A Model for Learning and Professional Development in Food
May 19, 2023
Connections can transform you. Connecting with a person, place, theory, or concept has the ability to lead you through your own thoughts in a conscious and creative way to become more than you dared dream. Collaborations embrace connections and bring us a kaleidoscope of diversity, genius, and leadership. For those of us whose lives revolve around food we crave connection and hope for collaboration. To get a peek into the lives and work of those we admire from afar is pure joy. The opportunity to learn from them offers us a vision of our own possibilities. Our own paths.
Through the many collaborations with growers, chefs, fermenters, thought leaders and visionaries, your journey of what I term 'food kaizen' will grow like the seeds you learn to plant and care for.
The BA (Hons) Botanical Cuisine programme is like no other. It takes you loosely by the hand and gently let’s go to allow you to flourish. Through the many collaborations with growers, chefs, fermenters, thought leaders and visionaries your journey of what I term 'food kaizen' , will grow like the seeds you learn to plant and care for. Learning through collaboration, particularly Industry collaboration is a symbiosis of need and future proofing. Innovation, practical skills, and creativity go hand in hand to offer expert opinion and mentorship to the learner while keeping industry vibrant and relevant. It shows us what’s out there and how we can access it, how we can learn from it and how we can shape it. Throughout my year, (2022) in Botanical Cuisine the connections with our environment were bolstered at each module by the programme's collaboratives. Here’s how this Botanical Cuisine Programme of study leaves a footprint on your soul.
Airfield Estate
The programme is a collaboration between Airfield estate and TU Dublin, Tallaght campus. Up with the birds every Monday to arrive bright eyed and bushytailed (on a Monday!) You are immediately immersed in the ethos of sustainability, regeneration, expertise, learning and fun. Onsite in Airfield, regenerative farming techniques, growing organically, harvesting, animal care and, the challenges faced, and the solutions being implemented are presented in an interactive way. You get down and dirty. Dedication and belief in action are evident as the core principles that drive this unique place.
It is people lead and learner centred in a most holistic way. Paula, our growing lecturer always appeared to me to be an extension of the soil. Always with her hands buried in the earth, bent forward, talking, listening and always ready with a smile, even if her heating was broken again in the van. There are no frills with Paula, no beating around the bush. Highly engaging, knowledge and expertise bursting from her, she teaches you well. I learned a lot!
Foraging
In his book, Irish Wild Plants: Myths legends and folklore, Niall Mac Coitir talks about the importance of wild plants in ancient Irish times, their place in poetry, Brehon law and as medicine. He gives an example of how it was believed there were 365 parts to the body and that a different herb existed to cure the ills of each part. Traditions of gathering food from our forests, shorelines, mountains, and natural spaces are brought to life by chefs and foragers. Generously sharing knowledge and demonstrating how to utilise every scrap of bounty, asking for our opinions, interested in how we might use them.
Foraging and using foraged food is a theme that runs throughout the year. The enchanting Ballymoyle woods with the almost ethereal Clothilde, mixing it up in Kilruddery house, the potential, and possibilities with Simon from Woodruff Stepaside restaurant, all our senses are tuned into these people sharing their lives’ work. I cannot just walk anymore, I inevitably end up in a ditch, halfway up a tree or ankle deep in the sea seeking out wild edibles. The joy is real.
The Chefs and the Producers
Our visit to Aniar nearly killed me with excitement!
From wild foods to growing, our engagement with producers e.g. Mc Nally's Farm and Littlecress microgreens- focused us on respect for the ingredient and flavour. Dr JP Mc Mahon, ( Patron of the programme along with Sasu Laukkonen and Matt Orlando,), Niall O’ Sullivan, Caomhan De Bri, Simon Williams, and Jordan Bailey linked in with us. This is a series line up of chefs! All of them gave us generously of their time and expertise. They are superbly talented, immensely creative, and most importantly uniquely placed to help us grow as cooks and to understand food in a way that textbooks cannot. Our visit to Aniar nearly killed me with excitement!
Charles Michel- Interpreting the Earth
Learning to express oneself through food is higher level and at first may seem counterintuitive to what cooks do on a daily basis. It was however one of the biggest learning curves of my career. You are asked to 'dig deep', to research, to become entangled in what food really is in today’s world.
A teacher extraordinaire. Charles Michel is captivating, deeply intelligent, with a gentle nature, powered by a love of the natural world and belief in a more equitable and sustainable food system. A highlight of the year, Charles mentored us through online workshops. Charles’ words and work challenged me on a deeper level than any other part of the programme. Tapping into artistry while considering the plight of the planet is disturbing. Learning to express oneself through food is higher level and at first may seem counterintuitive to what cooks do on a daily basis. It was however one of the biggest learning curves of my career. You are asked to 'dig deep', to research, to become entangled in what food really is in today’s world. This collaboration embraces connection unlike any other. It lingers inside of you, nudging you to think and act better.
Young and old chefs and cooks are hungry for change, they want to express their surroundings in their food, they want to embrace equity, sustainability and creativity.
The BA (Hons) Botanical Cuisine is so much more than I have described here. It is Beekeeping, hydroponics, mystery boxes of ingredients, academic endeavour, and reflection, plenty of reflection! And it is drama, in the form of the end of year showcase. A living thesis. I feel I would need many more pages to give it justice.
The true essence of collaboration is summed in by Rodney Crowell “invariably, collaboration leads to new forms of self-expression and to the things that move you.” The collaborative and connective model utilised by this programme is to my mind a model that should be embraced by all culinary arts teaching. I am hard pressed to think of another industry that needs change more. Young and old chefs and cooks are hungry for change, they want to express their surroundings in their food, they want to embrace equity, sustainability and creativity. We need visionaries to share. We need connection. We need collaboration. The industry needs it.
“Every person is a world to explore.”
Thich Nhat Hanh.
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