A Taste of Donegal Food Festival will take place from Friday 24th to Sunday 26th August 2012 in Donegal Town. This event is a three day celebration of Great Food, Drink and Lifestyle Products.
Celebrity Chef appearances, Tutored Wine Classes by Wine Experts, Food and Drink Exhibitors with Tastings and Music and Much More!
Over 30,000 people attended the 2011 Festival so it should be a great weekend of Food & Fun!
Celebrity Chef appearances, Tutored Wine Classes by Wine Experts, Food and Drink Exhibitors with Tastings and Music and Much More!
Over 30,000 people attended the 2011 Festival so it should be a great weekend of Food & Fun!
This years Festival has once again gathered together the top Restaurants, Hotels, Food, Drink and Life Style Product providers to the beautiful Tented Village on the Pier area of the town, with a backdrop of the Bluestack Mountains and Donegal Bay. Over the course of the weekend you can taste and purchase some of the finest food and drink that this region has to offer.
During the festival there will be tutored wine and beer tasting, along with food demonstrations. Special features will be the Master Classes by Celebrity Chefs Martin Anderson, Kevin Dundon, Joe Shannon, Neven Maguire, Gary O’ Hanlon, Catherine Fulvio, Anthony Armstrong and Brian McDermott.
A Taste of Donegal Food Festival is held on Donegal Pier, Quay St, Donegal Town. The large tented village hosts exhibitor stands, demonstration areas and entertainments sections. There are over 100 stands exhibiting the festival sharing the best of Donegal & Irish food products and food tastings.
The Festival opens its doors on Friday 24th of August at 4.00pm and the official opening will take place at 7.00pm performed by Michael Tunney CEO of Donegal Enterprise Board. The MC for the opening will be TV3′s and Donegal’s very own Mr Noel Cunningham, with music by the singing chef Eugene Ginty and the first demonstrastion will follow with Donegal Celebrity Chef Gary O Hanlon. At the end of the evening there will be a spectacular Fire Works Display over the waters of Donegal Bay to finish off the day.
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| Layout of the Tented Village at the Pier in Donegal Town with over 100 exhibitors! |
A Passion To Inspire Chefs Competition will take place, with restaurants and hotel kitchens from all over the Northwest taking part, under the watchful eye of Anthony Armtrong a locally based chef who judges for the World Association of Chefs Society, Sir Peter Griffths M.B.E. and Mr BobMc Donald, both judges from the Master Chefs of Great Britain association.
Chariman of the Food Festival Committee, local artisan butcher Ernan McGettigan, said "This chef's competition has attracted entries from Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, and Donegal which highlights the level of prestige attached to winning this coveted Award. The committee would like to thank both Peter and Bob for taking time out there busy schedules to travel over from the UK. With the help of Anthony they are helping us to create a Chef's Cooking Competition of the very highest standard."
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| Smugglers Creek Restaurant - Best Stand winner at the 2011 Donegal Food Festival |
The organisers have included two Exhibitor Competitions this year. One for the Most Attractive Stand (judged by Donegal County Enterprise Board) and one for the Best Product of the Festival (judged by Bord Bía, the Associated Craft Butchers Of Ireland and L.Y.I.T. Killybegs). "I want to thank the judges for helping us with these competitions and wish every participant the best of luck," said Ernan.
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| Some of the crowds at the 2011 Donegal Food Festival |
Program of Events for the Taste of Donegal Weekend
Friday 24th August 2012
4.00pm Festival Opens - Food / Drink Exhibitors selling produce with tastings.
7.00pm Official Opening By Michael Tunney CEO of Donegal Enterprise Board.
Music by the singing Chef Eugene Ginty. M.C. for the evening, TV3’s Mr Noel Cunningham.
8.00pm Cookery Demonstration By Celebrity Chef Gary O’Hanlon, Viewmount House & RTE’s The Restaurant.
9.15pm Beer Tasting With Newstalk’s Dean Mc Guinness in Association with Dicey Reilly’s.
10.20pm Fireworks Display- Short fireworks display over Donegal Bay by Pains Fireworks.
Saturday 25th August 2012
11.00am Festival Opens
12.00am Masterclass Siansplan
1.00pm Cookery Demonstration By Community Chef Brian Mc Dermot.
2.00pm Cookery Demonstration By Celebrity Chef Neven Maguire, McNean House.
3.15pm Wine Tasting By Dicey Reilly’s.
4.00pm Cookery Demonstration By Celebrity Chef Kevin Dundon Sponsored by Kavanagh’s Supervalu.
5.00pm Cookery Demonstration by Local Award Winning Chef Anthony Armstrong.
6.00pm Cookery Demonstration By Martin Anderson, Crest Catering.
Sunday 26th August 2012
11.00am Festival Opens
12.00am Cookery Demonstration By Máire Dui cy, An Bord Bia.
1.15pm Wine Appreciation Tasting By Richard Finney, The Wine Buff
2.00pm Cookery Demonstration By Chef Catherine Fulvio, Ballyknocken House Cookery School.
2.00pm Entertainment By Barbershop Quartet Behind Bars.
3.00pm Cookery Demonstration By Celebrity Chef Neven Maguire, McNean House.
4.00pm Cookery Demonstration By Celebrity Chef TV3 & Radisson Blue Hotel’s Joe Shannon.
5.00pm Competition Winners Announcements & Presentations will take place.
6.00pm Final Cookery Demonstration By Local Award Winning Chef Anthony Armstrong.
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| Dress Up as a Chef for the Taste of Donegal "Whacky Cooks Ball" |
The Grand Finale of “A Taste of Donegal Food Festival” will give all foodies out there a chance to dress up as their favourite chef/cooks and dance the night away in the main marquee at Ireland's very first “WACKY COOKS BALL” with a prize for the most imaginative chef/cook on the night!
WIN 2 WEEKEND PASSES TO A TASTE OF DONEGAL 2012
I have 2 Weekend Passes for the Donegal Food Festival to give away. Simply click the LIKE button here for the Taste of Donegal Facebook page and leave your name at the bottom of this post to be in for a chance to win! For WordPress users (or if you've Liked it already) just leave a comment on this post.
The winner will be announced on Thursday 23rd August so make sure I can contact you! Ticket winners will have their name on the gate at the Food Festival.
You can download local Donegal Town man John Ward's FREE Donegal Food Trail Phone App HERE: http://www.everytrail.com/guide/donegal-town-food-guide
and it will guide you around the Best of South Donegal's Local Food Shops & Restaurants.
I'll be at the Festival myself over the weekend helping Martin from Cassidy's Electrical to demo Induction Cookers on Stand 58. So call over and say hello!
Zack.