It’s all of a buzz in the City for Harvest

With so many family and community events popping up throughout the Harvest Festival, Waterford City will certainly be buzzing from September 12^th to 14^th.  Wyse Park, New Street Gardens and People’s Park will host a vast array of activities. 

In New Street Gardens there will be cookery demonstrations, bee-keeping classes, GIY workshops, puppet making, live music and plenty of family fun! Wyse Park kicks off with a Hoedown on Friday thanks to St Brigid’s Family & Community Centre and Inner City Youth Project, so don’t forget to swing your ‘pardner do-si so’. There will also be herbal remedy stalls, storytelling, food craft, not to mention building -a- Bed led by Waterford Civic Trust St John Priory Project and the GROW Project.

People’s Park is all about Picnics and Play with giant Jenga, boules and chess, not to mention the muddy mayhem, games, science and foodie fun activities all Saturday afternoon proudly brought to you by Caulfield’s SuperValu.

Let the kids’ creativity and imaginations run wild as they make their own cupcakes, pasta art, noodle doodles or paper gardens in the City Square Shopping Centre. The City Library will be transformed by the mad cap antics of clowns, acrobats and all things circus!

City POP is brought to Harvest by an eclectic mix of skilled local people and artistic innovators. It aims to bring an exciting and eye-catching visual element to the streets of Waterford. Passers-by can interact with the energy of the festival through larger than life creations and art installations. Keep an eye out for The Grow Project's latest creative outdoor installation- a colourful makeover for the gardener's humble friend, the wheelbarrow!

Follow the ‘Green Trail’ and discover guerrilla gardens and pop up planting, all adding a Harvest feel to the Waterford landscape. The ‘Green Team’- GIY Waterford, Ballybeg Greens and Ucasadh - has been busy planting and plotting to lay a living carpet under the Viking Long Boat.

Stroll along Scarecrow Street, watch out for frying pans and watering cans overhead and check out the giant veg patch in John Roberts Square, or spot the amazing signposts built with skill and care from Traditional Craft by Waterford.

Art on the Railings is another colourful addition to the festival on Saturday, September 13th from 11am to 4pm. With over 35 artists showcasing their talents on the railings around Bishop’s Palace and Christ Church Cathedral you can be sure to pick up a quirky, affordable and original piece of work. 

All roads lead to Waterford on 12^th - 14th September.  If you want to know more the Harvest Festival’s full programme of events is available on http://www.waterfordharvestfestival.ie/.  The Festival brochure has been distributed and is widely available throughout the City and County.  Be sure to keep up to date on all things Harvest Fest by checking it out on Facebook and Twitter.

Union Kitchen - blending the best of food and enterprise

Co-Founder of Union Kitchen, Jonas Singer, was in Waterford to provide an informative insight into “Food Businesses Collaborating for Success.”  The event which was hosted in Waterford’s Medieval Museum brought together some of the regions best food producers. 

The ‘kitchen incubator’ concept, which Union Kitchen in Washington DC fosters, allows small businesses to share resources, kitchen space, ideas and inspiration.  It also gives would-be food entrepreneurs the opportunity to learn about all aspects of the food business; everything from licensing and regulations to marketing and customer service.

George Boyle of Fumbally Exchange, a not for profit movement of creative and innovative professionals sharing work spaces, also spoke of the benefits of a work collective, which ultimately cultivates an atmosphere for creative and regenerative growth.

Dermot Walsh of M&D Bakery, along with three other bakeries, joined forces and were successful in getting Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) for the Waterford Blaa in 2013.  Dermot recalled how his experience of “working together can achieve far more than working alone.”

The event was brought to Waterford by the US Embassy and GIY Ireland, with assistance from Waterford City Enterprise Board.

Michael Kelly, founder of GIY Ireland was delighted that such visionaries were in Waterford to share their ideas and experiences.  Michael said “Jonas Singer has created a food movement that takes a lot of uncertainty out of setting up a food business.  All of the businesses at Union Kitchen avail of an abundance of resources, support and common sense that prepares them for the challenges of the food industry.”

Union Kitchen opened its doors in Washington DC in 2012 with the aim of giving food entrepreneurs a collaborative space to leverage the power of working as a group.  Today, the 7,300 sq. ft warehouse is home to over 50 small food businesses ranging from caters and bakers to food trucks and charcuterie makers.

Michael added, “Union Kitchen and Fumbally Exchange have both successfully consolidated a myriad of skill sets, knowledge, professions and infrastructure to help grow the businesses within the collective. It’s a wonderful concept and if realised here can only encourage many entrepreneurs to focus on the food industry and put Ireland firmly at the centre of the global epicurean spotlight.”

Ciaran Cullen, CEO (Acting) Waterford City Enterprise Board, added “These three speakers bring a wealth of experience, vibrancy and energy.  Collectives work and they have proven it, because they diminish costs, they harness a creative and ardent working atmosphere and each member of the collective benefits from the skills and knowledge of others within the group.”

“Here in Waterford we have invested heavily in funding local food producers in the past and will continue to do so.  In fact, one of our most successful projects, the Enterprising Food Network, was founded almost three years ago with the objective of assisting food producers in the areas of branding and packaging, distribution and networking.  The group, made up of restaurants, food producers and horticultural groups, now has 43 members and continues to grow.”

For further details on “Food Businesses collaborating for success”, visit www.unionkitchendc.com, Waterford City Enterprise Boards’ Enterprising Food Network at www.waterfordceb.com or GIY at www.giyinternational.org.

Love Irish Food Lunch; Enterprising lunch to celebrate local food producers

As part of the Harvest Festival in September Waterford City Enterprise Board has organised a lunch on Friday September 13^th in the dining room of Dooley’s Hotel to celebrate the vast array of local food producers.

This lunch is a celebration of food in Waterford and the South East. With the assistance of the Love Irish Food Initiative diners will enjoy the best food Waterford and the South East has to offer.

The key note speakers at the lunch will be Waterford man Michael Kelly, founder of GIY and Waterford restaurant owner Cormac Cronin, proprietor of Bodega, John’s Street in Waterford.

Bertie Rogers, Chairman of Waterford City Enterprise Board commented on the importance of the event, “The food industry is now a vital component in the revival of the Irish economy and Waterford is fortunate to have such a proliferation of quality food producers. But these businesses require assistance and promotion. That is why this lunch is vital, to celebrate what we have, but also to inspire others to create the next generation of food businesses. That is where the Enterprise Boards can and do help.”

This lunch coincides with the start of a new Waterford City Enterprise Board food programme. ‘Take your food business to supermarket shelf’ is an eight month programme devised by Waterford City Enterprise Board. This programme running from July 2103 to February 2014 is designed for food producers in Waterford City and includes Bord Bia approved workshops and market testing.

Kieran Rumley, Executive Director of Love Irish Food Limited, “We are delighted to be asked to participate in this lunch, the food industry has always been very strong in the southeast and our membership from the area continues to grow”.

Tickets (just €15) for this lunch can be purchased from Waterford City Enterprise Board by calling to its office at New Street in the city or from the reception at Dooley’s Hotel.

Waterford City Enterprise Board offers support services for start-up and existing SME’s in Waterford city. If you have a new business idea or are running a business that requires assistance you can contact the Enterprise Board by phoning Celia on 051-852883 or visit www.waterfordceb.com.