Nothing is permanent except change!

I am a creature of habit – if something works, don’t try fixing it. I don’t like change for the sake of change.

This said, change is all around me – Cork is changing, people are changing and no more so than in the food world. The re-opening of Ireland has started and the hospitality sector is preparing for the opportunities and challenges ahead.

One challenge is to re-hire core staff – with so many companies hiring at the moment, competition for the best personnel is tough.

I have already seen changes happening with Pierce Lowney moving from the River Club at the River Lee Hotel to the Metropole Hotel. Both hotels are great places to work but who is now welcoming me to the River Club when I am able to go and admire the beautiful floral display installed by local florist Fox Flowers in partnership with Ketel One Botanical?

Pierce will do exceptionally well at the Metropole and I will be dropping in for a cheeky cocktail and lunch when possible. I haven’t been to the Metropole since my birthday in February 2020 when Stuart Dardis was still at the helm of the kitchen. He has now changed to the Radisson Blu Hotel in Little Island. You see, things are changing around in record time and it can be difficult to keep up.

Further afield, Ross Lewis is stepping away from the kitchen at Chapter One. The Michelin-starred restaurant will be headed now by another Michelin Star holder, Mickael Viljanen, formerly of The Greenhouse, while Ross will concentrate more on his Italian eatery Osteria Lucio (well worth a visit by the way).

Another chef moving to new ventures is Bryan Phelan. I met Bryan a few years ago when he cooked his heart out with Mike McGrath at festivals and pop up venues under the name The Sharp Knife. Bryan moved then to Rachel’s until it closed and took up traveling to some wonderful places to extend his food knowledge.

Now, he is opening The Village Deli & Café in the Ravenscourt Gardening Centre in Kerry Pike which happens to be just a few minutes’ drive away from my home. Currently open just for takeaway, I can’t wait for outdoor dining to begin to sample Bryan’s innovative and tasty food.

Shane O’Sullivan is a chef I have worked with on many occasions – friends of the Critic’s Club will remember our nights in the River Lee Hotel fondly. Shane has changed directions a few times since; lately he joined Brooks Catering but not happy with settling down just yet, he has ventured into Tower Gardens.

When he first introduced me to them, I thought of it just as another gadget but I had to admit that it is a great idea if you like to grow your own vegetables and herbs in a very limited space. Shane has grown basil in his kitchen that looks as if it has just been plugged out of a sun-flooded field in Italy.

You can follow Shane on Instagram under Tower Garden Ireland or @Shanechefcork and see his growing successes first hand. I am sure these are not the only changes coming my way and I will have to get used to an ever-changing landscape in the food industry!