“Our landscape and our seascape is our larder,” declared Margaret Jeffares of Good Food Ireland as she opened the group’s landmark 20th Anniversary Conference and Celebration Showcase at the InterContinental Dublin.
The event themed 20 Years of Taste From Local Roots to Global Connections and brought together leaders from the food farming tourism and hospitality sectors for a full day of insightful discussions networking and celebration of two decades of championing premium Irish produce.
Keynote speaker economist Joe Gill have a presentation on Ireland’s place on the world tourism stage.
Eoghan Corry, travel journalist and tourism analyst spoke on Irleand’s food tourism exploring how the journey from farm, plate, experience, story, global visitor creates authentic and memorable tourism experiences, and how Ireland’s food identity has evolved into a key driver of international tourism growth, in a panel alongside Aidan Power, Director of Marketing, Tourism Ireland, Laura Bradley, Co-Owner Indie Fude, Co Down, Ed Cooney, Executive Chef, The Merrion Hotel, Dublin and Michael Londra, International Broadcaster and Executive Producer, “Ireland with Michael”
Following the main conference sessions the evening featured the eagerly awaited Good Food Ireland Showcase Dinner starting at five o clock. This collaborative farm to fork experience will highlight premium ingredients sourced from across the island of Ireland with the producers who grow harvest and rear them working alongside some of the country’s top chefs to create seasonal dishes that showcase authentic Irish flavours. The dinner was designed to embody the organisation’s long standing mission of connecting producers directly with hospitality professionals and demonstrating the quality and versatility of Irish food at its best.
Eoghan Corry shared: To improve our food tourism: Get our own people out front. Use social media, influencers, journalism, and authentic video. The farmer influencers and chef influencers are powerful. We should also look at bringing American awards like the James Beard Awards here – they’re bigger in the US than Michelin in some ways. Tailor the message market by market.
Michael Londra shared I want Irish people to be less Irish in one sense – I want them to take ownership, be really proud of what they do, and stand up and say, “My food is fantastic and I want you to know about it.” We lack confidence. “Notions” is the word that comes to mind. I want you to have notions and be proud – it will change your game.
Laura Bradley shared Try the luxury market, but don’t make everything shiny and perfect. People want authenticity – to visit farms, eat bread with the producers, and meet the people. We need to value the producers at the bottom because that’s where it all starts.
Ed Cooney shared There’s a whole new generation of young chefs who are confident, technically gifted, working closely with Irish producers, and proud to say we can do as good as anybody else.
Aidan Power shared The more content we have – the better, more engaging, more authentic, and more contemporary it is – the more we can shape our reputation. Reputation is built over years. We’ve come a long way in the last 20 years. Imagine what we can do with focus and great content.
