6 minute read
OUTSIDE THE BOX
Lockdown is encouraging restaurateurs and chefs across the country to get creative with their spare time
JP McMahon
Lessons from Lockdown
Like so many events last year, Food on the Edge 2020 had to be cancelled. To keep the spirit of the symposium fresh in people’s minds JP McMahon, the event’s founder, contacted previous speakers and contributors and asked them to write a letter addressed to the industry. The result is ‘Lessons from Lockdown: Cooking after Covid’, an E-Book that refl ects the diverse voices from around the world that make up the industry, from the chefs and producers to the service providers. It’s a piece of work that, says JP, serves as a global record of a particularly challenging time while allowing hope to shine on the future and the next generation of young cooks, chefs, farmers and food activists. “What we got was a series of deeply personal and moving accounts of their Covid-19 experience, with many recounting losses and some reminiscing on valuable gains and insights”, he said.
The experiences throughout the book have similar themes; the joy that came with spending more time with family and loved ones, evaluating what life was like before Covid-19 and changes that would be made going forward and the resilience of the industry. Elena Arzak of Restaurant Arzak in San Sebastian, Spain wrote: “The hospitality industry is in an especially hard place. But if there’s one thing chefs are good at, it’s making the best out of any situation. We are givers and can make wonderful things out of the ingredients that we have on hand. We are good at logistics and planning and we are generous because our reason for being is to feed and take care of people. Now is the time to be especially generous.” Massimo Bottura, of Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy, who spoke at Food On The Edge 2016, shared a recipe he used while working in Refettorio in Rio de Janeiro with Food for Soul, the non-profi t organisation he founded with his wife Lara, and Gastromotiva. The recipe is a carbonara using banana peel, “to show that the most incredible things are still possible when you look at the world from another point of view and dare to leave your comfort zone.” JP is busy preparing for a different kind of Food on the Edge for 2021. “It will take
Massimo Bottura a different format to years gone before, nevertheless we are looking forward to keeping the momentum going and the conversation alive.”
‘Lessons from Lockdown: Cooking after Covid’ is available on the Food On The Edge website.
I’ve a horse (box) outside
Chad Byrne, Head Chef at the Brehon Hotel in Killarney, has big plans for the horsebox he bought on Done Deal recently. He’s set to go down the mobile catering route and will soon be selling delicious fare from ‘The Hungry Donkey’ (name is still up for debate, he says). The new venture is as much about keeping himself fi nancially healthy as it is about doing something new and fresh. “At the moment, it’s unclear whether I’ll be working a full week in The Brehon or be on three days, like I was last year. The wolves are slowly coming to the door so I need to make sure I have a stable income. I’m also incredibly excited about the type of food I’ll be cooking; I have every faith in my ability as a chef and I know this is something that I’ll have fun with.”
During each lockdown, Chad has kept himself busy. “This one has been the most rewarding as I have my children with me, which I didn’t for the other two. In the fi rst one, I did a huge amount of charity work with Meals on Wheels in Tralee. I got a group of chefs together through a network I created called ‘Chef Collab’ and together, we served between 300 and 400 people a day.” In the second lockdown, Chad set up ‘Chef v Chef’ on Instagram, an initiative which brought 36 chefs and 28 suppliers together.
At the moment, Chad is trialling various dishes that may or may not end up on The Hungry Donkey’s menu. “It’ll be dishes like Amsterdam schwarma pumped up on steroids along with some nostalgic classics pumped up to the nines. There’ll be a huge emphasis on local produce and value is key. Overall, it’ll be very different to what’s out there.” The Hungry Donkey’s food offering will also be in complete contrast to the dishes he prepares at The Brehon. “The shackles are off. With something like the horsebox, you can be way more experimental. It’s the perfect tool for a chef to let his or her hair down.”
The horsebox, which Chad stripped and sandblasted himself, is now with the fabricator. “For a job like this, you need a licensed fabricator. If you do everything yourself, you won’t get insured.” He hopes to open the new business by the end of April. “I’m nervous about what’s around the corner but you have to be optimistic. This has been an absolute godsend, I can’t wait to get started!”
Follow Chad’s horsebox journey on Instagram @pimpmyhorsebox
Bringing joy back to eating
Around this time last year, I did an interview with Joyce Timmins, Catering Manager at Marymount Retirement Home in Lucan. In the piece, Joyce spoke of the pride she felt in preparing dishes for people with dysphagia issues. She also talked about the Executive Chef role she previously held in the Rotunda and the video of lunch being served to patients that went viral (a lunch she had cooked). Over the past year, Joyce has continued her duties at Marymount but has also embarked on a new venture – creating her own website to educate people on how easy it is to create healthy yet delicious food for people with issues around dysphagia. “The website has come about for a couple of reasons. Nobody within the HSE was taking me up on any offers for consultation. I also had people getting in contact and asking for advice on food options for family members that were sick or dying. These people were having huge diffi culty swallowing food and were forced to have, what were essentially, baby bowls.” One particular person that contacted Joyce was caring for her cousin who had cancer. “This was in a house that was all about food; the kitchen was the heart of the home. No-one was looking forward to Christmas dinner so I offered to create and prepare a couple of dinners.” Joyce’s pureed dishes brought much-needed joy to the family and were followed by further queries from people in similar positions. “The website, called ‘Pure Joy’, will include menus and recipes that can be easily recreated at home. “All of the recipes will include information on calories, allergies, carb and protein amounts. I want to show people that are caring for loved ones at home how easy it is to prepare these dishes, how to plate them up and how to pipe them. You just have to think a little outside the box.” It’ll also serve as a resource to chefs in care settings, says Joyce, who will be providing one-to-one or group training for all care homes, not just aged care.
Joyce expects to launch the website in March. Alongside her new venture, she’s still pushing boundaries at Marymount. “We’ve got a beehive coming to the home soon and I’m about to start a bee course. It’ll be something new for the residents to get involved in, it’s so important to keep pushing them and myself.”
