17 August 2022
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Your taste buds are in for a treat for the rest of the week as Cork on a Fork Fest, a new food festival across Cork City centre, opens today and will run until this coming Sunday, August 21.
Colm and AOife O’Sullivan pictured at the “Tapas on the Terrace” event at the Cornstore during Cork on a Fork Festival
Photo Joleen Cronin
Photo Joleen Cronin
Photo Joleen Cronin
Simone Kelly serving “Fish N Wine: Guerrilla Tasting” at L’Atitude during Cork on a Fork Festival. Photo Joleen Cronin
Bartender Luke Kenny and Gillian O’Sullivan pictured at the “Tapas on the Terrace” event at the Cornstore during Cork on a Fork Festival
Photo Joleen Cronin
The 5 day celebration of food features a long-table style street dinner, unique experiences, food trails, tasting masterclasses, street events, bite-size food talks, cooking demos, free events, Cork on a Fork specials, family fun, night-time food experiences and more.
One of the festival highlights, the sold-out Taste of Princes Street Dinner, takes place at 6pm this evening. This event will see 200 guests seated along the newly pedestrianised street for a formal long-table style dinner showcasing the range of quality produce in the region and the culinary offering on the street.
If you didn’t get a ticket, there are still limited places for the one-off Cork on a Fork evening dining experience at The Bookshelf at the Elysian on Saturday night (20th August).
Some events are already booked out but there are great culinary experiences over the week, such as Tutored Beer Tasting, Oysters 3 Ways, Fish ‘n’ Wine Guerrilla Tasting and Make your own Churros!
The talk with Yasmin Hyde of Ballymaloe Foods on Thursday at Crawford Art Gallery is high on the list for foodies, as is the new Food Photography for Social Media & Brunch with Joleen Cronin that has just been scheduled at Sketch in The Imperial Hotel for this coming Friday.
Streets are also being taken over for the week with Jazz lunches, opera lunches, and play streets. And there will be daily food trails including a Cork Food History Tour and a Taste of Cork Tapas experience.
Cork on a Fork Festival also features a number of live demonstrations including an English Market cooking demo, a From Grain to Bread Demo, a workshop with Quay Co-op Spicing Up Vegetarian Meals, and Pizza Making & Tasting Masterclasses!
There will even be a Cookbook Swop outside Cork City Library over the week.
For those who want to experience Cork City’s renowned nightlife, head along to the Kinsale Gin pop-up events at Dwyers of Cork, the Brazilian Celebration Party at Cyprus Avenue, or the Bites and Beats Cork on a Fork Festival Afterparty at Coqbull to name a few.
Or check out the Cork on a Fork Festival Map online for a list of almost 50 venues hosting events or offering Cork on a Fork tasting plates such as Cork Tapas on the Terrace at the Cornstore or the ‘Cork boi sandwich’ from O’Flynn Gourmet Sausages.
It’s the perfect opportunity for locals and visitors alike to feast on the finest local food, take part in unique culinary experiences, discover the incredible range of local producers in the region, and enjoy the buzz of the city’s vibrant new outdoor dining and nightlife scene!
Cork city is packed with talented chefs, great places to eat, Michelin rated restaurants, fun pubs, new outdoor dining spots, and the famous English Market. Cork also has an incredible range of producers – from artisan cheese to smoked fish, tender meats, craft beer and more – do its not surprising that it’s often referred to as the food capital of Ireland.
Cork on a Fork Fest is supported by Cork City Council, in partnership with the local hospitality sector and The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to establish Cork city as a vibrant food destination and as part of Cork’s efforts to create a more diverse and sustainable night-time economy, in support of the Report of the National Night-Time Economy Taskforce. It is also supported by Pure Cork, Fáilte Ireland, Ireland’s Ancient East, Cork Business Association and Cork’s RedFM.
For events, experiences, participating venues and bookings, see corkcity.ie/corkonaforkfest