and when it was bought by a private consortium I stayed on for a year before leaving in June 2006 and starting the Dalata Group in August 2007 with investment from TVC Holdings Plc (an Irish listed fund) and Davy Private Clients,” he says. “We bought 11 leasehold hotels, which were then part of the Quality brand, from Paddy Kelly and Frankie Whelehan and we rebranded them as Maldron Hotels in September 2008. That was the start of the Dalata Group business.

Following the economic collapse we were approached for help by a number of banks that were putting hotels into receivership so we took over the day-to-day running of the hotels for the banks and receivers. Today we have 40 hotels - 13 are leased, 27 are managed, 22 of the managed hotels are in receivership and five of them are with the owners of the assets. Apart from the Quality hotel brand, all of the other hotels are individual brands.

They had to stay that way because the banks and receivers were planning to sell them so they didn’t want them re-branded.”

Pat explains that when some of the hotels in the Dalata Group are sold they then leave the group while others stay with the Group and continue to be managed by Dalata. “For example, the Midleton Park Hotel in Cork was sold to the Talbot Hotel Group

recently and they will manage that themselves,” he says. “There are two other hotels in the group that have been sold recently and they will continue to be managed by us.”

Expanding Their Portfolio The recent IPO raised €265m and the Dalata Group is planning to buy hotels that come on the market over the next 18 months to two years. “They could be Dalata Group hotels, and more than likely some of them will be hotels that we currently manage, but most of the hotels that we buy will be from outside the group,” says Pat. “They will be in the three star and four star segment and will typically have 100 bedrooms plus. We aren’t interested in trophy or older assets - we are looking for new hotels. A lot of new hotels were built between 1995 and 2005. The hotel industry went from 30,000 rooms to 60,000 rooms and that is the stock that we are interested in. The number of hotels in Ireland is down to 860 from its peak of 900 and about 300 of those hotels are reckoned to be in some form of difficulty. Most of the three and four star hotels that we will be looking at will be among those 300 hotels but we will also talk to hotel owners who may want to sell but are not in any difficulty. We are in discussions with some hotels at the moment. We are looking to buy over 20 hotels in the next 18 months to two years, depending on size and location, and we want to have a good spread of hotels around the country.

However, some of the 40 hotels that we currently manage will be bought so they will exit the group over the next two years. In four to five years time the Dalata Group will comprise leased hotels (in excess of 13), our management business, which we will continue, and our owned businesses, which is the new part of our activities over the next 18 months to two years. The Dalata Group manages 6,000 rooms around Ireland, which is 10% of the country’s hotel bedroom

FROM TOP: The Nuremore Hotel & Country Club in Co Monaghan; The Maldron Hotel in Cardiff Lane in Dublin; Opposite (TOP) A meeting room at the Maldron Hotel in Citywest; Bottom - Dermot Crowley (left), Deputy Chief Executive – Business Development and Finance, and Stephen McNally (right), Deputy Chief Executive, with Dalata Group Chief Executive Pat McCann.

“ We are looking to buy over 20 hotels in the next 18 months to two years. They will be in the three star and four star segment and typically 100 bedrooms plus. We aren’t interested in trophy or older assets. We are looking for new hotels”

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stock. The number of rooms that we manage won’t change dramatically over the next two years and we don’t have a specific target increase in mind. We would be happy with 6,000 to 7,000 rooms.”

Unique Hotel Management Model The Dalata Group structure and the hotel management model is unique in the Irish market. It was a response to the extreme economic circumstances in the country post 2008 and to the fact that there was too much debt in the hotel sector.

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FROM TOP: A bedroom in the Clyde Court Hotel in Ballsbridge, Dublin; The swimming pool at the Maldron Hotel in Tallaght.

But should it now be regarded as the template for hotel management in Ireland? “Yes, the ability of hotels to stand alone isn’t there anymore,” says Pat. “And there are two reasons for that. Firstly, there have been and there will continue to be big technological changes impacting our industry. Hotels on their own will find it hard to cope with these changes and with the new ways that the industry now gets business.

One example of that is the massive growth in third party websites in recent years. These have grown and become much more evident since the downturn. The Dalata Group has designed tailor-made training programmes to address the skill gap that exists in relation to this aspect of the business. The second major change is on the procurement side.

The industry needs economies of scale. The Dalata Group buys better than anyone in the country so we bring great advantages to hotels that are managed by us. The big changes that have occurred in the market in recent years mean that the modern hotel needs to be part of a group.

There are very few independent food retailers now. They can’t compete unless they are part of a structured consortium and the same is true of hotels. The Dalata model works worldwide - in the UK, Europe and in the US, where managed hotel groups are the biggest part of the hotel market.”

Pat is adamant that hotels can retain their original brand and still be part of a group structure. “We still need our traditional family-owned hotels because that is important for the Irish tourism product,” he says.

“But you can still have that and be part of a group. A lot of trophy assets such as Ashford Castle, Doonbeg, The Shelbourne and Fota Island Resort have been sold to overseas investors but there is still a lot of scope to keep family-owned hotels as part of the tourism product. I think the corporate, urban hotels will fall into a group structure more readily than country house hotels

but there is still scope for them to be part of a consortium that helps them with marketing, distribution and purchasing.”

Apart from the challenges faced by independent hotels who aren’t part of a group, Pat says that one of the big problems facing the industry is the lack of capital expenditure in hotels. “Little money has been spent in refreshing the physical product in the past seven years and that is presenting a major challenge for the industry,” he says. “Some hotels are renovating but we are a long way behind where we should be so we need to be spending money now on upgrading the product. In addition, too many hotels were built in the wrong place so there are areas of the country where we will lose more hotels.”

Expanding The Team The Dalata Group operates a number of training and development programmes. “It will always be a challenge for individual hotels to attract and retain staff but our strong training infrastructure means that we offer new entrants to the industry and existing staff a lot of development opportunities,” says Pat. “Over the last two to three years we have added new members to our team here at the Dalata Group on an annual basis and we have a strong senior team so there won’t be a major recruitment drive as a result of our acquisition plans. We have the capacity to manage the new acquisitions as they happen.”

Thirty-six people are employed at the Dalata Group’s HQ in Sandyford and in their central reservations operation in Portlaoise. Stephen McNally is Deputy Chief Executive of the Group and Dermot Crowley is Deputy Chief Executive – Business Development & Finance. “Dermot Crowley joined us last year,” says Pat. “Conal O’Neill, Group Operations Manager, and Shane Casserly, Head of Development and Strategy, both joined us two months ago. They are all former Jurys/Doyle personnel.”

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wine

New World Gems from Down Under Mary O’Callaghan, Past President of the Guild of Sommeliers, takes a look at what some family-owned wineries in Australia and New Zealand have to offer the Irish market.

D

uring a recent trip to Australia and New Zealand I visited a number of wineries in both countries. I will be featuring some personal favourites in Hotel & Catering Review over the coming months but I’ll start in this issue with with my Australian experience.

I worked a vintage in Australia’s Hunter Valley several years ago so I was eager to see how the region had developed.

My first visit was to the state-ofthe-art, partially underground winery of Hungerford Hill at the gateway of the Hunter Valley. On arrival at the winery I was welcomed by the team, including the gracious owner James Kirby whose grandmother came from Ireland. After falling in love with the Hunter Valley, Australia’s oldest wine region, James dreamed of owning a winery in this famous area. In 2002, after selling his third generation engineeering firm, he made his dream a reality.

