Our founding members hail from all corners of Ireland, each bringing unique knowledge and expertise to the table
Anthony O’Toole (Chair)
Anthony is an international food, drink, and travel specialist. His strengths are bringing together people, food, drink, and places to build world-class events and experiences.
Anthony is also a gastronomy and craft activist, a chef and tutor, an accredited culinary professional and drinks sommelier, a biodiversity gardener (showcasing varietals), a cookbook collector and a writer on food, culture and travel.
Anthony is a well-respected individual in Ireland’s food, hospitality, travel and design industries. He is a co-founder of the Taste Wexford community, a board member of Slow Food Ireland, and an active member of The Guild of Sommeliers in Ireland, the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the Chefs’ Manifesto, and the World Food Travel Association. Anthony is the outgoing Head of Food Council for Euro-Toques Ireland (2018-2023), an organisation established by leading culinary figures in Europe in 1986 to help protect and promote small food and drink producers and bridge the connection between chefs and producers.
With his involvement in many initiatives and events, Anthony is one of Ireland's leading authorities in food and tourism.
Seáneen Sullivan (Secretary)
Seáneen is a cook, sustainability activist, food scholar and drinks sommelier with a talent for pairing Ireland's indigenous drinks and local food. She is the co-owner and Culinary Director at L. Mulligan. Grocer in Stoneybatter, as well as a community activist and member of the Stoneybatter Festival Board of Directors. She is also the founder of Mistresses of Malt, whiskey tastings that celebrate the women of Irish whiskey.
Seáeneen writes a column for Irish Whiskey Magazine on food and whiskey and is a Ciccerone, an expert in beer and food pairing.
She is passionate about our food culture on this island, and its relationship with the environment, politics, folklore and language. She is working on her PhD proposal in this area, recently completing her postgrad in Irish Food Culture at UCC. She writes regularly for international publications on the topics of food, drink, folklore and sustainability.
Judith Boyle (Treasurer)
Judith is a beverage lecturer at Technological University Dublin, City Campus, and works as an international beverage judge.
Judith is also a publican managing her family pub and off-license in Kildare town. She is an accredited Beer Sommelier with the Institute of Brewers and Distillers, a drinks journalist, and an award-winning Guild of Beer Writers member in the UK.
She has presented at festivals throughout Ireland and international industry events such as Imbibe Live. Judith has co-presented the internationally acclaimed plays with her sister Susan Boyle, ‘Tales of Ales’ and ‘A Wine Goose Chase’.
Brid Torrades
Through her involvement with Euro-Toques Ireland over 23 years, setting up the Euro-Toques Food Award with Myrtle Allen and others, Brid has defended artisan food practices and natural food resources at a European level, as well as promoting and participating in food education initiatives.
Her great belief in the quality and freshness of Irish ingredients remains the philosophy behind her Ósta Café & Wine Bar in Sligo Town. Her drive to encourage new producers, create a local food scene, and make good food accessible to all led her to spearhead the founding of the SÓ Sligo Food Festival, which prepared the groundwork for the Sligo Food Trail.
Brid is also involved in many intercultural projects, including the Global Kitchen Supper Club at the Model, Sligo, and now has become a regenerative farmer producing grass-fed beef in Cavan.
Christopher Molloy
Christopher is chef and co-owner of the acclaimed Lemon Tree Restaurant in Letterkenny. Chris is a true ambassador of Donegal food and is well known not only for his creative cooking but also for his tireless promotion of Donegal food tourism.
He is the co-creator of Off the Street Food Festival in Letterkenny, a yearly event attracting visitors from all over the northwest. He is also involved with the Donegal Food Coast initiative and numerous other food networks working towards promoting the produce and food experiences on offer in his home county.
Gearoid Lynch
Gearóid & his wife Tara are proprietors of the multi-award-winning fine dining restaurant, guesthouse, and private cookery school, The Olde Post Inn in Co Cavan.
Gearóid, having begun his training at Killybegs Tourism College, went on to work in some of the most esteemed starred food venues across the world, including Thornton’s Restaurant in Dublin and Pied á Terre of London. He also trained under John Howard of Le Coq Hardi restaurant in Dublin and spent time in Léa Linster, Luxembourg.
A former winner of the Euro-Toques Ireland Young Chef competition, Gearóid became Commissioner General of the association for a two-year term in 2011. In 2016, he published “My Gluten Free Kitchen", a collection of favourites adapted to suit Gluten Free cooking, having been diagnosed as coeliac in 2013.
