any info on this foodfest?

jesusmehead!

just wondering if anyone has any idea about this foodfest happening somewhere in cork in the next few weeks?

corked

TasteFest details here

The beautiful Fitzgerald Park on Cork’s Mardyke will be transformed this 23rd – 26th June into an exceptional culinary experience as top chefs, restaurants and food & wine specialists from Cork and its environs vie with each other to tempt you with their best and most popular dishes.

Take a few hours to meet friends, indulge in a range of Irish and International cuisines while enjoying the most elegant of wines, cocktails, beers and, of course, a selection of champagnes and sparkling wines from the cellars of Cork’s own Barry & Fitzwilliam.

AwayWithFaries

Not too clear about how it works. You pay a ticket to get in but food is paid for in "corkers" which are equivalent to a euro. But it doesn't say how many you get, if any for the entry fee. Seems like a confusing system. Anyone got a clearer idea of this?

sok2005

You pay between €15-€25 euro to get in then you pay between €3-€8 Euro per sample meal. Seems a bit pricey to me to be honest, but i'd like to experience it.

deRanged

it seems like fun, but a bit expensive.
I'd like to go but I think it's out of my price range.

mimihops

I would love this but it's so expensive, can't believe it's 25e just to get in, with having to buy the food on top of that. I thought for the 25e some corkers/tokens would be included, I'd say I'll have to give it a miss although it sounds great besides the cost.

Kazbah

Are there definitely no corkers included for entry fee? That seems like a rip off.

sok2005

Agreed. Kids under 12 are free but then we'll still have to pay for meals. If they are sample sized im assuming my kid will eat at least 1 or 2, my husband probably 3-4, we're probably talking about at least another €40-€50 after paying €30 for our tickets.

We'd get a nice meal in a sit down restaurant for that price!

Faith

Kazbah wrote: »

Are there definitely no corkers included for entry fee? That seems like a rip off.

I saw in the paper earlier that if you buy your ticket at the gate (so costing €25 as opposed to €15 if you buy it in advance), you get €5 worth of corkers.

Still shíte value though. I'd go happily if I got free tickets, but I wouldn't pay to get in.

Malari

AwayWithFaries wrote: »

Not too clear about how it works. You pay a ticket to get in but food is paid for in "corkers" which are equivalent to a euro. But it doesn't say how many you get, if any for the entry fee. Seems like a confusing system. Anyone got a clearer idea of this?

I couldn't make sense of the promo flyer either. I couldn't believe you would have to pay to just in and get nothing!? You can't even walk around the stands for free?

Turns out I won't be around all weekend anyway, but feeling better that I don't think I would have gone at this price.

Edit: Just read Faith's post. They don't put that in the flyer info though, as far as I can see!?

Kazbah

I don't think they've done their market research well so for what people would consider value for money.

They must think the entry fee is a fair price for the chef demonstrations so.

thehunter

Price seems very steep, There was murder on the Joe Duffy show a few weeks ago after the Dublin one after people only realised that if you wanted to eat your had to fork out more again inside. also i believe the cost of having a stall there was a crazy price as well so all the coffee's etc etc rocketed up in price.:eek:

kcb

I hope it's not like the one in Dublin but it sounds like it is. In Dublin, You have to pay to get in and then you have to buy tokens to buy from the stalls, and generally for €4-5 worth you get a tiny sample of food.

There would be lots of 'free' stuff too but not worth paying €15-20 for!

A remnant of the Celtic Tiger...

sok2005

I thought they would have reduced the price by now, they just couldnt be getting the numbers.

Their FB page is highly policed and anyone that has anything that is not 100% positive to say gets their comment deleted.
I noticed the day before last some girl commented that 2 contestants from come dine with me won free tickets, i checked again 5 minutes later to show my husband and the comment was deleted. Dodgy!

Milly33

Ok so you dont get free food, thats a bit ****e..We were going to get the special offer tickets for €10 or something but said ne...But just got a freebie one in work I shall go to suss out but I cant see why you would pay to go in then pay again to taste the food...twats

Kazbah

sok2005 wrote: »

I noticed the day before last some girl commented that 2 contestants from come dine with me won free tickets!