A glass of Dalliance 2008 on arrival was very welcome. This delicious sparkling wine made by traditional method from 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir is dry and crisp with vibrant fruit flavours. It is the perfect aperitif. I also tasted their Cardinal sparkling Shiraz. I was introduced to Adrian Lockhart who had studied at Roseworthy.

He places great emphasis on the ‘texture of whites’. Dinner was in their excellent Muse restaurant which is attached to the iconic

winery. It is run by chef Troy Rhodes Brown and his charming wife Megan. Each course was carefully chosen to represent the very best of local produce and was accompanied by two carefully chosen wines. To begin, we tasted two Hunter Valley Semillons - 2004 and 2011 - which were served with a mushroom cream amuse bouche. The texture and mouth-feel of both wines was impressive, although the older wine was more nuanced and complex. A delicious melon sorbet infused with ginger followed, accompanied by a Pinot Noir from their Tumbarumba vineyards. Three different Dijon Clones are used to produce this excellent example of cool climate Pinot Noir. It is refined and well balanced, displaying redcurrant and raspberry flavours enhanced by a smokey mushroom character underneath. Tumbarumba vineyards are situated near Canberra. They are planted 600 to 980 metres above sea level. The soil is basalt and decomposing granite. Chardonnay and Pinot Gris are also planted here, producing excellent stylish wines.

The highlight of the meal was the main course of braised local lamb accompanied by their

Hunter Valley Shiraz 2004 and 2010. Both wines complemented this outstanding dish. However, the 2004 displayed a stylish restraint and complexity, integrating multiple layers of taste, with prune and dark chocolate mid-palate flavours.

It also complemented the duck and venison dishes that James and Adrian chose. A distinctly flavoured local Binnori cheese and the same 2004 Shiraz completed our feast. I joined James and Adrian early the next morning for a cellar tasting of barrel samples. It is always a privilege to taste wines in the company of the winemaker while they are still undergoing development. We tasted 18 wines in total. Adrian is experimenting with and introducing white varietals to the area, such as Verdelho, PinotGris,Vermentino, Gewürztraminer, etc. I particularly liked the Vermentino 2013 with its savoury green olive taste. The Tambarumba Chardonnay 2013 was carefully crafted using a Penfolds Clone and given nine months in oak with weekly battenage for the first six months. This resulted in subtle creamy oak nuances that complement the fresh white peach flavours. Hungerford Hill is a stunning example of the growing number of family-owned boutique wineries in the Hunter Valley that are now producing handcrafted premium wines that are in demand across the world.

All of the wines referred to in this article are available in Ireland from Classic Drinks.

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key to the door

key to the

door Openings, Closures, Refurbs and Acquisitions

Metro on the Market for €5.5m The Metro Hotel & Apartments at Santry Cross, Dublin 9 are for sale at a guide price of €5.5m. Savills Hotels and Leisure are handling the sale on behalf of David Hughes & Luke Charleton, Joint Receivers, EY. The 15-storey Metro Hotel and Apartments includes a three-star hotel, 30 two-bed apartments and a retail unit. The hotel and apartments are being offered for sale in three lots.

Lot one, which includes the entire hotel and apartments, is available at a guide price of €5.5m. Lot two, just the hotel, is guided at €2.5m. Lot three, the apartments, are available at a guide price of €3m. The hotel comprises 88 bedrooms, including 16 suites, a bar, restaurant and conferencing facilities over five floors.

The Metro Hotel apartments include 30 two-bedroom apartments located on the top ten floors of the building.

The apartments are currently let on short term residential tenancies and produce a rental income of approximately €384,000 per annum.

The property has approximately 160 car parking spaces.

Oldest Trading Hotel in Country for Sale The Grand Hotel in Tramore, reputedly the oldest continually

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trading hotel in the country, is now on the market with an asking price of €550,000. Records show that the original hotel opened for business in 1795 and has been continuously trading as a hotel since then. The hotel was acquired by Tom and Anna Treacy in 1984 and they have operated the business for the last 30 years. The Treacy family have now decided to retire and the hotel is being offered for sale by Purcell Properties. The dining room currently has a capacity for 90 people and the function room and adjoining tap room can accommodate up to 250 guests. The hotel has 81 ensuite bedrooms, four bars, a function room, dining room and a catering kitchen.

Four Star Hotel & Golf Course For Sale Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links has recently been offered for sale

by Jones Lang LaSalle, on behalf of receivers Mazars. Sitting on a site of approximately 170 acres, the property incorporates 136 guestrooms, a bar, restaurant and lounge, recently refurbished conferencing facilities and an 18-hole championship links golf course designed by legendary golfer Bernard Langer. The asking price is €20m. “Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links offers considerable potential to add value along with the option for domestic or international hotel brand affiliation, if so desired,” says Dan O’Connor, Vice President

Pearse Hotel on the Market Pearse Hotel in Dublin’s city centre has been put on the market in one or more lots with a guide price in the region of €9m. The 101 bedroom hotel is being sold on the instructions of joint receivers David Hughes and Luke Charleton of Ernst & Young and comprises the hotel and three adjoining investment properties, in which tenants will not be affected. The hotel has 20 secure basement car park spaces, which are held on lease, while the adjoining investment properties include two commercial units extending to 393 square metres, 97 and 98 Pearse Street which is let to Centra under a 25-year lease, 95 Pearse Street ,which is let to Boylesports under a 25-year lease and two vacant offices over number 95. The total annual rental income is €102,500 per year. The hotel presents a further development opportunity with a recent study suggesting a capability to add several floors of bedrooms – another 70 or so rooms – subject to planning permission.

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Key to the door

Heritage Hotel Guiding for €5.5m CBRE Hotels confirmed on March 12th the instructions of the Receiver Kieran Wallace of KPMG to offer The Heritage Hotel, Killenard, Co Laois for sale. The guide price is €5.5m. The five-star hotel is located in a parkland setting which overlooks the Seve Ballesteros Championship Golf Course. Built in 2004, the facilities include 98 bedrooms - three penthouse suites, 10 junior suites and 85 deluxe guest bedrooms. The hotel also includes the Arlington restaurant, a bar, extensive wedding, conference and banqueting facilities, a bespoke business centre with six meeting rooms, a 50-seater auditorium/ cinema, the Heritage Hotel Spa, which is regarded as one of the top five spas in Ireland, and the Heritage Health Club.

of JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group.

“We are expecting strong competition from both domestic and international hotel investors.”

Mount Wolseley Seeks Protection From Creditors Mount Wolseley, the four-star hotel, spa and golf resort in Tullow, Co Carlow, has sought court protection from its creditors after its bank called in its loans. The hotel petitioned the High Court to appoint an examiner on April 4th, just hours after Bank of Ireland had appointed a receiver to the property. The receiver, Grant Thornton, has now been stood down, pending final confirmation of the appointment of the examiner. The historic property was bought in 1994 by the Morrissey family, who own Lismard Properties and the Mount Wolseley Group. The Morrisseys developed Mount Wolseley into a

From Top: The ballroom at The Heritage Hotel; A suite at The Heritage Hotel.

four-star hotel and added an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Irish golfer Christy O’Connor Junior.

The ballroom has capacity for 800 delegates. €975K Asking Price for Creggan Court CBRE are selling the Creggan Court Hotel in Athlone, Co Westmeath.