Jacinta Dalton
Jacinta is Head of the Department for Culinary Arts & Service Industries at the Atlantic Technological University, Galway. She has worked at the senior management level in the Hospitality Industry for over 20 years. Jacinta continues to have close links with industry, is involved in a number of food events around Ireland, and is an advocate for food education, innovation, and community engagement for knowledge exchange and sustainability.
Jacinta is currently working on several EU projects with European partners on developing digital and sustainability skills for Tourism SMEs. She is a PhD student at the Basque Culinary Centre, San Sebastian, researching the impacts of public food procurement on sustainability in higher education.
Jacinta was a member of the steering committee for Galway's candidacy for the European Region of Gastronomy 2018 and was appointed to the board of The International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts & Tourism (IGCAT).
John D Mulcahy
Recognised as the architect of food tourism development in Ireland, John holds a Ph.D. in Food Tourism from the School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology, Technological University Dublin.
He has a lifetime of experience as a tourism and hospitality industry operator and public servant, enhanced by an MA in Gastronomy, an MSc in Hospitality Management, & WSET Diploma in Wine & Spirits. From 2000-2017, John played a senior role with Fáilte Ireland (the Irish National Tourism Development Authority), culminating in responsibility for statutory tourist accommodation standards, food tourism development, and hospitality education.
John regularly contributes to publications and conferences, including the 2020 Dublin Gastronomy Symposium. The Routledge Handbook of Gastronomic Tourism (2019), the UNWTO Global Report in Gastronomy Tourism (2017), and The Future of Food Tourism (2015).
Mark Murphy
Mark Murphy owns and operates Dingle Cookery School and The Little Cheese Shop in Dingle, Co. Kerry. Both businesses focus on the customer experience and showcase the best Irish artisan foods.
Previous to this, Mark was a lecturer in Culinary Arts in IT Tralee. Mark is one of the key members of the Dingle Food Festival, which happens in October each year. He also helped to set up the Dingle Farmers’ Market and has consulted with other food producers and state bodies within Co. Kerry to help establish local food markets.
Olivia Duff
Olivia is a hotelier (Headfort Arms, Kells, Co. Meath), a producer (Maperath Farm and Kells Gin), and a regional leader in collaborative food tourism.
Whilst Olivia's name is synonymous with the Boyne Valley, as founding creator of the Boyne Valley Food series, she has inspired other regions to follow suit in telling their food story. She is working with a passionate team to create Ireland's first Centre of Food Culture. Awarded the Mike Butt Award from the RAI in 2022 for her contribution to Irish Food and Drink, Olivia continues day-to-day at the coalface in the hospitality industry, dealing with suppliers, chefs and visitors. Still, she is also a food producer, passionate about the journey food takes, the journey it should take from farm to table, and the need to educate future generations about this.
Olivia has presented at global and national forums on network formation, food tourism, and collaboration, has contributed to various publications, and is the programme director of the 'Samhain' Food Festival.
Tom Flavin
Tom grew up on a dairy farm in West Limerick and now has over 28 years’ of experience in the hospitality industry. Tom started his career in Manila, where his passion for food was enhanced working with like-minded multi-national brigade of chefs.
He has 20 years experience as an Executive Chef, arriving at The Limerick Strand Hotel in 2007.
Tom is a Founding Member and Chairman of the Limerick Food Group and runs The Pigtown Food Series in Limerick and he is also a member of Euro-Toques Ireland.
Pádraic Óg Gallagher
Pádraic Óg is the managing director of Gallagher’s Boxty House in Dublin. He is a chef, restaurateur, and craft brewer at Jack Smyth Stouts & Ales. He works with Fáilte Ireland and Bord Bia, tirelessly promoting Irish artisan producers both in Ireland and abroad, and gives Irish artisan food talks and demos at conferences.
He has also featured on several TV Food shows like Paul Hollywood’s City Bakes. Pádraic Óg sits on the board of Temple Bar Traders, is a past president of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, is a past member of the South County Dublin Enterprise board, and sat on the Advisory board of the Grow Dublin Tourism Alliance.
Pádraic Óg is currently completing an MA in Gastronomy studies at Technological University, Dublin.
Ruth Healy
Ruth is a food retail practitioner and consultant with a signature style of blending the rigours of a large company with the creativity and dynamism of smaller food operations like her own award-winning shop, Urru Culinary Store in Cork.
She has an exciting and considerable portfolio of experience in retail marketing, shopper behaviour and food. Ruth is a Retail Consultant with G2MS (Go to Market Services) and the Founding Member of several local & regional networks, e.g. Bandon Food Trail, Slow Food West Cork, Bandon Farmers Market, and Bandon Co-Marketing Group.
Ruth has an FMCG/international marketing background and qualifications from Ballymaloe Cookery School, Dublin City University, and most recently, UCC in Irish Food Studies.