I spotted that too!

deRanged

sok2005 wrote: »

I noticed the day before last some girl commented that 2 contestants from come dine with me won free tickets,

oh was it 2? I only noticed the one name - I thought it was very coincidental as it was.

Kazbah

Jamie & Luisa!

deRanged

ah, I missed Louisa.

sok2005

Eagle Eyed! You don't get much passed the Corkonians let me tell you!

tommy21

A kindly city centre pub gave a group of us free tickets - going to go on that basis but balked at the €25 marked on top of ticket. Are people seriously going to pay that?! I feel like I've gotten a good deal obviously, but the free entry is the clincher.

grenache

I was going to travel down from Limerick for this as i always wanted to see what it's like, but at those prices i will most defintely be staying at home.

beer enigma

Judt back from the opening night & have to say I'm very happy

We booked early & got the early bird tickets - two for €20 - obviously its not the full day, but we found 3 1/2 hrs was plenty.

We had eight dishes, which spread over the evening left us both pretty full, as well as a bottle of red wine & two glasses of prosecco - came to a total of €60.

The wine was €12 & the prosecco also €12, so €36 for the food - I though that was pretty good value to be honest.

Only thing to be wary of is the restaurants that dont cook to order - a couple had dishes on the counter - supposedly to cope with demand, but in effect they were just getting cold.

Also, dont buy wine by the glass, a bottle is way cheaper & O'Donovans were the best option for that.

sok2005

Andip wrote: »

Judt back from the opening night & have to say I'm very happy

We booked early & got the early bird tickets - two for €20 - obviously its not the full day, but we found 3 1/2 hrs was plenty.

We had eight dishes, which spread over the evening left us both pretty full, as well as a bottle of red wine & two glasses of prosecco - came to a total of €60.

The wine was €12 & the prosecco also €12, so €36 for the food - I though that was pretty good value to be honest.

Only thing to be wary of is the restaurants that dont cook to order - a couple had dishes on the counter - supposedly to cope with demand, but in effect they were just getting cold.

Also, dont buy wine by the glass, a bottle is way cheaper & O'Donovans were the best option for that.

Must say this review sold it for me. Sounds right up my alley!

Bacchus

Was at it tonight with a few friends. Bit expensive but so much fun!

Cork Lass

Hi,

I've been given 2 free tickets (each marked €25) and am wondering if anyone know if these are single entry or can I reuse them. My young daughter wants to go so if i take her tomorrow afternoon could I then use mine again to get in tomorrow night with my OH.

Thanks:)

Faith

They're single entry.

gbee

Sounds like a trimmed down version of Taste Of Cork.

The same principal applies, you pay in. Then pay for wine tastings, cookery demos, sample meals, sample wines and enjoy the free shows and music ~ if you have the weather and the 'right' crowd it can be great.

You do need big pockets, individually the sample meals, whilst excellent could not be considered value for money, ~~~ I've not been to Fitzgerald's park, I was at the Taste Of Cork a few years ago.

Cork Lass

Faith wrote: »

They're single entry.

Thanks Faith

That's a shame really.

miss_shadow

i'm going today, will let you know how it goes...

gbee

The review above is fully supported by my own daughter who was there yesterday. Today should be a reasonable day to weather wise.

miss_shadow

I thought it was a really nice day out. There were plenty of sample foods there which was nice. Cheese, meats,jams,cake,bread,oils.
We got free sausages,bacon and pudding from Rudd's if you liked their facebook page!

I got a few samples from the restaurants. Venison chimi changa with chocolate sauce and gaocomole 7eu. Smoked duck and a Marshmallow cheesecake for 5eu. All delicious.

The entry fee was way too much for such an event though, I suppose they wanted a target crowd. :rolleyes:

tommy21

Thought I would post up a review here and see who agrees/disagrees!

Sour Taste at TasteFest

This weekend sees Fitzgerald’s Park in Cork transformed into a Mecca for food lovers. The extensive marketing in the run up to this event promised culinary delights of both local and exotic origin, live music and the craic we all long for after a tough working week. My visit yesterday confirmed that on these menu items, the event certainly did not disappoint. Thanks to the good folks in a rapidly expanding city centre pub in Cork aimed at the party animal in all of us, myself and a handful of friends had been given free tickets to attend.

