Johanna Watkins, organiser of the Listowel Food Fair
A chance meeting with local Fine Gael TD Jimmy Deenihan started Johanna Watkins's 12-year involvement with Listowel Food Fair. "I met him one day, walking a mountain in Killarney. He asked me would I be interested in getting involved in an idea he had for a food fair. He was junior Minister for Agriculture at the time and had been travelling around Europe and seeing all these great food fairs, and he thought Kerry should have one, too."
Johanna moved to Ireland in 1994 from London, where she was working as a a micro-biologist. "My mother was from Listowel so we spent most summers there when I was young. I spent time in Toronto as well, but the lure of north Kerry was strong and when I got the chance to move there, I took it."
The first Listowel Food Fair was held in October 1995, with the aim of promoting quality food from Kerry and the rest of Ireland. "It has gone from strength to strength, but is still a voluntary event. There are 10 people on the committee and they are a great group. I find it very rewarding from the point of view of it being a community project, so you feel you are giving something back." Watkins says.
She and her fellow committee members will be busy in the run up to the event. "It's pretty frantic getting things together for it, but once it starts we can relax a little and enjoy it. I love being part of it; you get to meet some really interesting people. We've had cookery demonstrations from Nevin Maguire, and Rachel and Darina Allen. This year we have Joe Duffy as MC, and a cookery demonstration from Kenneth Culhane, who has been training in Australia with Tetsuya Wakuda."
The programme includes competitions for farmhouse cheesemakers; Kerry Restaurant of the Year; and a Young Chef of the Year. There are also tastings; a dairy farming seminar; a Good Food Dining Circle and a workshop for kids".
The Listowel Food Fair takes place from November 23rd to 27th. See www.listowelfoodfair.com for details.