MORE than 120 of Belfast’s top chefs, restaurateurs and food specialists have come together as part of a major workshop which aims to explore the future of the city’s food and drink industry.
The event saw Irish chef, restaurateur and TV personality Anna Haugh and food industry stalwart Paul Rankin take part in a panel discussion with NI food ambassador Joris Minne designed to inspire the city’s food and drink champions with new ideas and insights.
Other experts involved included Sunday Times restaurant critic Patrick Hanlon, sustainable seafood champion Stevie McCarry from Coleraine’s award-winning restaurant and shop Lir, kitchen sustainability advocate and culinary director of FoodSpace, Conor Spacey, Flout Pizza owner Peter Thompson and Belfast Stories programme director Wendy Langham and Eimear Henry.
The workshop was delivered by the Belfast Food & Drink Collective which was established in 2023 in order to promote the importance of fresh, local and sustainable food and support the city’s aim to be a sustainable tourist destination.
Co-chair of Belfast Food and Drink Tourism, Paul Kane said: “Belfast’s food and drink industry enjoys an outstanding reputation for quality, choice and value and we are consistently overwhelmed by the sector’s industry leaders for their passion and enthusiasm to look forward, to innovate and to embrace sustainability practices right across their businesses.
“A key economic driver for the city, this thriving industry helps to promote Belfast as a world class tourism destination, and I’m delighted by this success of this exciting future-focused event.”
The event was supported by Belfast City Council and the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs as well as Tourism NI and Tourism Ireland. It is the first in a series special workshops set to take place this spring.
Agriculture minister Andrew Muir added: “The event closely aligns with the Northern Ireland Food Strategy Framework, which I recently launched after securing Executive agreement. The Framework recognises the interconnectedness between food, health, the economy and the environment.
“The successes from this initiative and the Belfast Food & Drink Collective will have a long-term benefit to the wider agri-food industry, not only here in Belfast but across the whole of Northern Ireland.”
The next free event – Future-Proofing Your Business: Practical Sustainability for Food & Drink – with sustainability expert Tina O’Dwyer, takes place on March 25 at Windsor Park.