The hotel is being put on the market

on the instructions of receivers Kieran Wallace and Padraig Monaghan of KPMG. The property has an asking price of €975,000. The 71-bedroom, three-star hotel was owned by Frank and Mary Mulcahy’s Mulcahy Enterprises but fell into receivership in August last year. The Mulcahys also owned the Hayes Hotel in the town, which was put on the market in January.

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Commercial Profile

Promoting the

Island of Ireland in 2014

Tourism Ireland is embarking on an intensive and varied programme of promotional activity this year, ranging from capitalising on Ireland’s hosting of the ‘Big Start’ to the Giro d’Italia 2014, to a quirky initiative to highlight the industry’s newest innovation, the Wild Atlantic Way.

All ‘Tee’d Up’ For Golf Tourism Tourism Ireland in Britain recently kicked off the 2014 golf season with a special media golf day at the top Hertfordshire golf course of Brocket Hall. 24 leading British golf writers - representing major titles like The Independent, The Times, Daily Mirror, Today’s Golfer and Golf International - attended the event, which was organised by Tourism Ireland to highlight our world class golf, this year’s Irish Open at Fota Island Resort in June, as well as links golf along the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route. Two of the top golf tour operators in Britain also attended. Golf holidays in Ireland are a major focus for Tourism Ireland in Britain, and in other key markets around the world, and the organisation has a busy programme of promotions underway to grow the number of golf tourists in 2014 and beyond.

British golf writers with Rachel Meehan (5th from left) and David Boyce (8th from left), both Tourism Ireland, and Tony Lenehan, Fáilte Ireland, at a golf media day in Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire.

Gearing Up for Giro d’Italia As the island of Ireland gears up for the ‘Big Start’ or Grande Partenza of the Giro d’Italia, 2014 represents an unprecedented opportunity to promote the island of Ireland to millions of cycling enthusiasts, people who enjoy the great outdoors, as well as general holidaymakers around the world. Tourism Ireland has been highlighting the Grande Partenza since it was

New Eindhoven to Knock Flight Minister Michael Ring and Joe Gilmore, CEO of Ireland West Airport Knock, highlighted the new Ryanair flight between Eindhoven and Knock at the Ireland Netherlands Business Association (INBA) St Patrick’s Day dinner in Amsterdam. Guests included decision makers and senior managers of various Dutch companies as well as HE Mary Whelan, Irish Ambassador to the Netherlands. Pictured with Minister Ring (centre) and Joe Gilmore (right) are Gordon Campbell, chairman of INBA (Ireland Netherlands Business Association) and CEO of SPAR International; Finola O’Mahony, Tourism Ireland, and Mary Gavin, winner of a competition sponsored by Ireland West Airport Knock.

announced last year, taking every opportunity to leverage the tourism benefits of this prestigious sporting event for Ireland. ‘Giro’ promotions have been a major focus for Tourism Ireland in nine markets, including in Italy, the home of the famous race, as well as in Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, the Nordic region and Australia. An extensive programme of activity includes advertising (on and

A ‘Giro’ flyer produced

by Tourism Ireland for distribution at various consumer events and promotions, including the Gran Fondo amateur cycling events in Italy.

offline), publicity and public relations, e-marketing, social media, as well as consumer and trade promotions.

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Commercial Profile

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield during filming at Malin Head on the Inishowen Peninsula, Co Donegal.

Online Films Feature Famous Astronaut Tourism Ireland has launched four online films featuring the famous Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield to entice prospective holidaymakers from around the world to come and follow in his footsteps and begin planning their own visit to Ireland. Earlier this year, Tourism Ireland enlisted his help when the famous spaceman visited Ireland - filming him as he spent several days as a ‘tourist’ visiting some of our top attractions and experiences. The resulting four short videos are called ‘An Astronaut’s Guide to the Island of Ireland’ and are being promoted around the globe by Tourism Ireland on its website Ireland.com. They have been shared with Tourism Ireland’s Facebook fans (more than two million worldwide) and Twitter followers (approximately 120,000), and on its YouTube channel. Chris Hadfield also tweeted the links to all four films - inspiring his more than one million followers on Twitter to consider Ireland for a holiday this year.

Promotion With a Difference for Wild Atlantic Way! An Irish-American couple, a teacher and a police officer from Philadelphia, tied the knot on March 5th in the ‘Wild Atlantic Way’ garden exhibit, which was the centrepiece of Tourism Ireland’s stand at this year’s Philadelphia Flower Show. The garden features a replica of the Poulnabrone dolmen and has been designed to bring the wild landscape of our western seaboard to life for visitors to the show.

The couple, Roxanne Wilson and Frank Kennedy, won the ‘Philadelphia Wedding’s Greatest Groom’ contest, which meant that they got to say ‘I do’ and exchange Claddagh rings in the ‘Wild Atlantic Way’ garden at the renowned flower show. The bridal party also enjoyed a special champagne reception in the garden, with Irish salmon and brown bread prepared by David Corbett, Head Chef of the Absolute Hotel in Limerick. The couple’s honeymoon is sponsored by Tourism Ireland and will be to the West of Ireland, taking in a host of locations along the Wild Atlantic Way.

Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America (second right), presents newly-weds Roxanne Wilson and Frank Kennedy with Claddagh rings in Tourism Ireland’s ‘Wild Atlantic Way’ garden at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

Also pictured is David Corbett, Head Chef of the Absolute Hotel, Limerick.

Ireland is ‘Wunderbar’ in Berlin Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar joined Tourism Ireland and 21 Irish tourism companies at ITB in Berlin recently in a bid to grow our share of the German travel market, the world’s second largest outbound travel market. The five-day event provided a valuable opportunity for the participating Irish tourism companies to network, negotiate and exchange vital contracts with the influential German tour operators and travel agents in attendance. The Wild Atlantic Way, Causeway Coastal Route, Limerick City of Culture and the Grande Partenza of the Giro d’Italia were some of the themes highlighted by Tourism Ireland at this year’s ITB. HE Michael Collins, Irish Ambassador to Germany, Tim Fenn, CEO of the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF), Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar, John Waldron, Irish Welcome Tours, Stephen McNally, newly-elected president of the IHF, and Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, at ITB Berlin.

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Advancing

adare Whether it is carrying out extensive renovations to virtually every aspect of the hotel, introducing new services and facilities, or uniting with other hotels to promote the region, it has been a busy 18 months for the Woodlands House Hotel in Adare.

“Over the last year and a half we have refurbished both of our restaurants,” says Elaina Fitzgerald Kane, Sales and Marketing Director at the Woodlands House Hotel. “Our casual dining restaurant, Timmy Mac’s Bistro, which is named after a local character, is an all day dining restaurant with a lot of local cuisine. We added 10 extra covers bringing the total number to 80.

We also created a new restaurant with a new name. Our traditional style restaurant, The Brennan Room, was transformed into a more upscale dining experience and is now called Fieldings of Adare.

Fieldings seats about 40 guests.

Our previous dining space wasn’t very comforable but Fieldings is a much more intimate setting. It isn’t a formal dining atmosphere. The design is very vintage and modular, with sliding doors that give us flexibility. We are experiencing a lot more group and occasion dining as the new layout facilitates that.

We initially opened seven days a week but we have scaled that back to three, including Sunday, and we have noticed a big growth in demand for our Sunday lunch.”

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Food Innovations The Woodlands House Hotel produces some unusual dishes, including chocolate infused venison, to tempt diners during the cold winter months. In their health and lesiure club they just introduced a protein shake bar, which is proving popular. “Healthy dining is very important now and, while we have always been driven by the healthy dining philosophy, we are now taking it to another level,” says Elaina.

