Pop Up Dinner at Dublin Cookery School
Tuesday 09 April 2013
I recently had one of the best meals of the year so far – not as one might expect in a posh restaurant, but at a pop-up event of graduating students at the Dublin Cookery School in Blackrock, Co Dublin.
Lynda Booth is both principal and proprietor of the Dublin Cookery School located in a very impressive state-of-the-art facility, from where she has been operating for the past six years.
We kicked off the tasting menu with a stunning combination of cauliflower veloute, roast scallops and cumin foam paired with a crisp 'soldier' of toast topped with smoked haddock. This was followed by organic salmon, criss crossed with squid spears, long stem broccoli, almonds and rocket pesto.
Course after course continued to impress both as to presentation, flavour and substance, as a tranche of country-style terrine provided a mosaic of colours contrasted by a delicate array of micro-style shavings of radish, apple matchsticks, Jerusalem artichoke and hazelnuts.
Next up was a chunk of free-range chicken with sinful macaroni carbonara, baby leeks and a crispy hen's egg. This was followed by a clever cheese course which saw a slim rectangle of cheesecake with slices of poached pear, gingernut crumb and quince puree, and the evening rounded off with salted caramel ice cream and chocolate cookies.
It was hard to believe that it had all been prepared by graduating students of the Dublin Cookery School's three-month certificate course, albeit under the supervision of guest chef for the evening, Stephen Gibson, of the Pichet restaurant in Dublin.
Though Lynda Booth has been operating her cookery school for many years, it has to be said that it is one of the best kept secrets in Ireland. This is probably because like many 'small' businesses, she is hands-on at all times. And make no mistake, this is a world-class facility with extraordinary standards borne out by the fact that students travel here specially to attend courses, and also by the fact that international celebrity chefs, such as Atul Kochhar, and top Irish chefs Sunil Ghai of Ananda, Stephen Gibson, John Wyer, and Richard Gleeson (ex Ottolenghi in London), are prepared to come and give cookery demonstrations and work with the students.
"The pop-up is an evening for the three-month students to feel a bit of the heat in the kitchen," says Lynda. "I like the students to get the experience of working with different chefs so they get used to adapting to different styles. On our two previous pop-ups on this session, they did an Indian evening with Sunil Ghai and a Middle Eastern evening with Richard Gleeson. They opted for a bistro-style on this occasion and so Stephen Gibson was the obvious choice to come in and lead them.
"At all the pop-ups, the visiting chef is under strict instruction to let the students do all the cooking: this is a night to showcase their ability and what they have achieved so far – under direction, of course!" she says.
Lynda Booth herself is a widely experienced and travelled chef, having spent a decade going around the world gaining experience. "Some of it was high-end such as with Raymond Blanc at his two-star Michelin restaurant in Oxford, some of it was specialist such as at chocolatiers in San Francisco and Brussels. And in stark contrast, there were many more humble places such as a fish restaurant down on the Italian riviera. Opening Dublin Cookery School in 2007 has allowed me to continue my journey," she explains.
"Atul Kochhar was over last month and there are plenty others like him who have come here – it's only the charming ones who get the second invitation!" says Lynda.
"All the time there are new contacts being forged, which keeps the school vibrant. In the last 12 months I have been back to Raymond Blanc for a week, food shopped with Madhur Jaffrey in New York, run the Cookery School at the Taste of Dublin, and disappeared without trace into the mud at the Ploughing Championships!
"I always keep my ears open for young chefs coming back to the country and I always aim to keep them occupied before they set up their own place. At present we have John Wyer and Richard Gleeson and it's been an eye-opener for them to learn to teach, and for us to see what ideas they have come up with from their travels.
"The hours are long here because I think a cookery school needs someone at the helm all the time. But it's very satisfying because I have no ambitions beyond the cookery school. I just want this to be the very best it can.
"From the first, my aim was to have two strands to the school. Firstly, I wanted an exceptional three-month certificate course. It's demanding but allows students to work at a pace that they are comfortable with.
"Over the last few years I've seen people using redundancy payments to open up in a new field – and that's worked really well. What has been enormously gratifying is, that as word has spread, we get more students from abroad and they're bowled over as to how far Irish food has come. They love trips down the country to forage, make cheese, or whatever we might be doing. The Irish chefs who have spent time away and are now returning can clearly hold their own with any in the world. The second strand of the school is as a resource for home cooks of all abilities. We have a range of evening and weekend courses that cover an incredible range of themes."
With over 100 cookery courses run last year from one-day through five days, to four weeks and the 12-week certificate course, there is something to suit everyone – from Tapas to A Taste of the Middle East, Cafe Cooking to Man in the Kitchen, World Street Food to Modern Bistro Cooking.
People have different reasons for doing cookery courses, be it to broaden their ability in the kitchen or perhaps with the thought of getting involved in the food business at varying levels.
I spoke to four of the graduating students; two who had come from abroad and two from home. Amerigo Brunetti is a 46-year-old Italian living in Madrid who took six months' leave from his job with IBM.
"I wanted to do something in English and I started looking for business-related courses to take a break from the office life. I went on the internet and found the Dublin Cookery School and that was it. I came in December to get familiar with the city and to find a place to stay, and started in January. I have a passion for food and after this course even more. I was cooking at home – but for an Italian, this is totally different. The people here are fantastic, the chefs and the students," he says.
Niamh Ennis from Howth had been working as a civil engineer. "I was working in the city centre but unfortunately was made redundant last October. I had to think of another career, which is why I came here.
"It has been absolutely fantastic, so much more full-on than I ever thought it would be. The chefs and Lynda have made the whole experience amazing," she explains.
Niamh says she also has horses and will be moving down to Inagh, Co Clare, with her boyfriend whose family have a farm there. It is a shooting lodge so they have been considering doing more in this line with Niamh doing the catering.
Santash Thomas is from Kerala in India: "I wanted to do more European-type foods and could see that Lynda's course was fine cooking. Three friends told me to come here and I loved the course. I want to get more experience before I go home – in France – and then I go back to my country."
Janet Sheehan said she was a physiotherapist originally and had also worked in the arts field. "About 20 years ago I thought of going to Ballymaloe to do a course but I had very small children and it just wasn't possible. I live just down the road and it has been fantastic. I would like to do something, I am not quite sure what yet. I like working with people and I love cooking. You come in here in the mornings and you are totally absorbed."
Another band of hopefuls will be arriving at Dublin Cookery School shortly to embark on their culinary adventure.
One-day courses cost from €70 up to €8,490 for the 12-week Certificate Course which could change your whole life.
www.dublincookeryschool.ie