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Chefs, Conor Spacey & Erica Drum, Join Forces To Host One-off Zero Waste Week Supper Club At Dún Laoghaire’s Sustainable INK Café

To coincide with this year’s Zero Waste Week (runs 6th to 10th September), two of the country’s leading sustainably conscious chefs, Conor Spacey and Erica Drum, have joined forces to host a special six-course Supper Club in Dún Laoghaire’s INK Café at DLR Lexicon on Friday 10th September (7pm start). 

The Supper Club will shine a light on the important issue of food waste and what can be done to tackle it, both in professional kitchens and in the home. The shared aim of the two chefs in hosting the one-off event is to encourage respect and thought towards food in general, and to create a fun and interactive experience for diners designed to stimulate ideas around actively reducing waste. 

Currently a third of all food produced globally goes to waste – that’s 1.3 billion tonnes. In Ireland this equates to one million tonnes and an average of €700 worth of food going into the bin per household each year.

The Zero Waste Supper Club’s flavoursome Middle Eastern inspired menu will only be revealed to diners on the night. The reason for this is that all of the dishes will be created off the cuff by the two chefs using a mix of surplus ingredients that are only being delivered to them by non-profit social enterprise, FoodCloud, the day before the event. The menu will include dishes that cater for Vegans/Vegetarians and guests with special dietary requirements.

The event will also showcase specially selected Irish businesses whose products actively prevent perfectly good food from ending up in landfill. These include BiaSol (an Athlone-based startup that repurposes spent grain from local breweries into a ready-to-bake flour) and Cream Of The Crop, who will be creating an artisan Pomegranate & Tahini zero waste gelato especially for the Supper Club.

Speaking about the importance of increasing awareness and actively reducing food waste, Conor Spacey, Culinary Director of FoodSpace (which operates INK), said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the huge problem of food waste. Customers can expect a fantastic dinner that ensures there is absolutely no waste, and that shows how dishes can be created when you think outside the box and challenge yourself to not throw anything away.”

Commenting on what diners will experience at the Zero Waste Supper Club, Chef Erica Drum, said: “We are so excited to cook delicious plates for our guests that would have otherwise been wasted food items. This is a simple way to highlight and bring awareness to food waste. Conor and I look forward to creating a fun flavourful experience for everyone.”

Upon arrival, guests will be served a zero waste welcome drink and enjoy the first of their six course dinner outside on the terrace. This will be cooked live before their eyes over hot coals by the chefs on INK’s impressive custom-made open olive wood barbecue.

Diners will then be led into the DLR Lexicon Auditorium for their second course while they enjoy a demonstration from Spacey and Drum about what they will experience during the evening ahead and a conversation around the methods that have been used to create their meal.

Everyone will then be brought to their designated tables for the remainder of the event and will be able to watch Conor and Erica plating the next few courses from a table located in the middle of the dining room.

All government guidelines will be adhered to which subsequently means that only tables of 2, 4, or 6 people are available for booking. Tickets are priced at €70 per person and can be purchased online via Eventbrite. All attendees will be asked to present their Digital COVID Certificates in order to gain entry to the event.

About Erica Drum

Erica Drum is a TV (appearing regularly on Virgin Media’s The Six O’Clock Show) and Virtual Chef, Cookery Tutor, Food Stylist and Supper Club Host. She holds a BSc in Hospitality Management and has worked in the hospitality industry for over 20 years. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic Erica has taught thousands of people how to create their own delicious food online through her weekly virtual cook-alongs. She is also a huge advocate for preventing food waste, sustainable cooking, eating seasonally, and growing your own produce.

About Conor Spacey

Conor Spacey is the Culinary Director of FoodSpace Ireland, which operates outlets throughout the country in BNI, Pharmaceuticals, Education and High Street Operations. Having worked in the industry as a Chef for over 30 years, as a Member and Co-Author of the Chefs Manifesto – a global community of chefs across 90 countries that are changing global food systems – he is now using his wealth of knowledge and experience to provide a sustainable planet-friendly alternative. This ethos is centred around using seasonal Irish ingredients, working directly with farmers across the country and implementing a zero waste policy in his kitchens that ultimately reduces our carbon footprint.

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