Ireland’s best barbecue cook to win a €5,000 shopping voucher

The supermarket chain Aldi is on the hunt for “Ireland’s Hottest Grill Master” — we are assuming the competition is open to both sexes — and the winner will take home a €5,000 gift card for first prize, plus a barbecue. Four runners-up will receive €250 gift vouchers and a barbecue goods hamper.

To enter, or to nominate someone else, you’ll have to write a few words on why you, or your nominee, deserves to win, include a video or photograph, and details of the entrant’s signature barbecue recipe. Entries are being accepted until July 5th at aldi.ie.

The chief judge for the competition will be fire cooking expert John Relihan, formerly head chef at Jamie Oliver’s Barbecoa in London, now at Pitt Bros in Dublin.

West comes East

Jess and David Murphy’s Kai restaurant in Galway is staging a pop-up at Hen’s Teeth in Dublin 8 on Friday July 1st and Saturday July 2nd. The Michelin Bib Gourmand and Green Star rated restaurant will bring a taste of the west to the east, with Inis Mór crab with tomatillos, fried Knockalara zucchini with hot honey, and Connemara lobster thermidor with Shepherd’s Store on the menu. Murphy’s famous lamb shawarma with Buckfast shatta, mint chutney and Velvet Cloud yoghurt will also feature. Reservations can be made via OpenTable on the hensteethstore.com website.

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Talkin’ Italian at Fallon & Byrne

June is Italian month at Fallon & Byrne’s Exchequer Street food hall and there are still a few tickets available for a four-course Italian-themed dinner in the Ball Room restaurant on Thursday, June 23rd, at which old friends, wine writer Leslie Williams and wine importer Enrico Fantasia are pairing Italian wines with a feast of antipasti, risotto, lamb and dessert. Dinner starts at 6.30pm and tickets, €75 per person, are on sale at Eventbrite.

African food wins Lion’s Den challenge

Edizemi Onilenla’s Mama Shee range of African food products has won the 2022 African Professional Network in Ireland Lion’s Den challenge, aimed at start-ups with African and Afro-Irish business founders. Already a graduate of the SuperValu Food Academy, Onilenla plans to use the prize money to expand distribution of her chilled meals, including jollof rice with plantain and beans, and her spice mix for suya, a Nigerian street food of grilled beef skewers with ground peanuts and spices. They can be found in selected SuperValu stores in Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare and are also on sale online at mamashee.com.