Communicator of the Year - Mark Moriarty
It’s one thing to be handed the job of “The Face of Irish Food”, as Mark Moriarty was following his win in the San Pellegrino Young Chef of the Year competition. But to be given the mantle when you are 23 years old is breathtaking. Mr Moriarty didn’t let it phase him one bit, and he closed out the Food on the Edge symposium, following on from some of the world’s greatest chefs, as to the manner born.
Event of the Year - Food On The Edge
If you weren’t there, then you missed one of the most significant events in the history of Irish food. If you were in Galway city for Food on the Edge, however, then the line-up and the contributions from some of the most vital and intellectual culinary talents of the world was nothing less than mind-boggling, indeed mind-blowing. Dublin got a chaotic Web Summit and, thanks to Jp McMahon, Galway got a meticulously organised and thrilling Food Summit, further cementing the truth that Galway is the food capital of Ireland. FOTE
Influencer of the Year - April Danann
Fermented drinks and foods? April Danann’s Rebel Foods has been there for years. Bone broths? Check, Rebel Foods has that steaming away in the pot at the stall. Pre-biotics and probiotics? Yep, got those. Soil and clay-based potions? Which one would you like? Ms Danann’s work is so ahead of the curve when it comes to food and health that the rest of us just spend our time trying to catch up with the this inspiring influencer. She’s the real Rebel Rebel. April Danann
Person of the Year - Veronica Steele
When Veronica Steele was presented with the first Lifetime Achievement Award at the Irish Cheese Awards, the room rose to its feet as one to applaud the woman whose work changed everything in Irish food. Milleens was the Big Bang of Irish artisanship, and all of us felt priviliged to be in the same space as the person who created the bright new world of Irish food. (Photo by Caroline Hennessy) Milleens Cheese
Cookbook of the Year - Michael O'Meara’s Sea Gastronomy
Michael O’Meara’s Sea Gastronomy isn’t just a cookbook, from one of the west coast’s most stimulating cooks. It’s actually a life’s work, of study and learning and cooking, poured into 450 beautiful pages packed with information and dedication. We want to see megrim and sweaty betty on every Irish menu, and Sea Gastronomy may well be the book to do just that. Oscar's Galway
Festival of the Year - So Sligo
The best food festivals are by the people, for the people, and So Sligo was just that. In its quiet way, the festival spoke of the county's food culture, its strengths and its future. It was a privilige just to be there. So Sligo
Photograph of the Year
Enda and Big Phil and Jim from Glanbia chose the opening of Glanbia's €235 million dairy facility, intended to manufacture infant formula for Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Central America, to have their picture taken with Annie, Saoirse and Noah. The resulting photograph explains, as only a picture can, everything that is wrong with international agri-business.“They make a compelling argument for why “breast is best”, wrote Jennifer O'Connell in The Irish Times. Photo taken from The Irish Times, by Jason Clarke = find link to article here
