THE KITCHEN IS NOW OPEN
A professional kitchen, handmade in Switzerland, deserves to be seen, so the Cavaliere family, owners of Ristorante Rinuccini in Kilkenny, have opened up the work space to the extended bar area, so diners can see the team of nine chefs at work. Renovations also included the incorporation of the lobby area into the dining space, with the addition of four new tables. For the Kilkenny Arts Festival, running until August 14th, the early dining menu has two courses for €24, or three for €29, available from 5pm, so you will be in plenty of time for an evening show. Fish and shellfish from Kilmore Quay feature prominently, along with handmade pasta and Italian charcuterie imported from head chef Antonio Cavaliere's native Lazio.
GOOD FOOD KARMA
SuperValu's Good Food Karma initiative takes to the road next month, with a series of cookery demonstrations and guest appearances by some of its Good Food Karma ambassadors in Balbriggan, Enfield and Glanmire. Kevin Dundon, and the Happy Pear twins David and Stephen Flynn will be cooking in the Balbriggan, Co Dublin branch on August 13th (3-5pm). Fish expert Martin Shanahan and no-cook cookbook author Sharon Hearne Smith will be in Enfield, Co Kildare, on August 20th (3-5pm) and Shanahan teams up with camogie player Anna Geary in Glanmire, Co Cork on August 27th (3-5pm). supervalu.ie
FRESH JUICES ON TAP
Sisters Jennie and Karena Hutton had been advocates of juicing for almost a decade before they opened Juicy Lucy, a cold pressed juice company which supplies shops and cafes in the Galway area. When their mother was recovering at home after surgery, they delivered fresh juices to her every day, and so came up with the idea of an online ordering and delivery service. Their range includes three 250ml juices, Sweet Beet (beetroot, apple, ginger, orange and lemon), Bright Root (sweet potato, carrot, apple, orange, lemon and ginger) and Clean Green (cucumber, apple, spinach, lemon, wheatgrass and ginger), as well as fruit- and herb-infused waters which they called Sassy Water. Up to a pound of locally sourced vegetables and fruit goes into each 250ml juice. A one-day juice package of four 250ml drinks, a bottle of honey and cayenne lemonade and a litre of Sassy Water costs €25. At the moment their distribution is confined to Galway, but they are working towards nationwide availability by September. juicylucy.ie
EVEN NOVICES CAN MAKE A WEDDING CAKE
Could there be any more nerve-wracking a baking request than to make a wedding cake? I wish I'd had a copy of The Homemade Wedding Cake, by Natasha Collins (Murdoch Books, £20), before my friend's daughter's wedding. The bride's mother was tasked with making the showstopper, and we spent lots of time chatting about it – did it need internal dowels for stability; were the three layers best iced individually and then assembled, or would the icing make for a slippy foundation, and how long would Swiss meringue buttercream keep for? Happily it all worked out brilliantly, but we could have found lots of inspiration – and the answers to our questions – in this new book which is aimed at novice bakers. Cake recipes, decorating ideas, transporting tips, and display suggestions – it's all there, along with a promise to make the experience as stress-free as possible.
GET STARTED
Those looking for a space to launch or expand a food business may be interested in Cork Incubator Kitchens, a new venture in Carrigaline launched by Cork County Council. The custom-designed premises has everything a budding food entrepreneur will need, and hourly rates, day and night, are available. corkincubatorkitchens.ie
TOP IRISH CHEFS ON TOUR
Graham Neville (Restaurant FortyOne) and Mickael Viljanen (The Greenhouse) are cooking in Hong Kong next week with San Pellegrino young chef of the year Mark Moriarty (right). They will serve a seven-course menu on three evenings at Test Kitchen, a dining concept that gives chefs from around the world a chance to cook in Hong Kong. Moriarty will also be cooking at The Greenhouse in Dublin, on September 25th. Tickets for six-courses with wines, €165, go on sale at 10am on August 17th (tel: 01-6767015).
