THEATRE OF FOOD: GRUB CIRCUS

The Grub Circus at The Theatre of Food, programmed and hosted by multi-award winning Senior Food Writer at the Irish Examiner Joe McNamee, is a two-day extravaganza of events, demos, cooking competitions, tastings, workshops, debates and, at times, downright madness, featuring some of Ireland’s top food personalities including, chefs, producers,  growers, makers, distillers, food writers and more. 

Big names joining the Grub Circus lineup this year include; Chef/Co-proprietor, of Goldie and freshly crowned RAI Best Chef in Ireland Aisling Moore; Ireland’s most-renowned culinary siblings + co-founders of the Ballymaloe Cookery School, Darina Allen and Rory O’Connell; TV Chef Rachel Allen; Irish culinary legend + twice Michelin star chef Kevin Thornton; Michelin star-awarded Enda McEvoy; the legendary forerunner of the modern Irish specialty food movement Sally Barnes & more!

  • Rub the sleep from your eyes and wake up to some of Ireland’s finest coffee roasters including Tony Speight (West Cork Coffee), Alan Andrews (Guji/The Old Barracks Roastery, Birdhill) and more

  • Irish Young Chef of the Year Aishling Moore (Goldie) and award-winning fish smoker Sally Barnes (Woodcock Smokery) cook an Irish seafood ‘paella’ featuring entirely local ingredients from Co Waterford.

  • An extended Grub Circus gathering on Saturday morning of some of the most important Irish practitioners and supporters of sustainable growing and food systems in a wild, weird and wonderful inter-active event that’s guaranteed to provide hope and inspiration in a turbulent world.

    Featuring: Enda McEvoy (Hinterland West; formerly Michelin-starred chef/proprietor, Loam), Anja Murray (Eco Eye, ecologist, author) Kitty Scully (TV Gardener/horticulturalist), Virginia O’Gara (My Goodness Foods, Cork Urban Soil Project), Erin O’Brien (Cork Urban Soil Project), Nell Ward (GIY), Karen O’Donoghue (RTÉ Grow, Cook, Eat)

  • With Ali Dunworth author of A Compendium of Irish Pints

  • The Irish High Kings of Live Fire Cooking in an edible extravaganza with Andy Noonan (Big Grill), Marcus O Laoghaire, Richie Castillo (Bahay), chef Keith Boyle.

  • Leticia Miranda (Margadh RHA), Victor Franca (Asador Nua)

  • Sunil Ghai, Ireland’s finest Indian chef, author of Spice Box: Easy, Everyday Indian Food.

  • Rachel Allen, Darina Allen, Rory O’Connell and JR Ryall celebrate the 60th anniversary of Ballymaloe House with some very special dishes

  • Barbara Nealon and Rebeca Recarey Sanchez of the iconic Kinsale-based restaurant and winner of Best Casual Dining Ireland share a little of the SFP magic

  • David Asher, Black Sheep Cheesemaking School, the nomadic cheesemaker, travelling the world for over a decade teaching raw milk cheesemaking, Chef and cookbook author (Funky, Blasta Books) Caithlin Ruth and Terra Ignis, deliver fermentation and wild yeast masterclasses.

  • Waterford Food Heroes, including Paul Flynn, Eunice Power, and others (Photographer Joleen Cronin’s exhibition featuring Waterford food heroes is on display in Grub Circus for the weekend) which will hang in Grub Circus over the weekend

  • Ireland’s food waste champion challenger chef Conor Spacey and zero-food waste chef Orla McAndrew

  • Real Bread Ireland stars Sarah Richards (Seagull Bakery) and Sunny South Yeast bakery, Zero-Food Waste chef Orla McAndrew and ceramacist Martha Cashman put together some Middle Eastern-style snacks, while fundraising for Gaza

  • Two teams of children, each team with a Michelin-starred chef as captain, compete against each other for great prizes with chefs Kevin Thornton and Enda McEvoy

  • Two teams of top Irish food personalities step up to the plate to prove whether or not they know their onions and to try and win the overall prize for their ‘citizen’ team member, randomly plucked from the audience

  • Another outing for the Grub Circus natural wine tasting extravaganza, as top Irish wine professionals compete to find the best wine, with blind tastings, live music and dancing. Full audience participation including dancing and a sample of every single wine poured.

    Featuring: DJ Stevie G, Aoife Carrigy, Wesley Triggs (Ex-Brawn, London; Glass Curtain), Dave O’Mahony (Paradiso), Beverley Mathews (L’Atitude 51), Brian O’Connor (Brian’s Wines), Pascal Rossignol (Le Caveau), Colm McCan and more

  • A carnival of cocktail craziness featuring some of Ireland’s finest alcoholic beverages and distilled spirits, and some of Ireland’s top mixologists including Seaneen Sullivan (L Mulligan Grocer), Karl Cooney (Dublin Cocktail Lab), Oisin Wolfe (Cold Cuts), Morgon VanderKamer (Union Wine Bar & Kitchen, Waterford)

 & MORE EVENTS AND NAMES YET TO BE ANNOUNCED