As we approached the entry point on an incredibly sunny Thursday evening, there was a definite buzz in the air. Nestled behind the wrought iron enclosure that separates a unique Cork institution from the rest of the world, a vast collection of tents, stalls, pop-up restaurants and punters awaited our perusal. A beautiful and lively mixture of aromas drifted out to greet us, no small matter to a Cork man who had skipped his dinner specifically for this event. A small queue had formed at the gate, which is always a good sign. It was only then that I noticed the pricing structure for the less fortunate. At peak times (e.g. Saturday and Sunday for instance), entry on the door to the average Corkonian will cost €25! While admittedly this is a very well planned out culinary village, it must surely irk the amateur food critics and the half-starved that such a levy grants nothing more than entry to the venue.

As you enter the park, you are encouraged to buy “Corkers” – a unique selling point of this event is the production of its own currency (1 Corker = 1 Euro). Initially I remarked to my fellow connoisseurs that it was a crazy idea – why go to the bother of printing expensive colourful booklets, when they could simply use Euros as God intended? Still it did create a feeling of uniqueness about the event. I handed over a crisp twenty euro note in exchange for twenty Corkers and began my assault on the moveable feast. The real reason gradually dawned on me and I began to realise it was a stroke of marketing genius. Handing over four Corkers for five tiny prawns (I kid you not), or five Corkers for a bottle of Corona, is far easier than paying with Euro, because it’s like playing monopoly, or gambling online using “play” money. It thus becomes incredibly easy to convince yourself you are not actually parting with real money.

To be fair, not all stalls offered poor value. The Cork Brassiere for instance presented a sizeable portion of calamari for a reasonable enough price, as did another selling gourmet burgers, but on the whole many vendors were found wanting. Probably the worst offender we observed was one local specialist in meat products amending their prices upwards on their usual billboard. Perhaps the earlier news of Greece’s never ending economic woes had rocked the exchange rate of Corker to Euro?

While there is a better value offer at certain periods (e.g two tickets for €30), I think most people would balk at having to pay the two to three times the average minimum wage just to enter a park that is normally free, only to be forced to part with even more for the actual food. If this event allowed free entry, then I think I could accept paying a little over the odds for the wonderful array of food and beverages on offer of which the quality appeared to be unquestionable. After all there is no better time to be supporting Irish businesses. However, I predict this event will not last into the future. The way the pricing set-up is currently, you’d want to be corking mad to fork out the equivalent of a sizeable meal in an actual restaurant for what you get in return, if paying full price.

The above negatives aside, it was still a good day given the free entry, the great company, the buzz in the venue and the food I could afford.

Verdict: Quality food marinated in greed.

Cork Lass

I agree wholeheartedly with Tommy21 and his synopsis of the Foodfest. I went with my OH today and found it wanting indeed. We had free tickets and enjoyed the stroll around but felt it was hugely overpriced. I commented to my OH that Corkers were a way to Mark up prices and can't see why they did this. Surely a nominal entry fee and reduced/fair prices would be better in the long run. Can't see this lasting unless they make it more affordable. Curently it seems to be marketed at a "certain market" but this economic climate dictates lower prices are expected.

eurokev

The reason for Corkers is that the organisers get a percentage of a tents takings. If the corkers were not there companies would obviosly take some of the cash to reduce their liabilty.

I agree an absolutely fantastic event but far far far too overpriced. The entry fee is a joke. That being said everyone I know that went got free entry.

I agree its expensive to run, but surely a higher footfall yielding a higher yield for the stalls would negate the entry fee.
I hope this is something they take into serious consideration for the next event, as not to alienate to numerous friends of mine who would have went and spent good money or corkers,

Faith

I just can't help feeling that they want potential customers to pay for their advertising. Surely all it is is a big venture to get more customers - I.E. Advertising. If that's the case, then prices should be reduced, not inflated with a huge entry fee.

Augustines, for example, do a 6 course tasting menu in their restaurant for €25 or so. That's the peak entry fees alone to the taste fest.

sok2005

After I received some free passes to the Food Fest, I went with my family and I must say we all loved it.

We did spend a small fortune on food and drinks but the atmosphere was really good and it was an experience. Got a good feel for some restaurants that I would like to visit in the future also.

