21 May 2007- Chefs bring a taste of Northern Ireland to Washington

The chefs will join celebrity Irish restauranteur, Cathal Armstrong, at his Restaurant Eve, along with invited members of Congress, business leaders and tour operators for a gourmet meal featuring a special regional-themed menu.

Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Michelle Gildernew MP, took the opportunity to meet with the chefs before the event and said: “The gala dinner is a great opportunity to promote quality local food and talent. I am pleased that as the new local Minister, I am able to support and do all I can to maximize the impact of our visit to Washington.

“Our agri-food sector has a winning combination of great natural resources, matched with first class quality and I believe that Washington won’t fail to be impressed by our ability to compete on an international culinary level.”

Ms. Gildernew said that while in Washington she also hoped to meet with a range of trade and government contacts to promote local food and drink.

The event is being organized by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), the Northern Ireland Bureau, Invest NI, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) and Tourism Ireland. It is being sponsored by Bushmills whiskey and also includes a delegation of local food and drink companies led by Invest NI.

Welcoming the chefs to the United States, Tim Losty, Director of the Northern Ireland Bureau, said: “This is a wonderful occasion for America to have a taste of the culinary expertise that can be found throughout the region, and we hope that this will be one more reason why Americans will cross the Atlantic to Rediscover Northern Ireland.”

This event is just one of many taking place throughout Washington, DC which aim to raise U.S. awareness of the region’s thriving economy, revitalized cities, unique and fascinating culture and its people’s sense of pride and passion. The Rediscover Northern Ireland program will challenge and influence perceptions of the region and will illustrate the caliber and vitality of the region as a place to visit, invest, study, work and live.

Noel McMeel serves as Head Chef for Castle Leslie in Co. Monaghan. He has successfully married the memory of growing up on a small farm in Ireland with his extensive professional experience in Ireland, Paris and the USA. He has trained in Northern Ireland, Johnston and Wales, Boston University and cole le Ntre in Paris. His experience working with world leading chefs including Jean-Louis Palladin at the Watergate Hotel, Washington and Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in San Francisco, as well as his work on high profile events like Sir Paul McCartney’s wedding, have combined to make Noel McMeel one of the most accomplished chefs working in Ireland today.

Belle Isle Chef, Liz Moore, operates a renowned cookery school in County Fermanagh with her business partner the Duke of Abercorn. Liz is one of the new generation of young Irish food ambassadors, concentrating on Irish food with a lighter and more modern twist. Liz has cooked for many prestigious events in Ireland and lists among those who have tasted her culinary delights H.M. Queen Elizabeth II and the internationally acclaimed chef Michel Roux, a consultant to the Belle Isle School of Cookery.

Sean Owens is Chef and Patron of Gardiners Restaurant. He travelled and trained around the world, including work as a chef’s apprentice in Hotel Montana in Zurich, Switzerland; in F.G. Brittinghams Irish Pub and Seafood Restaurant Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania and at the International Sporting Club, in London, England as Senior Sous Chef. He served as Head Chef at the Ballygally Castle, and later as Sous Chef at the Europa Hotel Belfast. He served as Chairman of the Northern Ireland Association of Chefs and Cooks and was one of the first chefs to be inaugurated to the Northern Ireland Culinary Academy.

Nick Price, trained at Bournemouth Hotel School where he graduated as Student of the Year, has worked in the hospitality and affiliated industries for the last 36 years. After traveling extensively, in 1978 he returned to his native Northern Ireland to set up a restaurant and bar operation known as Daft Eddys (also the name of a local folk hero) in Strangford Lough. In December 1989, he launched Nick’s Warehouse in Belfast in an old warehouse that formerly was used by The Bushmills Whisky Company located in the Cathedral Quarter, Nick’s Warehouse has listed in the Bridgestone Guide’s 100 Best Restaurants in Ireland, and is twice winner of the Irish Food and Drink Magazines Best Value in Ireland Award.

Rediscover Northern Ireland is a unique collaboration among Northern Ireland government, academic and non-profit organizations, including the Northern Ireland Bureau, Invest NI, the University of Ulster, Queens University and a broad range of arts and cultural organizations under the leadership of the Department of Culture, Arts & Leisure (DCAL) and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, developed to leverage Northern Ireland’s participation in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and present a new, revitalized Northern Ireland to U.S. audiences.  Activities have been developed to showcase Northern Ireland in the areas of trade and business, education, tourism, food and drink, and arts and culture and to promote the region as a destination site for American business, students, and travelers. For more information visit www.rediscoverni.com .

The Northern Ireland Bureau is the diplomatic office of the Northern Ireland Administration in Washington, DC.  Its remit includes developing a positive profile of Northern Ireland among US policy-makers and opinion-formers by ensuring that the policies of the Northern Ireland Administration and its associated institutions are known and understood; monitoring policy developments in the US, ensuring that Northern Ireland Ministers and Departments have up-to-date information, and are aware of opportunities for co-operation; and pursuing areas of collaboration and partnership identified by the above exchanges, and encourage their development in ways that maximize the mutual benefits.