Róisín Gillen and Ailish O’Neill, chef and assistant manager at Liath restaurant in Blackrock, Co Dublin, are branching out with a one-night pop-up that will celebrate women in their industry.
Fóras, a seven-course tasting menu dinner with accompanying wines, will take place on Monday, August 5th at Host restaurant in Ranelagh, Dublin 6. Gillen will cook dishes inspired by outstanding female chefs, among them Dominique Crenn, Clare Smyth, and Darina Allen. O'Neill will match the dishes with wines from leading female winemakers.
There are only 22 seats available for the event, which costs €90 including wines, and they go on sale at noon tomorrow (Friday). To book, email foraspopup@gmail.com.
“Forás means growth and evolution in Irish, and we wanted to pick a name that would help represent what we are doing and would highlight female chefs and winemakers,” Gillen says.
Mentioning the lack of female representation and recognition in the industry, Gillen adds: "It's slowly changing, and we just want to help that along." She will be joined in the kitchen for the event by Liath's newest member of staff, chef Miranda Qassis. O'Neill's front of house support for the night will be Tara Deery from Uno Mas restaurant.
O’Neill, who is training as a sommelier through undertaking the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) courses of study and exams, regards the pop-up as a chance to show what they can do.
“Roisin and I started working together five years ago, and having started out in our careers together in the same place, it’s about our growth and our development within the industry as well.”