“We have been working with local nutritionists and we have introduced Piedmontese beef which comes from the Piedmont region of Italy. Its calorie content is similar to chicken and its energy content is higher than regular beef. It is a highly nutritious type of beef and we are offering it in Timmy Mac’s Bistro. There isn’t huge awareness of this beef in Ireland but we are trying to build the brand with local sporting organisations.

Essentially, this is about introducing a new and nutritious product and about being ahead of the posse. We are trying to be ahead of the curve and to deliver in the best value way that we can.”

Guaranteed Irish The Woodlands House Hotel is Limerick’s only Guaranteed Irish hotel. “We secured that accreditation through our membership of Irish Country Hotels,” says Elaina. “Using local suppliers is very important to us and Timmy Mac’s Bistro has a Guaranteed Irish menu that is offered there every day. Throughout the hotel we only use certified Irish Angus beef and we age it for 40 days ourselves so there is a lot of tender loving care involved in the process.

Of course the accolade serves us very well in terms of marketing

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what the hotel has to offer but purchasing locally is at the core of the accreditation.”

Revamps & Extensions Apart from revamping and extending its restaurant facilities, the Woodlands House Hotel has upgraded most other aspects of its operation, including its private dining suites. “The Laccabawn Suite and our new room called The Brennan Room cater for lots of different events,” says Elaina.

“The Laccabawn Suite seats 100 while the new Brennan Room seats

65 people. We have also revamped some of our bedrooms – 20 out of the 92 have been completed and in an ideal world we would like to have that finished by the end of 2014.

Our lobby has been completely revamped and is now spectacular and very elegant. We have experienced an explosion in our afternoon tea business since the revamp and all of our afternoon tea crockery is supplied

by Shannonbridge Pottery. In our Revas Spa we built Miss O’Donnell’s Tearooms where guests can enjoy afternoon tea in their bathrobes. It is nicely designed, featuring birdcages

The Woodlands House Hotel.

The hotel’s spectacular and very elegant lobby.

and a floral setting, so that is now part of our spa experience.”

Wedding Fair The Woodlands House Hotel hosts an annual wedding fair in January.

This year they went for a Downton Abbey-themed event. “We believed that this was in keeping with what people are looking for at the moment,” says Elaina. “Whether it is antique china tea cups, vintage dresses or candelabras, all things vintage and old world is a big theme now for weddings. We provide china tea cups for all of our wedding

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Profile

receptions and that is a huge selling point for us with couples – they really love it. We do it because it is what the customer wants and no one else is doing it. I went to a wedding fair in the UK in February and lace is still very popular so vintage is still quite a strong trend in the wedding sector. We are now looking to buy vintage chairs for weddings and for other events.”

Destination Adare One interesting initiative that has just got off the ground in Adare involves the town’s hotels coming together to jointly promote what the region has to offer. “There are three hotels in Adare – the Woodlands House Hotel, the Dunraven Arms, which is managed by the Murphy Family, and is located in the centre of Adare Village, and Adare Manor, which is a five-star resort and golf property that is managed by Anita Higgins,” says Elaina. “We complement each other and we work well together in terms of our product offerings.

While there is a lot of support at local government level for creating ‘Destination Adare’ and a developmental plan for Adare is in place, we haven’t been great at marketing Adare as a destination.

We could be having a presence at national and international tourism shows and talking to agents abroad. Even simple things like better communication regarding capacity issues in your hotel and recommending other hotels so

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One of the 92 bedrooms at the hotel.

The leisure centre.

that we can build Adare and build business in Adare. The hotels in Adare need to reach out to local business associations so that there is a shared work ethic in terms of attracting the right type of business to Adare. The three hotels will hold their first meeting this month and we will agree on a name and branding at that meeting but we have already discussed the broad parameters of what we need to do. I think that other parts of the country need to look at doing what we are doing working together to position their area as a destination to boost what is already being done by the existing trade associations.”

Digital Marketing The Woodlands House Hotel is currently developing its social media presence. “We have a digital media student from UCC and her role is to grow our social media in terms of our engagement with it and to secure us a presence on new platforms,” says Elaina. “We want more of a planned strategy in terms of our use of digital media. More and more people are messaging from Facebook - it is the chosen way for people under 30 years of age. It is also particularly important for people who are abroad. We do a lot of Skype wedding consultations.

Lync is a great new product that we use which we believe is better than Skype - I’ve only trialled it but I can see how it works a

lot better. We are on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google +.

Some media work better for certain products. For example, Pinterest works very well for promoting food, spas and weddings as a lot of women use Pinterest. Anything sport-related works quite well on Twitter, as does the promotion of our acccommodation services. I’d like our digital media intern to develop our existing presence on these various social media platforms and to also explore our presence online in terms of our own website and how we are presented on OTAs, including Trip Advisor and other websites.”

The hotel also recently employed an energy assistant to look at its energy consumption with a view to reducing the energy that they use.

“This year we got some carbon tax back because of the measures we have in place,” says Elaina. “These include a CHP plant which we upgraded last year and extended to the spa. That yielded great gains in terms of energy efficiency. Every morning we get an energy report on the various areas of the hotel that are being metered and it gives us the information that we need to be pro-active about energy saving. Apart from our approach to energy usage, we also operate a goals process for our staff so that we are all working towards clear quarterly goals.

While it is important to invest in the new, the directors, senior managers and staff need to invest in and create a culture of continuous development.”

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EDUCATION & TRAINING

GAP

FILLING THE

I

n the 20 years that I have been involved in the hospitality industry, I find it difficult to remember a time when we weren’t talking about a shortage of chefs. Whether it was during the highs of the Celtic Tiger years or during tougher times we were never able to fill the gap between supply and demand for culinary professionals.

The Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland Conference (THRIC) took place in Cork Institute of Technology this month.

As a former hotel operator, I am always conscious of completing research which I feel will have meaningful outcomes for the industry rather than research for the sake

Donagh Davern looks at what needs to happen in order to recruit more chefs into the Irish hospitality industry. of research. I therefore set about investigating a topic which I felt was both topical for, and crucial to, the hospitality industry as we move out of recession. With the sector reaching its target of eight million visitors in 2013 and the government showing its confidence in tourism as a revenue and employment generator by maintaining the lower 9% VAT rate and abolishing the controversial travel tax, it seems that having a steady supply of chefs will be crucial to meeting the growing demands of the industry.

The Irish Hospitality Institute

(IHI) in their submission to the government on the formulation of policy from 2015 onwards expressed their concern at the skills gap which is emerging. They attribute the gap to changes in the provision of funding by Fáilte Ireland and to what they say is “the void which now exists following the decision

by Fáilte Ireland to withdraw from direct skills funding.” Many hoteliers, restaurateurs and chefs that I have spoken to supported this theory and long for a return of the old CERT model where training centres, dispersed throughout the country,

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trained chefs and other hospitality students during the winter months in preparation for the summer season ahead.

There is no doubt that conditions in Irish kitchens have improved dramatically over the last ten years. In modern Ireland staff simply won’t put up with the conditions and actions which gave our kitchens a poor reputation as a work environment.

Minimum wage legislation and inspections by the National Employment Rights Authority have ensured that the majority of hoteliers and restaurateurs are conforming to the rules laid down by government. However there is no doubt that the damage caused to our reputation years ago still lingers.

