The kids made some fantastic animals. We had white crocodiles, snakes, mice, dogs, cats, and even a mini person.
Here are a few photos from the class. To see the rest click on Flickr.
I attended the Taste4Success conference recently. Over 100 people from all areas of the food and drink industry attended.
There were top class speakers on the day including Margaret Jeffares who gave a brief introduction to Good Food Ireland and the fantastic work it does to promote our producers abroad. Margaret was just back from Boston where the Good Food Ireland team fed the Green Dragon crew at that leg of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Here are a few o
f the photos from the Conference
Peter Ward here of Country Choice after demonstrating his recipe for pint glass brown bread. Peter also spoke earlier in the day on the opportunities for the artisan producer.
Well done to Bridie, Carmen, Jenny, John & Stephen on a very successful day at Cromleach Lodge in Sligo.
There will be further Taste4Success events in the future which I will let you know about.
I have just received the brochure for the All Ireland Food & Drink Skills Conference 2009. foodskillsconf2009_final
Just to update you on our Taste 4 Success conference on Wednesday 20th May, 2009.
The confirmed speakers are:
Margaret Jeffares
Managing Director & Founder of Good Food Ireland.
Margaret has extensive experience in tourism marketing and development having worked in the industry for almost 20 years. In 2000 she established herself as a full time tourism marketing and development consultant. Margaret has held a number of directorships and currently sits on the Tourism Strategy Implementation Group as appointed by the Minister of Arts, Sports and Tourism. In November 2006 she founded Good Food Ireland.
Hugo Arnold
Head of Quality Assurance, Good Food Ireland.
Hugo is responsible for Quality Assurance with Good Food Ireland. Leading a team of representatives who work with members to ensure the highest of standards are achieved and maintained. An independent food journalist & consultant, he works extensively with hotels, restaurants, retailers and manufacturers advising on food trends, menus and development of new products. The author of numerous cook books, he was Editor of Food and Wine and has written food columns for the London Evening Standard, Daily Telegraph, Food Illustrated, House and Garden, Financial Times and the Irish Times.
Peter Ward
Chair of Taste Council, An Bord Bia, artisan food producer – marketing the artisan product – opportunities for artisan producers.
Peter Ward is a well known consultant, artisan food producer and retailer at Country Choice Café & Deli in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, at the forefront of artisan food promotion in Ireland for the last 25 years. He has earned Country Choice a national reputation for excellent and ethical food sourcing from Irish & European trusted artisan partners. Ward is the current chair of the Bord Bia Taste Council, a strategy body set up by the then Minister of Agriculture, Joe Walsh, to promote the artisan sector at home and in the UK market. Peter Ward is a well regarded and passionate advocate for all things related to Irish farm based artisan food production.
Eoin Magennis
Policy Reserch Manager.
Eoin is the Policy Research Manager in InterTrade Ireland inovolved with Trade and Competitiveness Issues generally and with the current focus on the agri-food sector. Prior to this post, Eoin worked in the Centre for Cross Border studies in Armagh working on Policy areas such as EU Funding, Cross-border Mobility and Agriculture Co-operation.
John Gorman
HR Manager – Green Isle/Northern Foods/Goodfellas Pizas – President of the Irish Institute of Training and Development
After enrolling in the IITD Diploma in Training and Development John subsequently became involved in the local Chapter and has held a number of posts on IITD’s National Council including Chapter Chair, Education Officer and more recently as Honorary Treasurer. He completed an MSc in Training and Performance Management with the University of Leicester. Due to his commitment and demonstration of the value he can add to the organization he is currently the President of the IITD, working towards the future of the IITD and raising the profile and credibility within the industry..
Geoff Lamb
Business Development Manager, Food and Drink Sector Skills.
Geoff Lamb started his career as a Manager within Moy Park Ltd, the Poultry Processor. From there he moved on to the Jefferson Smurfit Group. Geoff has been employed by Food and Drink Sector Skills since late 2003, during which time he has delivered learning and development outcomes for and on behalf of the Northern Ireland Agri-food sector. This is based mainly around Apprenticeships, with over 200 learners now registered on the scheme, employed in a variety of industry sub-sectors. Additionally, Geoff is the NI Operations Manager for Improve Ltd, the UK Food and Drink Sector Skills Council.
Kay Hallahan
Senior Policy Analyst Forfás
Kay is a senior policy analyst in Forfas involved with labour market policy issues generally and in particular with addressing future skills needs as part of the secretariat to the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs. Prior to working in Forfas, Kay spent most of her career in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, working in policy areas as diverse as labour market, industrial development, company law and consumer protection.
Alan Nuzum
CEO Skillnets
Prior to joining Skillnets in 2003, Alan held a variety of management roles within HR, Training, Operations & Customer Service in the UK and Ireland in the foodservice, technology, consulting and executive education sectors. He holds an M.B.A. from The Smurfit School, UCD, and is an Associate Lecturer with the Open University Business School. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (MCIPD), a Fellow of the Irish Institute of Training & Development (FIITD), a member of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) and has been appointed to the recently formed Management Development Council.
Thats it so far. I will keep you informed.
I attended an early morning meeting of Taste 4 Success (a food network with over 80 active members) in The Oarsman in Carrick-on-Shannon. Ronan is on our steering committee and he kindly allowed use his premises and his lovely coffee and biscuits.
The committee members were made up of Stephen Hennessy of The Country Cooking Company, Carrick-on-Shannon, Ronan of The Oarsman Restaurant, Bar & Cafe, Carrick-on-Shannon, Mary & Eamon Gleeson of Gleesons Townhouse, Restaurant and Artisan shop, Roscommon, Bridie Matthews our Taste 4 Success Network Manager and myself.
We were discussing our upcoming events which includes an All Ireland Food & Drinks Skills Conference taking place on Wednesday 20th May, 2009 at Cromleach Lodge, Lough Arrow, Castlebaldwin, Co. Sligo.
The aim of the Conference is to provide the most up to date information on trends, innovative ideas and skill requirements in order to help address and combat the current economic environment.
Guest speakers will provide information and opportunities to help owners, managers, employees, and trainees to respond to current challenges and adapt to the changing times ahead.
I will keep you informed about speakers, times and all related information. You could also keep an eye on the Taste 4 Success website for upcoming events.
