the project.
To drive awareness of Relais & Châteaux’s Food for Change campaign, in partnership with Slow Food, in November 2022, Q hosted a press trip to Relais & Châteaux property Cashel Palace in Tipperary in Ireland for UK and Irish based media where Stephen Hayes of Cashel Palace, Sam Moody of Ballyfin Demesne and Mark Treacy of Sheen Falls created a culinary celebration of the Ark of Taste.
The aim of the 2022 Food for Change campaign was to promote regenerative farming practices among Relais & Châteaux’s members and their wider communities, in order to help to restore the planet’s ecosystems and fight against climate change. The trip to Cashel Palace allowed media to witness how the campaign was working in practice. Q showcased the ways in which the chefs are inspired by their locations and how they are embracing regenerative farming. Tasked with using the 14 Irish ingredients listed in the Ark of Taste, the chefs from the Relais & Châteaux Irish portfolio put together a six-course feast showcasing regenerative agriculture which was not only attended by the media but by guests from all over Ireland.
Following the dinner, the following morning we held a Q&A with the chefs and the media. The Q&A was hosted by Michael Caines and highlighted the campaign brand messages, clearly demonstrating what the Relais & Châteaux properties in Ireland were doing to support the initiative. We then took the media to meet one of Cashel Palace’s local suppliers, Irish Farmhouse Cheesemakers to learn all about the history of Cashel Blue which was an ingredient served in one of the dishes the night before. Attended by journalists from Delish, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Red, Good Housekeeping, Irish Independent, Irish Times and The Gloss, the trip resulted in a lot of food for thought, and coverage that sparked conversation and debate.