Lockdown serves up a food awakening
OUR RESTAURANT CRITIC CELEBRATES NEW APPROACHES AND RESILIENCE AT A CHALLENGING TIME
THIS week I found myself talking to a food retailer with a hotline to the man above, some intrepid food producers in West Cork, a chef with a love of baking, and the owners of a five-star boutique hotel in Dingle about the challenges of doing business during the current crisis.
■ THE FOOD BOX
Barbara Berman and Clive Wallace, of Berman & Wallace, have catered for many big names — including the Pope during his visit to Ireland in 2018. They’re also caterers to Leinster Rugby.
Based in Belfield Office Park in Clonskeagh, Dublin, where they also have a restaurant, Clive is the chef while Barbara is front of house and looks after business development. They also employ 20 staff, who have had to be temporarily laid off.
“Our restaurant is based in a business park and our catering clients are mainly corporate so our entire customer base disappeared and we had very little local presence as our restaurant doesn’t open evenings or weekends. Two weeks into the lockdown, we decided to try ‘Dinner to your Door’, high-end hot restaurant food delivered at weekends. We had an uphill battle, but through friends, local clients, social media and word of mouth, we’ve reached a local audience and, in the process, met some amazing people. We’ve now also introduced a range of home-cooked freshly frozen meals — also delivered. On top of that, we are now offering gift boxes of home-cooked frozen meals delivered to the recipients,” says Barbara.
“While our current operation provides only a fraction of our normal business, it’s providing a contribution to our fixed costs and keeping our business alive. More than that though, it’s made us think very differently and really opened our minds. We’ve seen so much support and kindness — including clients buying dinner for a friend — a nice way to offer cheer in a difficult time.” bermanandwallace.ie
■ THE PRODUCERS
Tastes and times have changed a lot since Helena and Eugene Hickey first started rearing a few ducks in their barn in 1994 in Skeaghanore, West Cork. It wasn’t long before it was clear that they were hitting all the right notes at the local markets and shops, and Skeaghanore Pekin duck has been a firm favourite in restaurants near and far for many years now. Today, some 26 years later, their business has really grown, with all of their processing being done at their 5,000 sq ft factory and their son Daniel is an active participant in the business.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing for the family though, having battled their way through the last recession not so long ago. “Diversification is the key for any small business,” Daniel says. “In 2008, the business had to change as sales took a huge dip and fresh duck was just not selling.” This was when Helena started hot smoking duck breast and confiting duck legs to find another avenue for sales. “This worked well and got us through the last recession.” Both of these products are now available under the Simply Better range at Dunnes Stores and also in certain SuperValu branches.
“Restaurants make up about 80pc of our sales, so we got a huge shock when they were closed. After the initial shock, we decided to try doing a few things differently. We’ve become active on social media. Our new website has an online shop option and our online sales have hugely increased with nationwide delivery available. Neighbourhood markets have grown in popularity and this has been a life saver for us.
“Restaurants that we had been supplying have started opening as takeaways also, so we’re delighted. Finally, like in 2008, we’ve diversified again. We launched our first batch of Skeaghanore fresh chickens this month, which sold out straight away.”
They also have a 100-cow milking herd. It’s all go in West Cork, and the Hickey family are certainly ready to fight back. skeaghanore.ie
■ THE RESTAURANT
Having had a successful career in Dublin, at both Chapter One and the former Restaurant 41, Peter Everett returned to his native Waterford and opened his eponymous restaurant with his partner Keith Noonan in 2018, which has been a tremendous success.
“When we closed the restaurant in mid-March, little did I think I would now be operating as a baker and more recently operating a dine-athome takeaway service.
“At the beginning, the focus was on what bills that were due for payment shortly and how long could we keep our staff on payroll. The assistance received through the wage subsidy scheme was huge — as it meant we could keep our full-time staff on, and give us a bit of breathing space. I was hesitant to launch straight away into a takeaway model — but I was conscious of the need to keep the business going, to get some cash coming in, the need to keep staff safe and the need to maintain the reputation of the restaurant. Faced with this, I came up with the stop-gap plan to bake bread with just myself in the kitchen, which became popular. When it was announced restaurants may be able to open again from June 29, I made the decision to keep baking bread but started a dine-at-home takeaway service with one of my chefs, John. We work in the kitchen in our separate areas prepping a three-course dinner (€30pp) — a cold starter and dessert, and a main that’s heated by the customer at home.”
Orders and payment are taken by phone (051 325-174). Customers are given pick-up slots for the next day — collection Thurs-Sat night.
“I opened my own restaurant to provide our customers with a great dining experience and an enjoyable night out. We’ll be doing everything we can to give people that experience once again, but we’ll have to adapt and work within the safety guidelines so everyone can be confident they can be safe at the same time.” everetts.ie
■ THE HOTEL
Helen and Brian Heaton, of the fabulous five-star Castlewood House in Dingle, are a highly driven couple who play a major part in the food and tourism industry of this stunning peninsula. They met while working in Ashford Castle, Cong, which was certainly a romantic setting but also gave them a good grounding in five-star service. Nothing is ever too much trouble, and nothing but the best will do.
Helen grew up on another peninsula, the beautiful Cooley Peninsula in Co Louth and Brian in Limerick.
“I was raised on a sheep farm, and both Brian and I had a very good grounding in working hard and the importance of supporting the local community. I think that 2005 saw the realisation of a dream for us, when we opened the boutique-style Castlewood House. We spent the next few years building our business and we’ve won many awards. In 2014, we were honoured to be named No 1 Best Bargain Hotel in the World by Tripadvisor.”
They also do the most amazing breakfast, cooked by Brian each morning, with everything from poached plums to homemade bread and butter pudding, to smoked salmon omelettes and frittatas. The business also include the popular Heaton’s Guesthouse in Dingle, run by David Heaton, Brian’s brother.
“We have that Irish spirit of survival, so we will adapt, rethink and reconfigure to comply with protocols. We are reopening shortly and would love to see you.” castlewooddingle.com