In our secondary school system life as a chef is seen as what one interviewee termed “something you do when you’re not good in school” and another as “a last resort”. The reality of the modern day kitchen couldn’t be further from this statement. The costs and controls

involved in running a kitchen, along with HACCP and purchasing skills, mean that chefs not only need to be good at the stove but also need to be excellent managers.

A New Vision for Skills Development One of the workshops at the recent Irish Hotels Federation conference – ‘A New Vision for Skills Development’ - was dedicated to an area which is a passion of the outgoing IHF President Michael Vaughan, so much so that he has agreed to continue working on the area after he steps down. The workshop was led by Michael Vaughan and featured input from Paul O’Toole of SOLAS, Dr Jim Murray of the Institutes of Technology, John Mulcahy of Fáilte Ireland, Michael Moriarty of the Education & Training Boards, and Jennifer Lee of the Jurys Inn Group. The room was packed to capacity as delegates were eager to hear about the plans of the newly-

“ The majority of people I interviewed had little problem finding a Sous Chef or Head Chef to fill positions and it was universally agreed that these positions were well paid in relative terms. So where do we source the junior chefs that we need?”

Chefs promote the Dine in Dublin festival, which showcases the best food that the city has to offer.

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formed SOLAS and the Education & Training Boards (ETBs) for filling what the IHF said was a need for over 3,000 entry level hospitality jobs annually. It was agreed that all of the aforementioned parties should work together closely to resolve the skills shortages, particularly in the area of culinary staff. Michael Moriarty of the ETBs stated that “this has to be a partnership between education and employers”.

While many of the hoteliers in the room wondered if we could return to the days of CERT, where off-season hotels in the likes of Kenmare and Killarney were used as training schools for chefs, dining room and accommodation staff, John Mulcahy of Fáilte Ireland warned that “training for a chef 20 years ago is not the same as the training we need now”. Michael Vaughan has agreed to pursue the area of apprenticeships following the recent report commissioned by Minister Quinn. It was also agreed that the industry needs to speak with one voice if apprenticeships are to be instrumental in reducing the skills gap in the industry. Jennifer Lee from Jurys Inns emphasised that “we need to start influencing students and parents as soon as possible” if we are to ignite their passion in the area of hospitality. She stated that “hospitality has a huge role to play in youth employment” and she explained some of the initiatives that Jurys Inns have taken to bring local unemployed people into their workforce when they open a new Jurys Inn. A Global Phenomenan The reality is that the shortages that we are experiencing are being experienced all over the world. In New York City, the Bureau of Labour Statistics predicts a surge in demand for restaurants for the period 2010 to 2020 due to a growing population in a city which already has about 20% more restaurants than it did five years ago. Although culinary school

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enrolment has skyrocketed in the last number of years, renowned New York Chef Peter Hoffman says that the last few years have been the worst in terms of kitchen recruitment. He puts this down to the death of the traditional apprenticeship model, the dilution of the available talent pool due to restaurant industry expansion, the many options which disillusioned chefs have outside the kitchen, and the entrepreneurial nature of most chefs who prefer to set up their own business rather than work long hours for someone else.

Filling the Chef de Partie Void In the interview process, whether I asked hotel managers, HR managers, chefs, recruiters or industry representatives, how they would encourage secondary school students to pursue a culinary career, the majority said they would mention how a culinary career allows someone to travel anywhere in the

A group of student chefs pictured in October 2013.

world and get a job. One industry representative for chefs said that he would recommend that a culinary graduate spend at least a year abroad as it “broadens your horizons and really is an absolute necessity”. This, I believe, is a huge contributor to our gap in the supply of the midlevel chef - the Chef de Partie. Once they graduate, culinary students are encouraged by the industry to get international experience. This, along with the poor pay at lower levels of the industry and the heavy tax burdens of the country, means that many opt to leave for Canada, America or Australia rather than work immediately in Cobh, Athlone or Adare. On their return, they have enough experience under their belt to fill the Sous Chef or Head Chefs position, hence our void in the area of Chef de Parties.

The majority of people I interviewed had little problem finding a Sous Chef or Head Chef to fill positions and it was universally

agreed that these positions were well paid in relative terms. So where do we source the junior chefs that we need? I believe that a number of actions need to be taken in the next few years which may assist in reducing this gap. Firstly, following on from the recent report on the apprenticeship system, education and industry is encouraged to collaborate more closely and this process has already begun with the IHF, RAI and Institutes of Technology coming together and calling for a greater input into the revised apprenticeship model. Other representative groups such as the vintners and the catering managers should also be brought on board to give momentum and prominence to this lobby group.

Secondly, the industry needs to tackle the reputational legacy referred to earlier. Years ago Fáilte Ireland had its ‘Get a Life in Tourism’ magazine shipped out to schools around the country. And, in case students missed these,

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they brought a tourism roadshow around the country to encourage secondary schools students to choose a hospitality career. We need to return to this positive promotion of our industry and also have prominent hoteliers, restaurateurs and chefs in a locality going into schools to speak to Transition Year students about the benefits of becoming part of our industry. Guidance counsellors and students are still coming on visits to the various student days hosted by educational institutes but nothing beats meeting and speaking to a successful practitioner in the flesh.

It has worked successfully for the architects. Their collaboration with secondary schools since 2010 by having architects visit secondary schools and work on projects with students has resulted in a higher demand for architectural places in the 2014 CAO applications.

Get Them Young Encouragement needs to start at

Chefs launch the Savour Kilkenny food festival.

secondary schools level but also needs to continue through the student’s third level training and the placement experience is an important component of this. Industry needs to ensure that the placement period is a partnership where the student works in the business and, as a result, is developed in areas which will benefit them going forward. As one prominent hotelier mentioned in his interview “we do not see student placements as being part of their education, more about filling our needs”. This needs to change if students are to be encouraged to remain in the industry and fill the ranks of our kitchens in the future.

The RAI has made chef training and recruitment a priority for 2014.

Their CEO Adrian Cummins told RTE’s Six One News that “our challenge for 2014 is the shortage of chefs in our industry” and that we need to get more people into training as the jobs are there for them. Fáilte Ireland is predicting 8,000 new jobs

“Many hoteliers, restaurateurs and chefs long for a return of the old CERT model where training centres, dispersed throughout the country, trained chefs and other hospitality students during the winter months in preparation for the summer season ahead.”

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in the industry in 2014, with Dublin leading the recovery.

The government has to continue to play its part. As part of their pre-budget submission in 2013, the RAI suggested that investment in training be offset against PRSI to encourage businesses to make this crucial investment. It is clear from my research that training and development in the culinary industry is lacking and, aside from the mandatory courses required by legislation, there is a need for developmental courses for existing chefs in areas such as sous-vide cooking and molecular gastronomy.

Educational institutions need to offer such courses at times that suit the industry and the government should encourage this investment in the development of chefs. The government also needs to invest in the apprenticeship system for hospitality professionals and encourage the unemployed to choose hospitality as a career. In 2013, Paul O’Toole of SOLAS said that approximately 4,000 of the current registered unemployed had relevant skills in cooking (as opposed to being chefs) and 1,800 of these were actively looking for a job. There is a need to get these individuals into further training, if required, and into the kitchens of hotels and restaurants to meet the demands of industry. One chef I interviewed reminded us of what happened with Dell in Limerick and warned “we may aspire to be a knowledge economy, but we are not all scientists or computer technicians and we need people to fill positions in the hospitality industry in years to come too.” It is only through the combined efforts of all stakeholders that we will encourage young people to enter the industry so that we can decrease the gap between the demand for and the supply of chefs once and for all.

