Wicklow Food History: A Multisensory Event with JP McMahon

Join Críoch Café for their first culinary arts event at Mermaid, in collaboration with Wicklow Naturally.

Enjoy a journey through the History of Irish Food with Dr. JP McMahon, Chef, writer, restaurateur, painter and playwright, author of The Irish Cook Book and An Irish Food Story, as we discover the fascinating history of Irish food with some delicious tastings from modern Irish food and drinks producers. JP along with guests - Chef, Film Maker and owner of Críoch Café at Mermaid, Tadgh Byrne , and PHD researcher in Food Tourism Kate O’Hora will discuss Irish food through the ages and we will enjoy some special tastings of County Wicklow food .

MC is Santina Kennedy, Irish food advocate and Blas na hÉireann Producers Champion 2025.

JP McMahon is a chef, restaurateur and author. He is owner and culinary director of Michelin-starred Aniar Restaurant, award-winning Spanish restaurant Cava Bodega and he also runs the Aniar Boutique Cookery School. In 2022 Jp launched Jp McMahon Culinary Consultancy and works nationally and internationally. In July 2025 Jp opened Kombu, a new Ramen and Bao Bar on Druid Lane, Galway.

JP is committed to the educational and ethical aspects of food, to buying and supporting the best of local and free-range produce, and engaging directly with farmers and producers.JP is the founder and plays host to one of the biggest and most talked about international food events in Europe, Food on the Edge. The highly successful inaugural event took place in Galway in October 2015 followed by equally acclaimed annual events to 2019. The 2020 event fell victim to Covid, however the team published an ebook ‘Lessons from Lockdown: Cooking after Covid’ featuring many former speakers and voices from the industry and 2021 saw the return of Food on the Edge in a blended format with both in person and virtual speakers and delegates joining from across the world; plans are afoot for FOTE2025 which will see the event celebrate it’s 10th birthday. The event features the best international chefs from across the globe. Director, founding and current chair of the Galway Food Festival, JP is an ambassador for Irish food travelling widely to promote Ireland, its produce and food culture.

He is also an ambassador for Spanish food in Ireland in particular promoting the wines of Rías Baixas (Galicia) and Jerez. JP is a member of Euro-Toques Ireland.

MEDIA: Published author and writer of 'Tapas, A Taste of Spain in Ireland' (4th edition)

‘The Irish Cookbook’ (Phaidon 2020) and ‘An Alphabet of Aniar: Notes on a New Irish Cuisine’ (Godot Press 2023). ‘An Irish Food Story 100 Foods that Made Us’ was published, in October 2024, by Nine Bean Rows Books followed the publication of a collection of Jp’s plays ‘PLAYS 2010-2024' by Godot Press in December.

He is a food writer and contributor to the Irish Times. He is a regular contributor to Radio One and Newstalk radio and has a monthly slot on RTE TV; he was twice the winning mentor for the RTE Series Taste of Success.