Irish banquet in Barcelona

Paul Lewis and Frank O’Connell from An Crúibín pub and tapas bar and The Silk Purse restaurant in Cork will travel to Barcelona to cook a St Patrick’s Day banquet for 200 people in the renowned Spanish cook Paco Guzmán’s restaurant, Santa Maria, in the Born district of Barcelona.

They will be working in the restaurant for a week.

Last October Guzmán (pictured) came to Ireland to exchange ideas with Lewis and O’Connell. He cooked a seven-course tasting menu in his own Catalan-style, using Irish ingredients, and has since been using Caherbeg pudding from west Cork and Knockalara cheese from Waterford on his menu in Barcelona.

Lewis and O’Connell are establishing an international network/think tank through which they hope to exchange ideas on food, life and culture with other restaurant staff. They have also made contact with cooks from Paris, Rome and New York, who will visit Cork and cook in An Crúibín as part of an exchange programme.