Donagh Davern FIHI is a lecturer specialising in hospitality management at Cork Institute of Technology (CIT). The Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland Conference took place in CIT on April 3rd and 4th.

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food service

Compass Group Joins Forces

with Neven Maguire Compass Group Ireland launched its new partnership with award-winning chef Neven Maguire, owner of McNean House and Restaurant, at a special event in the Aviva Stadium on April 3rd.

T

he renowned chef and TV personality will work with the Compass Group across Ireland promoting the importance of locally sourced produce and Irish suppliers, as well as helping to develop the Group’s premium and corporate food offering at the Aviva Stadium. The premium level restaurant will have menus designed by Neven using Compass Group’s Irish suppliers.

Corporate boxes will also have Neven Maguire-inspired menus and Neven and his team of chefs will partner with Compass Group chefs to deliver these menus on match days.

Compass Ireland employs anywhere between 900 and 1,000 people at the Aviva stadium on a match day, including 100 chefs, and Neven will also deliver masterclasses for Compass chefs. The Compass Group’s 14 Executive Head Chefs, including Group Executive Chef Mark Anderson and James Smith, Head Chef at the Aviva Stadium, were the first group of chefs to visit Neven’s newly-opened cookery school. “For our chefs to cook with Neven was like rugby players getting the opportunity to play with Brian O’Driscoll,” says Fiacra Nagle, Managing Director, Compass Group Ireland. “Neven is one of Ireland’s top chefs and he is a great ambassador for food in Ireland. We work with top

chefs in the UK and we wanted to work with someone similar in Ireland and Neven was the obvious choice. He was as excited about working with us as we were about working with him.

In our broader business Neven had already been working with our Group Executive Chef Mark Anderson and his team. We opened a new restaurant in the O’Brien Science block in UCD last September and Neven helped us to develop the menu. It was our first venture with UCD and we had just started working with Neven but it was a very successful collaboration for us.”

Fiacra points out that the institutional catering customer now has very high expectations.

“The Aviva Stadium catering

Chef Neven Maguire and Fiacra Nagle, Managing Director, Compass Group Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Launch Menu Won Ton of Irish Crab with bok choy thai broth Or Goats’ Cheese Kataifi Pastry with sauce vierge and basil purée Duo of Guinea Fowl Sauteed breast on creamed cabbage Stuffed ballotine with mushrooms and leeks Seasonal Vegetables and Potato Gratin McNean Cheesecake with Jammie Dodgers, chocolate and raspberries McNean Chocolate Truffles Neven’s Signature Cranberry and Rosemary Soda Bread

operation is a reflection of the variety of food offerings that are available in the hotel and catering market today,” he says.

“People are looking for new and unique flavours and we have to constantly innovate and evolve to accommodate that demand.”

Neven agrees. “It is the same for me in the restaurant,” he says. “Compass and I have the same goals - to produce quality and innovative food. The food offering in the Aviva is very varied and I’m excited about their local sourcing focus as that is a big focus in my restaurant.

Their commitment and passion for using Irish suppliers and placing their customer at the heart of everything they do really shines through and reflects my own views on what we should be doing in the hospitality sector.

Compass have a supplier from nearly every county in Ireland.

And the logistics and volume on a match day will be a new and exciting adventure for me.”

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SUPPLY LINE

SUPPLY LINE Essential product knowledge

Fire Extinguishers

Henry Wolfe Collection A new range of stylish yet functional fire safety products has been launched by the Henry Wolfe Collection, whose intended customers are smart restaurants and hotels. The company counts among its products CO2, foam, powder and water fire extinguishers, including matching stands, door retainers and concealed doors closers.

Visit www.henrywolfe.co.uk for further details.

Food Rotation Labelling Terminal

DayMark

The new ‘Ithaca’ 9700 Food Rotation Labelling Terminal from Daymark saves you time, cuts food waste, reduces labour costs and keeps your kitchen safer by reducing the risk of food contamination. The 9700 offers a range and combination of features, including a large, full colour display and a complete range of labelling formatted for the 9700, including ToughMark Repositionable Labels.

The experts at DayMark can customise labelling solutions to your specific kitchen requirements. A single unit is ideal for independent operations or solutions can be devised for branded, multi-unit operations. Visit www.daymark.com and click on the UK icon for further information. You can also email daymarkuk@daymarksafety.com for all Irish product enquiries.

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Smart Slicer

FEM

The Sirman Smart 250 slicer from FEM is designed with cafés, small restaurants and delis in mind. The entrylevel slicer is light and is constructed from anodised aluminium. The slicer has a heavy-duty motor coupled with a ventilation system to ensure it doesn’t overheat.

The slicer also features a built-in blade sharpener and adjustable thickness.

Check www.fem.co.uk out for more details.

Coffee Grinder

Mahlkoenig In collaboration with French coffee machine maker UNIC, Mahlkoenig have come up with the K30 grinder variant - the K30 PFD (Porta Filter Detection).

Using a patented system, the grinder automatically detects the inserted portafilter. Four dispensing options can be chosen so selection in advance is no longer necessary. Correct coffee amounts are automatically dispensed, reducing waste and related costs, while grinding becomes faster at the espresso bar.

To find out more, visit www.mahlkoenig. com.

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SUPPLY LINE

Michelangelo Electric Pizza Oven

Cuppone

The latest Michelangelo electric pizza oven from Cuppone offers a boost to energy efficiency in the kitchen through its heat generation system married to a digital control panel. This system is unique in its design - heat loss, for example, is minimised by the immediate recirculation of heat within the oven whenever the door is opened. A double-glazed panoramic window and internal lights also allow operators to check cooking progress without having to open the door. The digital control panel, meanwhile, has up to 100 programmes, including a cleaning mode, a buzzer which signals cooking finishing time, and a digital temperature control system.

Other features include an economy function which automatically lowers element temperature and power for conservation purposes during work breaks, a cordierite stone cooking base which retains heat, and the option for single or twin deck sizes, making it ideal for different-sized facilities.

For further information visit www.cuppone.com.

Leather Aprons New Refrigerant

Precision Solstice ze Now available on all Precision refrigerator models is what has been called the ‘refrigerant of the future’ - Solstice ze – which is safer than hydrocarbons and more environmentally-friendly when compared to traditional HFC refrigerants. Precision has been working with energy efficiency company Honeywell on a new HFO-based refrigerant and, following extensive testing, the new refrigerant will be offered across its range of refrigerated units. “We’ve been trialling Solstice ze for months and it performs as well as, if not better than, traditional refrigerants like R134a and hydrocarbon R290,” says Precision Managing Director Nick Williams. “It runs particularly well in high ambient conditions, which is ideal for the food service industry.”

For more information on Solstice ze, visit www. precision-refrigeration.co.uk.

LAC

The range of aprons available from Leather Apron Company (LAC) offers many benefits to hospitality companies and their team members. They protect clothing, save on washing and damage, and create an elegant, uniform look.

The new designs brought to life by the Leather Apron Company also offer a branding opportunity via appliqué or embroidered visual identity and can be made to any specifications. Aprons are made of real sheep napa, cow hide, Hessian, canvas drill, khaki and denim, as well as leather-look synthetic material. In addition to its own designs, LAC can design and make aprons to customer requirements. Dip Ravel, founder of Leather Apron Company, said that, despite just launching, some of the largest hospitality companies in the UK have expressed an interest in the aprons and they have shipped their first major orders, including one to one of the UK’s largest pub owners. “What we hear from our customers is that they love that our aprons are vintage, yet really comfortable for their teams to wear,” he says. “As business owners, they also appreciate how long-wearing they are and what a great and unique brand statement leather aprons make.”

