Cavan can be new food mecca says renowned critic

The Taste of Cavan festival, which starts on Friday, can help establish the county as a food destination, akin to the finest in Europe, that’s according to one legendary food critic.
Amongst the 40 guests who packed into the Olde Post Inn, Cloverhill on last Wednesday evening to help launch the Taste of Cavan festival were John McKenna and his wife Sally.
The couple are the brains behind the McKennas’ Guide. This highlights what they regard as the 100 best eateries nationwide, and the McKennas’ Guide Plaque has become a badge of merit in Irish contemporary cuisine, and recognise culinary creativity.
The McKennas were so impressed by what they’ve heard of the Taste of Cavan festival, now in its fourth year, that John insists it can only be good for both the image and economy of County Cavan.
John even suggests that Taste of Cavan can help place Cavan on the culinary map alongside other major European food destinations. Explaining, he noted that as recently as a decade ago Copenhagen wasn’t widely regarded as a foodie destination; in 2015 it’s a mecca.

Work together
“A restaurant like Noma, which is no bigger than the one we are in now, has 100,000 people every month looking for a table. Can that happen in Cavan? Of course it can, and if everybody works together, it will.”
Respected food critic John was speaking to the Celt after he had feasted on a menu featuring six dishes, with all the ingredients entirely sourced from within a mere six miles of the restaurant. Hence the menu was given the devilishly good title of the 666 Menu. The locally sourced organic lamb was probably the star of the show. 
“Frankly I’m blown away,” was John’s summation of the meal. He opined that it was “unique” to Cavan. 
“Tonight we have been given a Cavan menu and these flavours can’t be replicated somewhere else; you can’t make them in West Cork where we live,” he said. 
“When I see people striving for that sense of place and that sense of uniqueness – it makes me really positive about the future of Irish Food.”
John praised Cavan County Council’s vision in backing and driving the Taste of Cavan.
“To have a festival that is only going for four years and that attracted 35,000 people last year is simply huge. 
“Above all it shows that the County Council recognises that food is pivotal to the local economy. If people come into Cavan and stay at the Olde Post and eat ingredients from within six miles, their money stays within the zone. It benefits everybody – not just Gearoid and Tara [Lynch] here in the Olde Post, but also the people who supply them – the farms those people run, and the people who work with them.”

Ovation
After the meal Olde Post chef Gearoid Lynch labelled the McKennas: “two of the coolest people you will ever come across”. 
“Not alone are they food critics, but they understand food and producers,” he said.
He also praised his kitchen team for putting together the sumptuous meal. Upon the chefs’ emergence from the kitchen, the full-bellied diners rose to their feet to award them an ovation. The Olde Post’s front of house team were also warmly acknowledged. 
“When you have staff like we have had for the past twelve years, it makes life easier as well – they have a passion about food, or else they would not be with us – everybody has a pride and cares about what they do,” enthused Gearoid.
The meal served as the perfect appetiser for the two-day food-fest set to run from Friday, August 7-8, in its new home of Cavan Equestrian Centre.