Some key speakers at Food On The Edge 2023 Pictured L-R: Ahmet Dede, Elena Reygadas, Fatmata Binta, Pietro Carlo Pezzati. Link to high res photos here
Returning for its eighth year the award-winning Food On The Edge takes place next Monday and Tuesday, 16th and 17th of October, in Airfield Estate in Dundrum. The theme of this year’s event is Storytelling.
JP McMahon, founder of Food On The Edge, has some favourites he is looking forward to hearing, “I love the diversity of speakers at Food on the Edge and look forward to hearing the personal takes on the ‘Storytelling’ theme from across Ireland and the world; the speakers always bring wonderful enthusiasm and energy to the stage. This year will be our fourth group of FOTE ambassadors and I see that these people who are passionate about changing Irish Food will be the legacy of Food on the Edge. A few people I am looking forward to hearing on stage are – Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, Dan Cox , Andrea Petrini, Shauna & Mark Froydenlund and Aditi Dugar.”
A 2023 headline speaker will be Elena Reygadas who was recently named World’s Best Female Chef by The World’s 50 Best Restaurant 2023 Awards. Reygadas divides her time between the kitchens of her five restaurants in Mexico City, ranging from the refined Rosetta to several casual concepts much loved by local diners. She will discuss the multifaceted relationship between chefs and the natural world. Through a focus on conscious ingredient sourcing, coexisting crops and flavours, and the inherent wisdom of seasonality and aesthetics, she will delve into creativity in rhythm with nature. Extending an invitation to “contemplate the role of chefs as interpreters of nature’s bounty, providing a platform to enhance culinary practices and foster a deeper connection between gastronomy and the natural world”.
Another newcomer to Food On The Edge this year, and equally as culinarily groundbreaking, is Fatmata Binta born and raised in Freetown, Sierra Leone, to first-generation Sierra Leonean Fulanis of Guinean descent, Binta describes herself as a modern nomadic chef. She was recently awarded the Basque Culinary Prize for exploring West African cuisine’s diaspora through her innovative ‘Dine on a Mat’ experience and setting up the Fulani Kitchen Foundation for women and girls.
Born and raised in Ankara and now based in west Cork, Ahmet Dede uses the best of local Irish fair and a larder brimming with spices from his homeland thus a new wave of modern Turkish spice-based cooking has emerged in Baltimore. Ahmet Dede, talk will be titled “Turkish Cuisine” Ahmet plans on speaking about “Turkish fusion spiced-based menu, local ingredients, sustainability, the fusion of Turkey and Irish foods. Changing palates and changing cultural taste buds, how ethnic chefs can focus on their traditions and heritage while marrying these with Irish foods, Ahmet will also speak about inspiration and motivation through tough times and finding his identity. “The industry is evolving, changing and becoming harder, trying to achieve a work-life balance but it is hard work”.
Andoni Luis Aduriz of Mugaritz in Spain is considered as one of the most influential chefs of our time. Throughout his career, he has prioritized both culinary evolution and an interdisciplinary approach. This has allowed him to cross the established borders, and become a rebel in the kitchen. His two Michelin-star restaurant Mugaritz closes for six months every year to allow the team to research and develop a new menu from scratch while allowing a constantly evolving restaurant experience.
Another key speaker is Pietro Carlo Pezzati from, Emilia Romagna, Italy. After a number of years cooking in Paris & Sydney Pietro says his home called back and a new journey at Locanda del Falco started: ‘returning to my roots, with a different perspective’.
The full line-up of speakers can be found on the Food On The Edge website.
Food On The Edge 2023 tickets are on sale now for €325, which includes two-day access to all speaker talks, masterclasses, Airfield Estate tours with lunches featuring recipes from Gather & Gather, The Gathered Table Cookbook, and pop-up Bakery by Bread 41. Tickets can be purchased via www.foodontheedge.ie
