Raise a glass to the hospitality sector
Hospitality has drawn the short straw since the start of the pandemic – but don’t worry, this is not a whining column on the hardships. You all know this already.
But what is heart-warming is the resilience in which the industry is taking on the challenges thrown at it.
Let’s take The Glass Curtain in MacCurtain Street – they only opened in summer 2019 and had to deal with having to close the doors nine months later. But as takeaways were still allowed, so they came up with the Glass Curtain at Home - all you need to re-create the dining experience at home, with re-heating and plating instructions included.
Other chefs have followed suit since with Bryan McCarthy of Greenes taking it a bit further by offering matching wines and cocktails as add-ons.
The Metropole and Montenotte Hotel are offering take away afternoon tea with delicious pastries and now The Kingsley has created a weekend mini street food market with dishes ranging from Korean barbecued pulled pork baps with kimchi, O’Flynn’s hot dogs and buttermilk brined chicken and scampi – perfect when you are peckish after a walk along the Lee Fields.
JP Mahon in Galway is offering online kids’ cookery classes (he has two adorable daughters who help him) and Ahmet Dede in West Cork who opened his new place in summer last year and had to close shortly afterwards as so many others. But he didn’t let that stop him and he just scooped up a Michelin Star.
I love the creativity some of our much loved food businesses have shown during this pandemic and hopefully these businesses will survive.
Padraig O’Callaghan recently celebrated 30 years in business with his Boxty House in Dublin. I texted him congratulating him with “here’s to the next 30 years”.
His reply was that he is just trying to make it to 31.
And I think that’s the mood of everyone in the industry – just make it to the next week, month and year. Let’s hope that we all make it to the next step on this weird journey and can enjoy the hospitality we are so famous for very soon.
I rediscovered Indian takeaways but I seem not to be alone as I wasn’t able to get one last Sunday from Raj Gaylord in Kerry Pike.
The staff had to take the phone off the hook and the queue outside was so long that we thought there was a free give-away going on!
But no, it was just that about half of the Blarney-Tower area had the same idea. So, it was a Sunday night cheese board with homemade bread instead – not bad either, but my mind is so occupied now with the mater paneer with nan bread and onion chutney I am planning to have during the week!