A 38ac working farm on Dublin’s south side will be the home of ‘Food on the Edge’ 2021.
Airfield estate in Dundrum is hosting the event that will take place on October 18 and 19, in the form of a blended symposium, with a mix of in-person speakers and others joining virtually.
Confirmed speakers include: Garima Aurora, the first Indian woman to win a Michelin star; Taiwanese chef André Chaing; cook, food writer and broadcaster Alice Zaslavsky; and returning to ‘Food on the Edge’ this year, Mark Best, star of Netflix’s ‘Chef’s Table.’
Virtual tickets will go on sale in July priced at €95, while in-person tickets will be available later in the year, from €350 for two days and from €195 for one day.
Social gastronomy
“The event will be streamed live so people can watch it from anywhere in the world, and so we expect to grow our audience. The theme of this year’s symposium is ‘social gastronomy’, said founder JP McMahon.
“The theme is very important this year as the industry has evolved throughout the pandemic and I hope we’ll see lasting change. Social gastronomy is a term that encapsulates caring for food in a more holistic and total manner.
“It is the creation of a network of like-minded chefs and hospitality workers, to forge communities that use food to transform their everyday environment.
“It cultivates local connections and builds long-term partnerships around the world, using the power of food as a vehicle for change and development at a grassroots level,” said the chef, restaurateur and author.
“Social gastronomy aims to create a more equitable food culture, and a more inclusive society using food as an essential tool to build a better ecology and safer environment for all of humanity to thrive.
“I believe that social gastronomy uses food as a vehicle for change and development, and that is at the core of ‘Food On The Edge’ and everyone that speaks and takes part,” JP said.
From Galway to Dublin
For the first time, the event will take place outside Galway.
Gráinne Kelleher, CEO at Airfield estate, said: “Airfield estate is delighted to be the home of ‘Food on the Edge’ 2021.
“The estate has a long history of sustainable and social gastronomy dating back to the early 1900s, when it was one of the first farms to supply pasteurised milk to disadvantaged families with the aim of preventing tuberculosis in Dublin city centre.
“Today it is a centre for food education and research with a mission to inspire and enable consumers to make food choices that benefit people, planet and pocket,” she concluded.
For more information see www.foodontheedge.ie.