37,000 served up culinary treats as Clipper Race Kitchens hailed a sizzling success

Thirty-seven thousand people attended the Clipper Race Kitchens, the four-day food celebration held Ebrington Square as part of Derry’s Foyle Maritime Festival celebrations, it has been revealed.

Mary Blake, Council’s Tourism Development Officer and main organiser of Clipper Race Kitchens, said she was “delighted” with the event’s success.

She said: We delighted to have the support of so many businesses - restaurants, suppliers, producers and chefs – in getting the message out to ‘support local’ and, this latest food event, which attracted 37,000 visitors to Ebrington, has proved what we already knew - that we’ve got taste!” Jean-Christophe Novelli, the 5 out of 5 AA Rosette and Michelin award winning chef, lived up to his title as “the nation’s favourite French chef,” when he conducted a whistle-stop tour of the city’s best known eateries including Browns – winner of Best Restaurant in Ulster 2016 – as well as wowing the crowds with a series of live cookery demos featuring local produce including freshly caught seafood from Donegal Prime Fish. Speaking afterwards, he said he had been greatly impressed by the reception he received during his visit to the city, especially the “spirit of the people” he had met, and hoped to return in the near future. Other well-known local chefs - all household names - who performed cookery demos at the event included Ian Orr of Browns (Irish Chef of the Year 2013), Derek Creagh of Harry’s (Irish Chef of the Year 2015), Jenny Bristow, Paula McIntyre, Emmett McCourt, Brian McDermott, the ‘No Salt Chef’ and Noel McMeel (Lough Erne Resort), who cooked for the world’s leaders when the G8 Summit was held in Co. Fermanagh in 2013.

Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Alderman Hilary McClintock, said the event was an “incredible success” and congratulated all the local and visiting chefs, restaurants, suppliers and producers who took part in the flagship culinary showcase organised by the Council in association with Food NI.

Ald. McClintock added: “I had the pleasure of visiting the Clipper Race Kitchens to sample the fantastic local produce, watch the live cookery demonstrations and soak up the festival atmosphere as well as meeting the local and visiting celebrity chefs including Jean-Christophe Novelli who was completely bowled over by the quality of the produce and cuisine on show, and the warmth of the hospitality which our city is famous for as an international tourism destination.”