Donegal Signature Dish Gala Dinner to Celebrate the Best of Donegal Food!

All that is good about Donegal Food will be showcased at a special event in Harvey’s Point this Tuesday when some of Donegal most talented chefs, food suppliers and trade representatives will be joined by over 100 guest national and international food writers, journalists, food and travel bloggers and social media influencers, at the first ever Donegal Signature Dish event!

The event which is being hosted by Donegal County Council in association with Donegal Tourism is not a competition but is about celebrating Donegal food and fresh local produce. This is a fabulous initiative and an opportunity to promote Donegal food, our chefs, restaurants, suppliers and artisan producers and the people who champion Donegal, our food and our tourism industry.

Restaurants all across the county were (earlier this year) invited to submit their own signature dishes, which then underwent a selection to form the ten course tasting menu for this gala event. Their submitted dish had to consist of Donegal sourced ingredients and also has to feature on their current or seasonal menu.

Chef Brian McDermot, well known for his promotion of Donegal food (and the owner of the Foyle Hotel in Moville), will be our host for the evening and the chefs who will be cooking their dishes on the night and representing their establishments include:

• Chef Gary McPeake - McGrory’s Hotel, Culdaff
• Chef Christopher Molloy - Lemon Tree Restaurant, Letterkenny
• Chef Anthony Armstrong – Nesbitt Arms Hotel, Ardara
• Chefs Chris McMenamin and Colin McKee – Harvey’s Point Hotel, Donegal Town
• Chef Paul Brady – Castle Grove Country House, Letterkenny
• Chef Marco Letterese – The Olde Castle Bar, Donegal Town
• Chef Ian Orr – Browns on the Green, Letterkenny
• Chef Brian McMonagle – Arnolds Hotel, Dunfanaghy
• Chef Karl Murtagh – The Silver Tassie Hotel & Spa, Letterkenny
• Chefs Joe & Brenda O’Hora – Benny & Co, Ballybofey

This final tasting menu is a balanced selection of ten superb dishes from all around County Donegal. These ten courses will be served on the night and each chef will also have an opportunity to share, to the guests, the story behind their particular dish.

Barney Mc Laughlin, Head of the Tourism Unit at Donegal County Council, said, “We are delighted that the chefs in the county have risen to the challenge to participate in this exciting event. This is not a competition but an opportunity to showcase the best that the county has to offer!"

"It’s about working together to promote quality food in Donegal and send a message out to our local people, guests and visitors that Donegal does food well. We are delighted to be joined on the night by food writers, bloggers, well-known chefs and local representatives from the food sector who are among the invited guests”, Barney added.

I'm really looking forward to the evening and we will all be LIVE on Twitter and Facebook on Tuesday 11th September 2018, from the event at Harvey's Point Hotel, on hashtag #DonegalFood and do check out the Donegal Tourism Twitter account @GoVisitDonegal.

So keep an eye out for some great Donegal people serving amazing Donegal Food as a taste of what to expect when you next visit Donegal!

Zack