TASTE Council Members

Kevin Sheridan

Chairman of Taste Council
Co-founder and Managing Director of Sheridans Cheesemongers Ltd.
Kevin through his work with Sheridans Cheesemongers and other organisations has been working with and promoting Irish Artisan foods for the past twenty years. Sheridans have received numerous awards for their work in this field from organisations such as Eurotoques, RAI, the Food Writers Guild, Food & Wine and Bridgestone Food Guides.

_Evan Doyle

Co-owner of the critically acclaimed Brooklodge Hotel at Macreddin Village, Co. Wicklow
For 24 years now, through his menus at The Strawberry Tree Restaurant, Evan has been a pioneer of organic foods and wild foods, of the Artisan and the local Producer. The Strawberry Tree still remains as Irelands only Licensed Organic Restaurant. Evan has continually and publicly advocated, how essential it is for all to appreciate the economic, health and social reasons for sourcing only local, organic and Artisan produced foods.
Evan is also on the board of directors of The Organic Trust, Chairman of The Food Council of Eurotoques (the European Community of Cooks), sits on Failte Irelands Food Tourism Strategy Group and has been deeply involved at national level with Slow Food since its introduction to Ireland.

_Darina Allen

Veuve Cliquot Business woman of the year 2002, Owner/Manager Ballymaloe Cookery School, Founder Midleton Farmers Market, author and journalist. Organic farmer. University of Ulster conferred honorary doctorate for contribution to Irish Cuisine and Irish hospitality in 2003. Winner of André Simon Cookbook Award 2010
Darina has worked with small local producers through Ballymaloe for many years has strong links to the US market. Darina is an advocate and practitioner in the establishment of farmers markets.

_James Burke

Having spent over 20 years with Superquinn holding senior roles such as business development manager, group purchasing manager and trading manager, James is now Irelands leading independent food consultant and retail advisor specialising in strategy and business planning for food producers and retailers. James has an MBA in retailing and wholesaling from Stirling University and is retail advisor for the TV series Feargal Quinn’s Retail Therapy.

Birgitta Hedin-Curtin

Background: Originally from Sweden Studied Marine Biology and started up Burren Smokehouse in Lisdoonvarna 21 years ago. Produces award winning organic Salmon,Trout,Eel and mackerel. Chairperson of Slow Food Clare, Chairperson of IASC, member of Good Food Ireland. Member of Foras Organach Marketing board.

Sarah Furno

Sarah Furno is cheese-maturer at Beechmount farm where her family the Grubb's created Cashel Blue in the early 80's followed by Crozier in the 1990's. In 2003 she joined the family business together with her husband Sergio in the belief that their experience in both the commercial/branding, organoleptic and making aspects of the wine trade could benefit the home business. Sarah is responsible for managing the stock of up to 30,000 wheel's of Cashel Blue and Crozier Blue cheeses and is committed to training both her own team and the wider consumer across all age groups to gain a better understanding of blue cheese, and indeed overcome their fear of the blue's. Both her cheeses Cashel Blue and Crozier Blue have received Great Taste Awards in the last 3 years

_Ed Hick

Ed is a Fourth Generation Pork Butcher.
With experience in Traditional Pork Butchery including sausage making, bacon curing and smoking, continental and native processing techniques, animal husbandry and slaughter. Ed is a micro-producer and market stall holder.

Michael Kelly

Michael Kelly is a writer, author and social entrepreneur. In 2009 he established GIY (Grow it Yourself) to transform the nation’s health, strengthen communities and protect the environment by helping people to grow their own food. GIY supports back-yard and community food growing by getting GIYers together in the community and online to exchange skills, knowledge and produce. There are over 100 GIY groups and approximately 12,000 GIYers in Ireland, the UK and Australia. Michael is an Ashoka Fellow, a Social Entrepreneurs Ireland awardee and a recipient of the inaugural 2010 Arthur Guinness Fund. He is a member of the TASTE Council of Ireland.

_Ross Lewis

Ross is from Cork and, and a graduate of University College Cork. He has travelled and worked in the restaurant industry in New York, London and Switzerland. His passion & drive to open his own restaurant brought him back to Ireland where he has become immersed in Ireland’s emerging food culture.
Ross was Commissioner General for Eurotoques Ireland from 2001 – 2004 and is currently one of it’s commissioners. He also sits as a member of the Taste Council of Ireland .Both organizations are dedicated to promoting the use of organic and artisan locally produced ingredients and Ross’ dedication to this is evident in the menus he creates at Chapter One. Since it’s opening Chapter One and it’s team have been the recipients of numerous awards for both service and food. Ross was awarded with a 1* Michelin in 2007.

Cait Noone

Cáit Noone has worked in Higher Education since 1993. Cáit joined Galway Mayo Institute of Technology in 2007 and was appointed Head of College Tourism and Arts in 2012.

She has worked for Les Roches School of Hotel Management in Switzerland and has been involved in various research projects in the tourism sector in Ireland, UK, Switzerland and Asia. Cáit was Dean of the first International Hotel Management School in Shanghai, China.

