To celebrate International Women's Day 2024, Blas na hÉireann is delighted to share a one-off interview special on PodBLASt, the Blas podcast.

This year the IWD theme is #InspireInclusion and in this podcast Blas Boss, Fallon Moore chats to Sharon Noonan about a multitude of inspiring individuals who have inspired the Blas team over the years.  

Entries for 2024 Blas na hÉireann/Irish Food Awards open on 17 March 2024.

For more details visit www.irishfoodawards.com

PodBLASt - International Women's Day 2024

On Tuesday 5 March 2024 the pupils from Scoil Iosaf celebrated Grandparents' Day with a special mass.

2024 Grandparents' Day Mass - Superhero

2024 Grandparents' Day Mass - He's Got The Whole World In His Hands

On Tuesday 5 March 2024, the pupils from Scoil Iosaf celebrated Grandparents' Day with a special mass.

2024 Grandparents' Day Mass - Grandparents' Day Song

2024 Grandparents' Day Mass - Go Out

2024 Grandparents Mass - Full Mass

The Spring 2024 PodBLASt series features four Blas judges sharing their experiences judging.

In this episode, Fallon Moore chats to Patrick Hanlon.

Patrick is a food and travel writer and co-restaurant critic of The Sunday Times Ireland. For the past decade, he has blogged under the name GastroGays (awarded Ireland's Blog of the Year in 2017), and contributed across the media sphere in Ireland and the UK including in print/digital at RTÉ Lifestyle, Lonely Planet, Irish Times, Irish Independent, National Geographic Traveller Food, BBC Good Food and Olive Magazine. On radio, he has regularly contributed across RTÉ Radio 1 and 2FM, TodayFM and Newstalk as well as being the co-host and co-producer of podcast Chew The Fat across five seasons.  

His debut book, Hot Fat, co-written with partner and long-time collaborator Russell Alford, was released in 2022 as part of the groundbreaking Blasta Books series. 

He is a member of the Irish Food Writer's Guild, brand ambassador for Boyne Valley Flavours and can be found regularly writing long-form food and travel features on Chippaper.substack.com, gastrogays.com and thetimes.co.uk 

Other episodes in the Spring 2024 PodBLASt series:
Episode 2 Shane Smith
Episode 3 Una Martin
Episode 4 Ali Dunworth

#Blas2024 is open for entries until Thursday 16 May 2024.  Visit www.irishfoodawards.com for more details.

PodBLASt Spring 2024 - Patrick Hanlon

The Spring 2024 PodBLASt series features 4 Blas judges talking about their experiences judging.

In this episode, Fallon Moore talks to Shane Smith, an award-winning Pastry Chef with over 25 years of experience working in some of the most celebrated pastry kitchens in Ireland and abroad.

These years of experience and love of teaching ultimately led to the launch of his own online cookery school in 2022. Shane’s mission is to share his experience and knowledge to help educate, mentor and guide the next generation of pastry chefs and home bakers.

Along with this, he also manages his own consultancy business, specialising in hands-on training, recipe development, long & short-term support, social media planning for food establishments nationwide.

Shane is currently Brand Ambassador for Kenwood Ireland and Gem Foods and in his free time, can be found behind the camera lens, styling and photographing food. He is no stranger to standing in front of the camera lens either as he is a regular on “The Today Show” on RTÉ One.  Here he can be seen bringing his natural love of all things sweet into the nation's homes.

Other episodes in the Spring 2024 PodBLASt series:
Episode 1 Patrick Hanlon
Episode 3 Una Martin
Episode 4 Ali Dunworth

#Blas2024 is open for entries until Thursday 16 May 2024!  Visit www.irishfoodawards.com for more details.

PodBLAST Spring 2024 - Shane Smith

The Spring 2024 PodBLASt series features interviews with 4 Blas judges.

In this interview Fallon Moore talks to Úna Martin about her judging experience.

Úna's entrepreneurial journey began in 2009 when she founded Úna’s Pies at the Farmers' markets in Cork. Her dedication to quality and innovation quickly earned her recognition, with numerous accolades including the prestigious Blas na hÉireann / Irish Food Awards Artisan Producer and Supreme Champion titles. Despite its success, Únas Pies faced challenges due to rising ingredient costs and she ceased trading in 2014. Undeterred, Úna transitioned to a new role, joining the product development team at Clóna Dairy Products in Clonakilty.
 
In 2021, Úna embarked on a new career path, as an International Recruitment Officer for the College of Science, Engineering, and Food Science, University College Cork (UCC)  Her diverse background as an artisan producer, a contributor to major retail production, and now a judge on the Irish Food Awards panel gives her a unique perspective to the judging process.
  
Other episodes in the Spring 2024 PodBLASt series:
Episode 1 Patrick Hanlon
Episode 2 Shane Smith
Episode 4 Ali Dunworth

#Blas2024 is open for entries until Thursday 16 May 2024!  Visit www.irishfoodawards.com for more details.

PodBLAST Spring 2024 - Una Martin

In the Spring 2024 PodBLASt series Fallon Moore talks to a selection of Blas judges.

In this final interview of the series, we meet Ali Dunworth.

Ali is a writer, journalist, consultant and events curator who loves writing and talking about food and drink so much that she’s made a career out of it. She started out working in hospitality before a career behind the scenes in food TV. In between TV productions, she always returned to bar and restaurant work, either waiting tables, making drinks or back in the kitchen. There was even a year spent cooking at Lord’s Cricket Ground and another running a butchers in Melbourne. As a freelance food, drink and travel writer, Ali contributes to the Irish Times, Food & Wine Magazine and many others. She also curates and hosts numerous Irish food events and festival stages. At the heart of everything Ali does is great local food and drink and a hunger for the stories that go with them. Cooking, writing, storytelling, washing up, pouring pints, writing about pints – she’s done them all, and as a freelancer, she’s always prepared to do any of them again. 

Her book “A Compendium of Irish Pints” is available to order from Blasta Books.

Other episodes in the Spring 2024 PodBLASt series:
Episode 1 Patrick Hanlon
Episode 2 Shane Smith
Episode 3 Una Martin

#Blas2024 is open for entries until Thursday 16 May 2024!  Visit www.irishfoodawards.com for more details.

PodBLAST Spring 2024 - Shane Smith

Blas na hÉireann

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