Conscious Cuisine: From Farm to Fork

From flexitarianism to circular agriculture the way in which we approach our food from farming to production to consumption is shifting amidst concerns for the climate crisis. From eating less meat to eating local produce or considering the impact of packaging and design we are inundated with tiktoks and columns of advice - so how can we begin to eat more consciously? Join our panel discussion moderated by Rudi Lee McCarthy with Jess Murphy from Kai, Cloud Picker Coffee and Aoife Courtney from Protein-I.

Rudi-lee McCarthy (Moderator): Since graduating from Art College in 2022, artist Rudi-lee McCarthy has been exploring the correlation between Land and cultural practice, he uses the 'as Gaeilge' phrase: "Comhbhá an Dúlra" as his core philosophy: "The land gives back to those who respect it". Viewing it as an Irish spin on the French concept of "terroir". For the last two years, Rudi-lee has successfully run organic art-focused pop-up food events around Ireland and in Norway all the while researching our cultural practices with land, sea and agriculture.

Aoife Courtney’s (Protein-I, UCD) research is examining the impact of diversification of protein intake on biomarkers of nutrition status and health. Protein-I will develop and evaluate crop-based value chains to ensure that rural communities in Ireland benefit in terms of on-farm diversification. We will embrace the circular economy by examining the conversion of crop waste material into value added protein. We will develop a smart supply chain technology solution tailored to the needs of the agri-food industry that supports transparency. Evidence to support the development of Public health policies will be established. Health benefits to support the development of value-added protein products will emerge from the work.  Engagement with stakeholders is crucial and built into the work programme to ensure maximum likelihood of uptake of the outputs.

Cloud Picker Coffee: Established in 2013 by Frank Kavanagh & Peter Sztal. Having worked in graphic design and corporate banking respectively, they took the leap and opened up their own coffee roastery. The name Cloud Picker came from their joint trip to Northern Thailand where they visited a coffee farm in the Doi Chang area on the Thai / Burma border and where they went up through the clouds to see the coffee pickers! Cloud Picker is Dublin City’s first micro coffee roastery. They hand roast to order on the esteemed Giesen roaster. Borne from passion, curiosity and the quest to create a unique coffee product for the Irish market. 

Jess Murphy: New Zealand born chef Jess has lived in Ireland since 2003 and Galway since 2005, where she opened award-winning restaurant Kai with her husband, Dave, in 2011. Born and raised in Wairoa, Jess washed dishes and worked in bars after school to fund catering college. She met Dave in Australia and together they moved, finally making their way to the west and Galway in 2005 after Jess had spent a year working with Kevin Thornton in Dublin. The winner of Ireland’s Best Chef in 2018 at the Irish Restaurant Awards, Jessica was also the Blas na hÉireann Producers’ Champion in 2019. Jess wrote a weekly recipe column for the Irish Times magazine for over a year. Kai has had a Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2018. Kai is a place built on relationships, not awards. Jess is passionate about the people, the neighbourhood and the community that Kai is based in and built from, and the restaurant philosophy is to focus on sourcing fresh, organic produce from those local suppliers to create daily menus bursting with flavour, texture and colour. “Our suppliers have become our friends…and our extended family”. Jess and Dave opened their doors with a simple formula—high-quality produce, preferably organic or wild, sourced locally and cooked intelligently. What’s in season will be on your plate. Last year Kai won one of the UK and Ireland’s inaugural Michelin Green Stars, for best sustainable practices. When she is not feeding or minding people, she is quietly fighting for an underdog somewhere here or abroad and has been a formal high-profile Supporter of UNHCR since 2017.