There was a really nice vibe to the place, the clientele consisted mainly of young professionals and well dressed older people. Not a bit of trouble or bother that would undoubtedly occur if the festival was open to the public. The queues would have also been unbearable if it was open season for anyone to just walk in off the street.

Saying that, I don't know how I would have felt if I had to pay €25 per ticket or even €30 for two, it was alot more palatable getting free entry.

parsi

sok2005 wrote: »

After I received some free passes to the Food Fest, I went with my family and I must say we all loved it.

We did spend a small fortune on food and drinks but the atmosphere was really good and it was an experience. Got a good feel for some restaurants that I would like to visit in the future also.

There was a really nice vibe to the place, the clientele consisted mainly of young professionals and well dressed older people. Not a bit of trouble or bother that would undoubtedly occur if the festival was open to the public.

The SPWC went off nice and peacefully despite being open to all and it had a cracking vibe both this year and last year.

We used have "young professionals" renting near us and their behaviour was quite appalling. Nothing like waking up at 3AM just to hear a braying Corkie accent begging their friend to play a bit of ball.

so2005 wrote:

The queues would have also been unbearable if it was open season for anyone to just walk in off the street.

Ah so the good people of Cork wouldn't be allowed to pay just for the food as it would make the queues too long ?

This event seems like an over-sized food court where you're forced to pay in and then pay for your food. I suppose though that the "I'm a fooooodie" bragging rights does take the sting out of the pain.

sok2005

parsi wrote: »

The SPWC went off nice and peacefully despite being open to all and it had a cracking vibe both this year and last year.

We used have "young professionals" renting near us and their behaviour was quite appalling. Nothing like waking up at 3AM just to hear a braying Corkie accent begging their friend to play a bit of ball.

Ah so the good people of Cork wouldn't be allowed to pay just for the food as it would make the queues too long ?

This event seems like an over-sized food court where you're forced to pay in and then pay for your food. I suppose though that the "I'm a fooooodie" bragging rights does take the sting out of the pain.

I'm sensing a little bit of resentment here!

Not every event has to be available to everyone's pocket. You're not forced to go, there's always farmers markets!

parsi

sok2005 wrote: »

I'm sensing a little bit of resentment here!

Not every event has to be available to everyone's pocket. You're not forced to go, there's always farmers markets!

Lol. No resentment here. However I thought we had left the artificial distinctions that characterised the Celtic Tiger behind. After all we now know that an ostentatious display of money doesn't mean that it's backed by assets and we know that a display of professionalism doesn't make someone inimitably better (cf Seanie Fitz). Therefore we shouldn't feel the need to hand over €25 each just to be allowed to buy food. After all in many of our fine local restaurants that €25 per head would go a long way.

This is like the Ideal Homes Exhibition writ large - pay to go in in order to buy stuff. Imagine if Mahon Point Farmers Market had an entrance fee - attendance would drop like a stone in a millpond.

PcAngel

I think 25 euro entry is too much this day and age. I had a brilliant Sunday lunch for that yesterday in a lovely hotel.

evilivor

PcAngel wrote: »

I think 25 euro entry is too much this day and age. I had a brilliant Sunday lunch for that yesterday in a lovely hotel.

€25 for entry to a public park on one of the hottest day of the year so far is a disgrace.

gbee

sok2005 wrote: »

I'm sensing a little bit of resentment here!]

OK. For the stalls in the park, they had to pay a fee in the thousands of euro and an share of sales.

Hence the Corker. This is probably the primary reason dishes had to be Celtic Tiger Priced.

beer enigma

I dont think you can blame the exhibitors for the entry fee, my understanding is the same as gbee in so far as the stallholders were charged a small ransom.

As I mentioned earlier, I got the early bird tickets which were 2 for €20 for the first evening & I can't baulk at that - I dont think I could have managed much more than 4 hrs without running out of things to see to be honest, so the €25 all dayers were not great value - in my opinion.

As for the food prices, we would normally go out once every couple of weeks for a meal & if you look at it like a grazing menu, I think it was pretty good value.

t would be interesting to see how much of a profit the organisers made out of it

H8GHOTI

The price for having a stall is on the website
http://www.tastefest.ie/book-a-stand/