View the Leather Apron Company’s full range online at www.leather-aproncompany.com.

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COMMERCIAL PROFILE

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Michael Cantwell M: 086 262 6348 E: kmcantwell@eircom.net W: www.boulabanefarm.ie

A range of flavoured Irish butters.

Elaine Lavery M: 086 070 7099 E: elaine@improperbutter.com W: www.improperbutter.com

Leading artisan producer of 100% natural condiments & sauces.

Janet Drew M: 087 620 5712 E: janet@janetscountryfayre.com W: www.irishfoodproducer.ie

Fresh farm reared West Cork duck.

Helena Hickey M: 087 233 3184 E: helenahickey@eircom.ne W: www.skeaghanoreduck.ie

Gluten and wheat free bakers.

Mark Molloy M: 087 780 1434 E: info@honestcakes.com W: www.honestcakes.com

High quality local, lean and tender beef.

Michael Fennelly M: 087 913 5349 E: info@irishpiedmontesebeef.ie W: www.irishpiedmontesebeef.ie

Specialists in traditional cakes and puddings.

Brian Seery M: 087 781 4730 E: brian@seerys.ie W: www.seerys.ie

Specialists in fresh bread.

Joe Stapleton M: 087 253 4152 E: joe@stapletons.ie W: www.stapletons.ie

For more information on any of the suppliers or for general queries, please contact: Maureen Gahan, Foodservice Specialist, Bord Bia. M: 087 668 6129 E: maureen.gahan@bordbia.ie

Your food is our passion

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HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW

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The winners of the 2014 Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Awards (l-r): Aileen O’Neill, Irish Atlantic Sea Salt; Geraldine Emerson, Stonewell Cider; Dicky Willems, Coolea Cheese; Lucy Creegan, Ballyhoura Mushrooms; and Dermot Carey, Heritage Farmhouse Potatoes.

N

ow in its 20th year, the Irish Food Writers’ Guild (IFWG) Food Awards recognise and reward producers of the highest quality food as well as industry stalwarts who devote their lives to supporting and promoting Irish food.

“Cork is flying the flag at this year’s awards and the Guild has discovered some truly wonderful products and innovative organisations in the south of the country that just couldn’t be ignored,” says Lizzie Gore Grimes, Chairperson of the IFWG. “But these Awards are a national celebration of fine food and outstanding producers, all of whom have one thing in common, a commitment to innovation, which is proving integral

food tourism

Cork Producers Dominate in Food Writers’ Guild Awards

Cork

Cork’s reputation as the food capital of Ireland received a new boost last month at the 2014 Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Awards, with six of the seven awards going to Cork producers, organisations or individuals. to Ireland’s reputation at home and abroad. Without innovation, we would not have this dynamic and vibrant food industry of which we are extremely proud. Innovation underpins Ireland’s great success story in food and drink and, according to a recent Bord Bia study, 91% of

exporters in the sector reported that they had introduced new products in the past three years. A great core product is key but companies have to reinvent to stay relevant and this comes through one thing – innovation. Today’s winners represent the very best of Irish and are awarded

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food tourism for their outstanding produce and important contribution to helping retain Ireland’s fine reputation on the international stage. Over the past 20 years we have celebrated over 100 producers, individuals and organisations from every county in Ireland but today belongs to the county of Cork, which has swept the board at this year’s awards for its exceptional food credentials.”

Seven awards, including an inaugural Drink Award, were presented by the Guild at an industry celebration at l’Ecrivain Restaurant.

The 2014 IFWG Food Award winners are Cork’s Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms, Coolea Matured Farmhouse Cheese and Irish Atlantic Sea Salt. Stonewell Cider (Co Cork) claimed the Guild’s inaugural Drink Award and Dermot Carey and David Langford were awarded for their notable contribution to Irish food for their expansive Heritage Irish Potato Collection. An Environmental Award was presented to Responsible Irish Fish (Co Cork) for its commitment to the development of sustainable fishing practices and a Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to the inimitable Corkonian Myrtle Allen, a muchloved fellow Guild member, on the occasion of her 90th birthday.

Derry Clarke, Executive Chef at l’Ecrivain, created a lunch incorporating all of the awardwinning products. Derry Clarke’s menu comprised: Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms Consommé; Coolea Cheese Tortellini; Responsible Irish Fish Cured & Smoked Mackerel, Heritage Irish Collection Potato Salad, Beetroot, Horseradish; Dry Aged Beef, Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms, Coolea Cheese; Irish Atlantic Sea Salt Caramel Mousse & Stonewell Cider Sorbet, Pickled Apples, Cinnamon Crumble, and Clotted Cream.

The Awards are supported by Bord Bia, which was commended by The Guild for its tireless support for the Irish food industry both in Ireland and overseas.

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Julie and Kevin Hickey from Dart Mountain Cheese, which showcased its produce at IFEX, with Tom McKenzie from Henderson Foodservice.

Belfast

Local Food Heroes Unveiled in

Belfast

Co Antrim-based Henderson Foodservice showcased a number of local artisan products at the IFEX exhibition at the King’s Hall in Belfast last month. These included cheese handcrafted in the Sperrin Mountains. The Foodservice division of the Mallusk-based Henderson Group has been working with family-run Tamnagh Foods, based near the village of Park, on the banks of the River Faughan, in Derry. Using locally sourced milk, Julie and Kevin Hickey have been working for several years to trial variations of cheese to establish those with the best taste and flavour. At IFEX they highlighted the launch of Sperrin Blue, their first cheese to reach the market. It will be available through Henderson Foodservice from April. The Hickeys also showcased Tirkeeran, a hard pasteurised cheese, which will be available later this year under the Dart Mountain Cheese brand.

With top chefs putting more and more emphasis on the provenance of the local products they buy in, Henderson Foodservice is always on the lookout for exciting new local products, as Tom McKenzie, a Trading Controller at Henderson Foodservice, explains: “When we first heard about Tamnagh Foods we were very excited because this kind of artisan company is unique. The milk used to make their Sperrin Blue cheese comes from one farm in the Sperrins which ensures the integrity of the product and full traceability, which is so important in the industry today. We want to discover these local food heroes who are working to give discerning customers like ours the taste of the very best of Northern Ireland.”

Tamnagh Foods also showcased many of their other local ranges, including goats’ cheese from Leggygowan Farm in Saintfield, Glastry Farm ice cream from Kircubbin, and Yummy Bakes from Jordanstown. “We are the only cheesemakers in the Sperrins and we are committed to the principles of artisan production, carefully producing food with the minimum use of machines to maximise the natural flavours of the food,” says Julie Hickey. “We are also committed to sourcing directly from the farms in our region to guarantee the source of the food and support our local community. Our Sperrin Blue Cheese is handcrafted in small batches to ensure the maximum quality of the finished product and is allowed to ripen for at least two months to achieve the best flavour.”

IFEX, which showcased the latest food and drink products, catering equipment, interiors, technology and services to the food, retail and hospitality industries, attracted over 5,000 key buyers and around 100 exhibitors from the UK, Ireland and further afield.

