Food on the Edge 2023: two days of storytelling in Dublin

Food on the Edge returned for another two days of stimulating discussions at Dublin’s Airfield Estate on 16 and 17 October.

The urban farm in Dundrum, South Dublin has been home to the food symposium for the last three years, but this year’s event was filled with the rumour that Food on the Edge would return next year to its natural home in Galway. Something that organiser, chef JP McMahon confirmed when the event closed on Tuesday.

While we can look forward to getting back out west next year, for now, it’s worth reflecting on the success of Food on the Edge 2023, which saw local and international guests and speakers deliver thought-provoking talks and panel discussions over two days around the theme of ‘storytelling’.

Day one, 16 October

As usual, JP McMahon opened the event with an address that outlined the theme of ‘storytelling’ which encompasses a wide range of angles from food writers and journalists as well as chefs and the stories they tell through their dishes and their restaurants. Gastronomy is, of course, a language and with the medium of food and creativity we communicate our thoughts and values.

The first speaker of the day was chef Elena Reygadas current holder of the title of The World’s Best Female Chef, for her work at her leading Rosetta restaurant in Mexico City. For her, storytelling is about connecting with her community and telling the stories of foodways and traditions that go back hundreds or even thousands of years. She reimagines and recreates this on the plates in her restaurant as a way of expressing herself creatively in a collaborative act that crosses boundaries, generations and centuries.

Next up was Irish lecturer and professional chef Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, who has long been an invaluable voice for the preservation and cultivation of Irish foodways and traditions. He expounded on society’s responsibility to tell the story of nature.

A difficult but important discussion followed with chef Andy McFadden of Glovers Alley, a Dublin Michelin-starred restaurant that had been dogged with rumours of bullying and a toxic work culture. McFadden took to the stage to talk about his experience of that culture and how he unwittingly allowed it to proliferate and how he became consumed with addiction. The story ends well though, McFadden revealing how he began to defeat his own personal demons and get to grips with the restaurant’s culture.

The stage then welcomed Canadian chef and activist Jason Bangerter and Irish chef Stephen Hayes who discussed how ocean sustainability is complicated and nuanced and how different communities and NGOs collaborate to improve the knowledge of fish species lifecycles and how that affects our cooking calendars.

Chef Michael Wilson, who through his work with renowned hospitality group Unlisted Collection makes a mark on the Singapore culinary scene, was next up. Wilson believes in letting his food speak for itself and doesn’t subscribe to overly elaborate explanations instead allowing the diner to interpret his food in their own way.

Koji was a strong thread that ran through the whole event and Rich Shih (above), co-author of Koji Alchemy explained about how koji works and how it can build bonds and community. A discussion about Taste the Atlantic Young Chefs and Ireland and Culinary Tourism rounded out the morning before a break for lunch.

Sunny Hodge, the founder/owner of Diogenes the Dog and aspen & meursault, two multi-award-winning wine bars associated with challenging the status quo of wine opened the stage after lunch with a highly informative and entertaining talk through the ins and outs of sustainable wine production. He was followed by Japan’s Endo Kazutoshi, a third-generation sushi master whose London restaurant shares the story of a whole traditional and culture with London guests, who entertained with a warm-hearted speech. Then for the rest of the afternoon, speakers took to the stage to share their storytelling approach in their own communities and businesses. Rafael Cagali took us to Brazil in Bethnal Green; a snapshot of traditional fare through fine dining at restaurant Da Ter; and Roberta Hall-McCarron told us ‘How my childhood influenced my food’. Friend of Food on the Edge Annette Sweeney was in conversation with chef, entrepreneur, lecturer, development manager, beekeeper and educational innovator Jarmo Heimala and Ivan Brehm took us down ‘Parallel paths – an alternative look into the potential truths of who we are’.

Fine Dining Lovers’ Managing Editor Tom Jenkins took the stage in the second afternoon session to explore the effect of AI on the future of food journalism, while Italian food journalist Andrea Petrini took us through a stream-of-consciousness about storytelling in food.

Day two, 17 October

Day two was opened by Mark Anderson of Gather & Gather and Pauline Cox. Mark is a FOTE ambassador and partner, and his catering company provides the food for the guests at the event. Italian chef Alessandro Cozzolino took the stage to tell us about his La Loggia project at Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel in the hills above Florence. Tala Bashmi, Best Female Chef MENA by The World’s 50 Best (2022) and considered the voice of Bahraini cuisine shared her story as ‘The chef from the land with two seas’.

Gabriel Waterhouse took us on a journey through how his upbringing has influenced much of his culinary journey, the food, and the environment that he creates at The Water House Project in Bethnal Green. Two stars of the Irish culinary scene Majken Bech-Bailey and Jordan Bailey took to the stage to share with us why they decided to walk away from Ireland’s most successful modern restaurant, Aimsir, followed by Andoni Luis Aduriz, who shared his always brilliant insights into creativity and art in gastronomy from his innovative perspectives. Tom Hunt, award-winning chef, food writer and climate change campaigner took us through the meaning of ‘root to fruit’ eating. Bay Area-based chef and creative consultant Gary Podesto told us how a ‘menu is worth a thousand words.’

Mumbai native, Aditi Dugar (above), entrepreneur and food activist lit up the stage in the afternoon session to share with us how ‘Storytelling takes on new forms in an age of homogenisation’. Dan Cox, chef-owner of Crocadon in St Mellion, Southeast Cornwall, located on a 120-acre organic farm, walked us through the ins and outs of regenerative farming methods and the importance of loving the soil that gives us everything.

The event was brought to a close with leading light of the restaurant sustainability movement Douglas McMaster who discussed his zero-waste concept Silo and the challenges and solutions that are found in its day-to-day running. Chef JP McMahon closed the proceedings with an address.

This year, Food on the Edge provided a series of masterclasses, held in Airfield House. Tom Jenkins moderated a talk about the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy (pictured) which included mentor chef Jordan Bailey, S.Pellegrino Social Responsibility Award winner and the chef behind the Versa concept on the Isle of Man, Pippa Lovell, and Irish chef Conor Halpenny.

Other highlights included ‘The application of fermentation in closed loop systems’, and Rich Shih and Martin Ruffley’s ‘Koji – an essential flavour-building ingredient’.

Once again Food on the Edge sets itself apart from other gastronomic events with an emphasis on quality over quantity, some truly inspired speeches and a warm Irish welcome.