A rural community, which has scooped up to €775,000 in grant aid and supports, plans to develop a landmark chef training programme which will see participants work with local producers and get a unique insight into the origin of local food. Thomastown has won the title of the first ever Kilkenny LEADER Partnership ‘Town of Food’ competition. The town beat off stiff competition from Callan, Castlecomer, Kilmacow and Piltown, all of which also submitted comprehensive business plans and made oral submissions in the landmark competition.
The expert judging panel which adjudicated over the business plans and oral submissions included Kilkenny-born entrepreneur Bobby Kerr, Colin Jephson from Ardkeen Quality Food Stores; Helen McDaid, Food Tourism, Failte Ireland; financial expert and volunteer, Declan McCann, and Tommy Cooke, a member of the board of Teagasc.
Mags Kirwan from Goatsbridge Trout Farm in Thomastown said the group was very focused and their passion for food shone through in their proposal: “Food is an integral part of our DNA in Thomastown. We are very fortunate to have some really passionate producers in this region. ”We kept our proposal community-focused. We approached our plan as if it were a business plan for a start-up that we wanted to see prosper and grow way beyond three years. Ours was also a very inclusive plan which incorporates our vision for a FETAC-level training hub for chefs. We plan to offer a 35-week programme broken down into 12 weeks in the classroom, the remainder in local restaurants and with food producers in the area.”
As the ‘Town of Food’ winner, Thomastown is potentially eligible for up to €500,000 of grant aid for capital works and LEADER support and grant aid of up to €100,000 towards a three-year programme of food related training and education courses.
Bernice Barrington
Source: Business and Leadership – Winning ‘Town of Food’ Plans Chef Training Programme