She is a member of SKAL Galway, represents the Hotel School at EUROChrie and is an external examiner to a number of Institutes of Technology in Ireland. Cáit was also the lead member of the Food Pavilion Ireland Showcase at the International Volvo Ocean Race in Galway in 2012. She holds a BA (hons) in Education, a post graduate certificate in Education and a Masters in Business Administration.

_Raymond O’Rourke

is a qualified Barrister and a specialist food regulatory and consumer affairs lawyer. He worked for many years in legal firms both in Dublin and Brussels and now has own practice. Author of European Food Law(2005), he is a member of the FSAI’s Artisan Forum, the Government’s Advisory Committee on GMOs, the Irish Codex Committee & is Vice-Chairman of the Consumers Association of Ireland. He is Visiting Professor at the School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) Board Member, Member of Management Board of European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and Chairman of the Consumers Association of Ireland (CAI)

Peter Ward

Peter Ward is a well known artisan food promoter and consultant at Country Choice Café and Deli in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary. Ward is at the front of artisan food promotion in Ireland for the last 25 years. In that time he has earned Country Choice a national reputation for excellent and ethical food sourcing from Irish and European trusted artisan partners.
For five years Peter Ward was the chair of the Bord Bia Taste Council, a strategy body set up by the then Minister of Agriculture, to promote the Irish artisan sector. He is involved with Slow Food at a national level. He sits on the Executive Committee of the food tourism body Good Food Ireland. Peter Ward was described by John McKenna at the launch of the new Bridgestone Guides as the most articulate spokesperson on behalf of the Irish artisan food sector and on an equal par with people like Myrtle Allen of Ballymaloe House.
Peter Ward is a well regarded and passionate advocate for all things related to Irish farm based artisan food production. One of his key areas of interest is providing multiple routes to market for Irish artisan food to ensure a healthy and vibrant food producing community based on economic sustainability.

_Caroline Byrne

Caroline Byrne graduated from Trinity College in 2006 and has since then pursued a career in professional food writing, in trade and consumer press. She was editor of grocery and FMCG magazine, ShelfLife, from April 2008 until January 2010, and is currently an editor and writer with Bridgestone Food Guides. Caroline is also wine columnist for the Irish Garden magazine and holds an Advanced Certificate from the WSET. She also provides consultancy services to restaurants and other food businesses.

_Siobhan Ni Ghairbhith

Siobhan Ni Ghairbhith is a native of Inagh, Co. Clare. She is a former school teacher turned cheese maker when in 1999 she took over the making of St Tola Goats Cheese. At the time the cheese was being made near her parents’ house in Inagh by Meg and Derrick Gordon; brave pioneers in the Irish Artisan Food industry. Siobhan brought the cheese up to full Organic standards (I.O.F.G.A.) built new, state of the art cheese making premises and developed St Tola from a small local cottage industry. to a recognised brand producing a range of artisan, gourmet cheeses that are still handmade and of the finest premium quality. St Tola has been the proud winner of many awards over the years including Best Organic Cheese at the British Cheese Awards, Best Overall product at the National Organic Awards and Premio Roma in Italy.
Siobhan is the former Chairperson of CAIS, a member of Slow Food Ireland and a member of the Taste Council. She is a fervent believer in organic farming practises, a fluent Irish speaker and a passionate advocate of Irish food, culture and music.

_Fiona Lavery

Fiona Lavery is the Invest Northern Ireland representative on the Taste Council and has been involved since the Council's inception in October 2003. She has worked with the small business sector for twenty years and her current role includes management of Invest NI's overseas participation at food and drink shows.

Peter Young

Peter Young writes weekly in the Irish Farmers Journal on innovation, farm diversification and the challenges of starting and running a small business in rural. He farms organically with his wife Jenny in Castlefarm, Narraghmore, Athy, Co Kildare. The couple have been innovative in developing Castlefarm shop, a farm shop where they sell their own cheese, beef, free range eggs, dressings and vegetables. They also run school tours and have over garden allotments rented out on the farm. Their focus is to educate people about where their food comes from and hold regular information tours and events on their farm. He is a member of Organic Focus strategy group and the National Rural Network - Strategic Issues Working Group.

Ruth Hegarty
Ruth Hegarty is owner of egg&chicken food projects, a specialist project management and consultancy service working directly with producers of good food and with organisations and groups promoting or developing our food culture. She was Secretary-General for 11 years of chefs group Euro-Toques Ireland, which promotes local sourcing and protects culinary heritage, where she created and managed a broad range of projects across food education, culinary education and training, food & cooking related awards, competitions & conferences, food tourism, food policy & more. Having both family background and personal experience in food production and the restaurant industry, Ruth has always been passionate about food and has an avid interest in farming. She holds a Masters in European Economic & Public Affairs from UCD with a thesis on ‘European Food Quality Policy: Protecting Europe’s Traditional and Speciality Foods’.