May 26, 2023
Chefs Finding True Purpose
Nine months as a Botanical Cuisine student will change how you interpret food and food growing drastically. The year begins in September, in the picturesque and entirely appropriate setting of the Airfield Estate in Dundrum. Airfield is a hub for sustainable food. The estate bridges the gap between our food growers and those who are wholly disconnected from it. This also will be our purpose as Botanical Cuisine graduates. We are the fifth class which have had the pleasure of diving deep into the sustainability of our food systems. Imagine the network of environmentally conscious chefs that will be equipped with knowledge of food growing systems, nutrition, and plant-forward cookery in another few years; they will be the game-changers.
Investing time in developing a food sustainability mindset
Without doubt, the Botanical Cuisine course is the most progressive, dynamic culinary arts course in the country at present. I, myself, travelled every Monday morning – literally at the crack of dawn or before it – from Galway to participate in the course. It might seem bananas or even a complete inconvenience to travel across the country at 5 o clock in the morning to do a part time course, but for me it was the highlight of the week. As much as possible I would get public transport to Dublin and enjoy a little nap in the comfortable seats on the Aircoach. I learned quickly that the mind-boggling traffic congestion which exists around the city was overly taxing on my conscience - as I claimed to be a sustainably conscious individual - and sat in my car by myself, surrounded by thousands of others making individual journeys to the city. As they say, ‘be the change you wish to see in the world’, and actually it was a bit of a no-brainer change to make.
It might seem bananas or even a complete inconvenience to travel across the country at 5 o' clock in the morning to do a part time course, but for me it was the highlight of the week
From the bus I could ponder the immensity of the problems that exist in our food systems, from a lack of real food in peoples’ diets, to farmers not being paid for the real value of their produce, to carbon heavy imported foods, overly intensive agriculture, overfishing, immense food waste, the dwindling biosphere, right down to a non-existent understanding of where our food comes from. There is much to be resolved, and I daren’t say I know how to fix it all, not even remotely close. However, I now know how long it takes to grow a carrot or a pea– a much longer and more laborious task than we give farmers credit for – I have learned also how to grow food year-round in the Irish climate and therefore how to plan a menu which reflects the vegetables which would actually be in season at any given time in this country.
The Botanical Cuisine plate is flavour focused, nutrient dense and celebrates real food. It is quite literally the most delicious food you will eat, and you will enjoy it more in the knowledge that it is the way forward.
Empowering Chefs
This kind of knowledge is incredibly empowering as a chef, as I can bring food to a table which is superior in terms of flavour and nutrition. I have learned what my role is in it all. Through the course, we encountered regenerative food production in a variety of settings. There are a tremendous amount of incredible people producing food in Ireland. From regenerative aquaculture systems on our coastlines to field-scale organic vegetable producers in the heartlands to urban beekeepers in our cities. I often feel that the food system is beyond fixing, but these humble producers, who have the most infectious passion for what they do, restore my faith in the possibility for change. As chefs we have a responsibility to tell their stories, to honour their produce and challenge the Irish people’s misguided disregard for the food that is grown here. The Botanical Cuisine course puts a plant-forward approach at the centre of the plate, but don’t let this frighten you off. The Botanical Cuisine plate is flavour focused, nutrient dense and celebrates real food. It is quite literally the most delicious food you will eat, and you will enjoy it more in the knowledge that it is the way forward.
You leave feeling empowered, and full to the brim with new ideas.
When you begin your Monday morning at the Airfield estate learning how to grow food organically from seed, and your afternoon in the kitchens at Tallaght whipping up creative and engaging plant-based dishes, you leave feeling empowered, and full to the brim with new ideas. There’s no doubt that there are many challenges facing us in terms of the environment. The course is a positive space where you learn how to think about these challenges in creative ways and above all discover the possibility of your power as a chef in influencing the future of our food for the better.
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