Ireland's top chefs for Galway Volvo food fair

IT'S not only world class sailors who are racing around the world to Galway on the final leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, Ireland's top chefs are also on their way to the city to cook up a culinary storm. The Food Fair, one of the innovations of the nine-day Volvo festival (June 30 to July 8) will see Darina Allen, Kevin Dundon, Ross Lewis, Neven Maguire and Mickael Viljanen in action in the waterfront kitchen theatre being constructed in the Global Village Food Pavillon. Neven Maguire says the Volvo Ocean Race finale in Galway is a magnificent opportunity to showcase the very best of Irish food and to tantalise the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected in the city with an unforgettable taste of Galway 'During the week we will be working with the very best of Irish food, something I'm always proud to do,' he said. 'The emphasis will be on highlighting the world-beating quality of Irish food; demonstrating the excitement of cooking for both entertainment and for families and showing visitors how to create memorable, affordable meals with great locally sourced ingredients.' There will also be daily demonstrations by some of the western seaboard's leading chefs including Cava's JP McMahon and Wade Murphy from Doonbeg Lodge. One of the intriguing features of the week will be an opportunity to see how many different ways fish can be filleted, the skills involved in breaking down a chicken, foraging for wild food on the seashore and in the hedge rows, and traditional artisan cheese making. The food festival isn't just for adults. Over 90 young children aged between ten and 12 years will get the chance to cook alongside a top Euro-toques chef. Each morning up to ten children will take part in workshops where they will pick up skills from the master chefs and learn about taste and the simple pleasures of cooking and eating. Head of the world famous Ballymaloe Cookery School Darina Allen said 'I'm on a mission to teach children the fun and magic of growing and cooking food not only to tackle growing health problems, but also to give them lifelong skills and pleasure.' A unique initiative of the festival is the Artisan Market featuring up to 25 artisan producers from all over Ireland. The Food Pavillion also includes a 400-seat restaurant, which will serve a range of Irish food produce to thousands of visitors over the course of the week.