CELEBRITY CHEF Jamie Oliver is to open the Taste of Dublin festival this summer. Getting Oliver, arguably the most famous chef of his generation, has been an ambition for the festival organisers since it started in 2006.
Oliver will open the festival on Thursday, June 14th, and then give a demonstration in the chefs tent which only has a seating capacity for 120 people.
Taste of Dublin director Rachel Kelly said: “We expect 4,500 and 5,000 people on the Thursday evening and we can’t expect that number of people to get a good view of his demonstration.”
His appearance clashes with the Ireland v Spain match in the European Championships, so the game will be shown on big screens in the Iveagh Gardens where Taste of Dublin takes place every year.
Others taking part include home-grown chefs Derry Clarke, Catherine Fulvio, Rachel Allen, Clodagh McKenna, Neven Maguire, Darina Allen and Paul Flynn, along with international chefs Jean Christophe Novelli and Valentine Warner.
The basic cost of a ticket, has been lowered from €25 to a recession-friendly €20, which does not include a booking fee.
Ireland’s burgeoning food culture is reflected in a new survey that suggests that restaurants have replaced pubs as the most popular choice for socialising among Dubliners.
The second “Your Dublin Your Voice survey”, carried out by Dublin City Council, found that 77 per cent of people in the city dined out at least once a month in comparison to 66 per cent who go to the pub at least once a month.
More than half believed the cost of eating out had fallen in recent years.
