Tell us about yourself Colm.
I was the Head Chef at Cafe Rua in Castlebar. I joined FoodCloud and helped to launch the new FoodCloud Kitchen. FoodCloud was established in 2013 by Iseult Ward and Aoibheann O’Brien, with a shared vision of no good food going to waste. It’s a social enterprise that exists first and foremost to reduce the environmental, social and economic impact of food waste by redistributing surplus food to our network of Charity and Community Group partners.
What is the FoodCloud Kitchen?
We launched The FoodCloud Kitchen earlier this summer. It offers a catering experience with a difference for your event, serving delicious food that is saving the planet with a generous side of social impact as all profits generated from The FoodCloud Kitchen are reinvested into FoodCloud’s core activities of redistributing surplus food to over 600 community and voluntary organisations across the country.
How did it come about?
FoodCloud Kitchen is a natural evolution from our core work because through the kitchen, we can demonstrate to our customers how perfectly good food that would otherwise be wasted can be transformed into truly delicious and nutritious meals. FoodCloud works with over 200 different food businesses, from farmers, distributors, and manufacturers to retailers. We work tirelessly to rescue and redistribute as much of this surplus food as we can to our community partners. Unfortunately, we cannot always find a home for the surplus food that we are offered. Sometimes there is too much of one product, the product is too short-dated, or there is limited demand for the product in the community and voluntary sector. When this happens, some of the surplus we receive becomes waste, and we send it for anaerobic digestion. The FoodCloud Kitchen provides us with an opportunity to transform this food into delicious meals and products and further reduce food waste.
What can visitors to the Harvest Fair at Richmond Barracks expect this weekend?
Well the menu is generally a veggie and a non veggie main course. The menu will vary depending on what surplus is available. This weekend we’ll be serving Slow-cooked Pork and Bean Burrito served with Herby Baked Potato Salad and the FoodCloud Veggie box – grilled greens, baked potato salad, turnip and beetroot coleslaw, FoodCloud pickles and a pear and ginger chutney.
Celebrating All That Is Harvest Season
Richmond Barracks September Harvest Fair
September 24th & 25th | 11am – 5pm | Admission Free