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FARM FRESH

Ir ish St uf fed Peppers

Bruce Bentley, Grower & Manager

SWEET PEPPERS

The sweet pepper, a.k.a. the bell pepper, is the most popular of the chilli peppers. Unlike their family members, sweet peppers have a characteristic bell shape and are crunchy with thick flesh and are not very spicy. On the hotness scale, the sweet pepper scores 0 while the jalapeño scores much much higher! For this reason, they are generally treated like vegetables instead of a spice.

All varieties of unripe peppers are green in colour, irrespective of their final colour. As the fruit matures, it gradually acquires its true colour like red, orange, yellow.

Sweet peppers have many health benefits; • The sweet pepper contains an impressive list of disease phytochemicals while still being very low in calories....just 31 calories in 1 portion!

• Peppers contain small amounts of capsaicin which some studies suggest have anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic, analgesic and anti-diabetic properties!

• In addition, peppers contain many anti-oxidant flavonoids which help protect the body from free radicals generated during stress and disease conditions. Antioxidants are considered to protect us from these free radicals and keep our body in harmony.

• They are a source of vitamin C, with the red peppers being especially high. In fact, 1 portion of any colour of pepper provides you with your daily recommended dose of vitamin C. • It also contains enough vitamin A to meet your daily requirements, necessary for healthy skin, eyes and immune system.

In general, fresh bell peppers can be treated like any other vegetables in the kitchen. Their firm, crunchy consistency together with delicate sweet flavour makes them one of the most sought-after vegetable. They can be eaten raw, as a snack, added to meals but are really lovely roasted…. and the best bit kids love them!

Ingredients

risotto rice • 4 large green peppers • 200g low fat cream cheese • 2 large orange peppers • 100g • 25g pinenuts • 2 cloves of gar lic • Handful of chives • 2 tbsp of olive oil

Method

sius.

1. . . Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Cel seeds.

2. . . Half the green peppers and remove the crush the gar lic and mix. Now place this 3. . . Cut the orange pepper in str ips and mixture int o the peppers. ing tray and bake for approx 20minutes. bak a on ce pla and s per pep the r ove oil 4. Dr izzle the cooked, stir in the low fat cream en Wh k. pac the on ed ect dir as rice tto 5. . . Cook the riso cheese, chives and pinenuts. remove the orange pepper 6. Remove the peppers from the oven and m. Now spoon in the risotto and gar lic mixture from the inside of the e on top. mixture and layer the orange pepper mixtur utes and ser ve!

7. Retur n to the oven for a further 5 min

Notes

• Serves 4.

When only the freshest will do...

To order please contact: Dublin: +353 (0)1 895 5301 • Cork: +353 (0)21 496 8088 Wexford +353 (0)53 914 7447 • Belfast +44 28 9032 4236 • www.keelings.com 230788-FE-KEELINGS-Als-HC.indd 1

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Five minutes with

What happens on a typical day in the life of Ross Lewis?

I get up, have breakfast and check emails. I arrive in work at about 9.30am and I spend some time in the kitchen with the head chef. Then I hit the office, reply to emails, and deal with some administrative things.

Then I do the lunch service. I run a kitchen and a business that employs 43 people so there’s a huge amount of management involved. It’s a timeconsuming endeavour so I use the afternoons for that. We have a pretheatre service from 5.30pm and á la carte from 7.30pm. On a typical day the business could do 70 lunch covers, 45 pre-theatre and 80 dinners. There’s a huge time demand on the food side and we’re all the time working on the creative side, which evolves throughout the seasons.

Ross Lewis

Ross Lewis, the Michelin star winning Head Chef and Co-Owner of Chapter One restaurant discusses career accolades, Irish food and his new cookbook with Hotel & Catering Review.

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What’s your favourite dish on the Chapter One menu?

Right now it’s Molloy’s smoked haddock cooked in milk and fermented rice with roasted cauliflower, cauliflower purée, pickled cauliflower coated in dehydrated leek, and a broth made from smoked haddock and fermented horseradish.

It’s a very light dish and the flavours come across in a very clear and cohesive manner.

What is your involvement in the Taste of Dublin festival?

Apart from hosting the breakfast launch here at the restaurant, we are doing a nice dessert stand at Taste of Dublin 2014. We might do some really funky flavoured ice-creams and I’ll be doing a demonstration and a few other events there too.

How did you enjoy working on An Irish Food Story?

Gill & Macmillan went out of their way to accommodate the type of book that I did. It was very intimate, very time consuming but a very rewarding project. We’ve been here 20 years and we’ve a lot to offer. We’ve spent years developing relationships with small producers so it was a unique opportunity to reflect the ethos of Chapter One in book form. It was quite cathartic - catering is all about the here and the now. You never slow down or reflect on what has been achieved. Doing the book forced me to stop and think because it was part of the narrative. John McKenna did a review and his final line was “even if you never ever cook a dish from the pages of An Irish Food Story, you need to have this book, because it makes you proud to be Irish”.

You cooked for the Queen when she visited. Was that a career highlight?

Aside from getting the Michelin Star, which was probably the most important moment, it was a massive honour to be chosen. It was a hugely historic event and we cooked the banquet meal. It was like getting a cap for Ireland.

What does the future hold for Ross Lewis?

I want Chapter One to not only be a restaurant of good standard in Ireland but to be a restaurant of good standard internationally so we’ll keep improving on what we are doing here.

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Entries NOW OPEN

BAR of the year

AWARDS

deadline for entries

7th May 2014 CATEGORIES

• Bar Food of the Year • Bar Manager of the Year • Best Modern Irish Cooking in a Bar • Best Use of Social Media • City Bar of the Year • Cocktail Bar of the Year • Country Bar of the Year • Craft Beer Bar of the Year • Hotel Bar of the Year • Local Bar of the Year • Outside Space of the Year • Promotion/Event of the Year

STORY?

www.licensingworld.ie/awards/enter-now

• Staff Personality of the Year • Style Bar of the Year • Outstanding Customer Service Award • Bar of the Year • Connaught Bar of the Year - Public Vote • Dublin Bar of the Year - Public Vote • Leinster Bar of the Year - Public Vote • Munster Bar of the Year- Public Vote • Ulster Bar of the Year - Public Vote • Carvery of the Year- Public Vote • Music Venue of the Year- Public Vote • Nightclub of the Year- Public Vote • Tourist Bar of the Year- Public Vote

Enter online and hold your breath, the judges will be hitting the road and reporting back. The public will then hit the button and vote, scores will be crunched and winners announced. Then it all shakes down in the Double

Tree

by Hilton Dublin on 8th September where the awards are presented and everyone can celebrate in style.

Interested in sponsorship opportunities?

Want To Find Our More About EnterING?

Contact: Hilary O’Shaughnessy, Sales & Marketing Manager t: 01-432 2231 | m: 086-3808 177 e: hilary.oshaughnessy@ashvillemediagroup.com

Contact: Emma Nolan, Event Manager, Bar of the Year Awards t: 01-432 2226 e: emma.nolan@ashvillemediagroup.com

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16/4/14 15:54:02

Brakes is an all Ireland foodservice business with depots in Dublin, Lisburn, Strabane & Galway.

Brakes foodservice offers a next day delivery service across Ireland on a fleet of multi temperature vehicles.

Having a field sales team including many trained chefs, we are ideally structured to help businesses who serve food to thrive.

The introduction of additional categories now allows us to provide the complete ‘one stop shop’ solution.

Our product range includes: - Ambient - Frozen - Chilled - Non-Food - Fresh meat, poultry & fish - Fresh bread & milk - Produce For more information contact us on 0818 720 720 Proud sponsors of the Irish Hotel Federation Conference.

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