BITA'S GAELIC GOURMET WEEK
March 9-17, 2008
PRESS ADVISORY
February 18, 2008
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Visiting Chefs Add Celtic Flavor to Boston’s
St. Patrick’s Week Celebrations
(Boston) –Master Chefs from Ireland, Northern Ireland and Canada are coming to Boston in March to add a flavorful taste to St. Patrick’s Day activities in Massachusetts, America’s most Irish state.
Boston’s Gaelic Gourmet Week runs from March 9-17, 2008 and is a moveable feast of upscale dining events, cooking demonstrations, food discussions, book signings and culinary soirees designed to showcase new cuisine from Ireland alongside the distinct culinary traditions of New England and Canada.
The weeklong program is sponsored by the Boston Irish Tourism Association and Tourism Ireland, along with the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, Canada’s Consulate General in Boston, Irish Dairy Board/Kerrygold Butters & Cheeses and Michael Collins Whiskey.
Venues participating this year include the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum (March 9), Omni Parker House Hotel (March 10), Skywalk Observatory Restaurant (March 14), Hotel Commonwealth (March 14) and Jurys Boston Hotel (March 16). Local pubs and restaurants like the Black Rose Pub and Eastern Standard Restaurant are offering authentic Irish breakfast menus on St. Patrick’s Day weekend.
“What better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year than to bring together the great traditions of Irish, American and Canadian cuisine?” said Michael P. Quinlin, president of Boston Irish Tourism Association. “For people seeking a tasteful way to experience and enjoy Irish heritage in March, Boston is the place to be.”
“Ireland is enjoying a culinary renaissance, and March is the perfect month to convey this exciting trend to the American public,” said Joe Byrne, Executive VP, United States and Canada, Tourism Ireland. “We want Americans who are thinking about an Irish vacation this year to know they can expect excellent cuisine.”
Visiting chefs from Northern Ireland and Ireland this year include Paul McKnight of Culloden Estate and Spa in Belfast; Tony O'Neill of the Merchant's Hotel in Belfast; and Padraic Hayden of the Dylan Hotel in Dublin. Representing Canada is Chef Sean Doucet of the Delta Barrington Hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The week kicks off on Sunday, March 9, with a cooking demonstration, discussion, and book signing by Chef Neil Connolly, who was the personal chef to Rose Kennedy and the Kennedy Family in Hyannis Port for many years. Connolly, owner of Docs Restaurant in Orlando, FL, will sign copies of his new cookbook, In the Kennedy Kitchen: Recipes and Recollections of a Great American Family, published by DK Press.
On Monday, March 10, Chef Connolly will join Parker Restaurant’s Executive Chef Gerry Tice at the Omni Parker House for a four course, sit-down Irish Heritage Dinner.
On Thursday, March 13, the Irish chefs are appearing at a reception at the Massachusetts State House hosted by the Irish Consulate General in Boston.
On Friday, March 14, Chef Sean Doucet will present a display of Canadian cooking from the province of Nova Scotia at the Skywalk Observatory Restaurant, sponsored by the Canadian Consulate General of Boston.
Following the Canadian reception on Friday, March 14 is the marquee event of the week, the 3rd annual Gaelic Gourmet Gala at Hotel Commonwealth, an evening of gourmet grazing, wine and whiskey tasting and live jazz. Thirteen chefs preside over cooking stations that offer a blend of various cooking styles and traditions. In addition to the four visiting chefs from Ireland, Northern Ireland and Canada, nine chefs from Massachusetts are involved: Michael Schlow, Great Bay, Radius, Via Matta (Boston), and Alta Strada (Wellesley); Patrick Connolly, Radius(Boston); Adam Fuller, Great Bay(Boston); Andy Husbands, Tremont 647 (Boston); Mike Pagliarini, Via Matta (Boston); Seth & Angela Raynor, The Boarding House and The Pearl (Nantucket); David Ross, Lucca and Sasso (Boston); and Marco Suarez, Eastern Standard, (Boston).
On Saturday, March 15, Irish and American chefs will offer authentic Irish breakfasts at Eastern Standard Restaurant.
On Sunday, March 16, Chef Paul McKnight from Belfast teams up with Jurys Boston Hotel Executive Chef James Tierney for an Irish Culinary feast at Boston’s only Irish-owned hotel.
Billy Costa, host of the popular cooking show TV Diner on New England Cable News, is serving as master of ceremonies at the JFK Library food demonstration and lecture by Chef Connolly on Sunday, March9, and at the Gaelic Gourmet Gala at Hotel Commonwealth on Friday, March 14.
The culinary week in Boston was developed in 2005 as a way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a more stylish, sophisticated way, said Quinlin, whose group also encourages travel between Massachusetts, Ireland and Canada throughout the year.
For more details on Gaelic Gourmet Week, including reservation information, prices and times, dinner recipes, chef listings, and other information, visit the Boston Irish Tourism Association’s web site www.irishmassachusetts.com/special_features.php.
In addition to culinary events, the web site features a variety of Irish and Celtic concerts, dance performances, theater, literary readings, parades and cultural gatherings taking place throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. According to the US Census, Massachusetts is the most Irish state in the USA, with 24% of all residents claiming Irish ancestry.
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About the Boston Irish Tourism Association
BITA Contact: Michael P. Quinlin / 617 696-9880
or IrishMassachusetts@comcast.net
Founded in 2000, the Boston Irish Tourism Association
promotes cultural tourism in Massachusetts year round to the convention and
visitors industry. It
combines grass roots Irish-American groups and small businesses with mainstream
cultural venues and with the state’s vibrant hospitality industry. BITA
has developed an Irish Heritage Trail that features over 70 Irish
landmarks throughout the state, and a resource guide, Finding Your Irish
Roots in Massachusetts. In addition, BITA promotes stronger ties
between tourism agencies in Massachusetts, Ireland and Canada and encourages
travel between these great destinations.
About Tourism Ireland
Tourism Ireland Contact: Ruth Moran / 212 418-0832 or RMoran@tourismireland.com
Tourism Ireland was established under the framework of the Belfast
agreement of Good Friday 1998 to promote increased tourism to the island of
Ireland. Tourism Ireland is jointly funded by the two governments with the
marketing based on a 2:1 ratio South/North. The company has been fully operational
since January 2002 employing over 140 staff in offices located in Dublin, Coleraine
and in overseas markets. The role of Tourism Ireland in New York is to carry
out strategic all-Ireland destination marketing in the US market.
Schedule of Events | Local Celebrity Chefs | Visiting Celebrity Chefs | Press | Sponsors