Spilling the tea with Maître d'

You might be familiar with Caryna Camerino from her regular appearances on Ireland AM – she was in studio throwing a ball of cookie dough at Tommy Bowe on a recent segment – or you might have come across her baking (don’t ever walk past those peanut butter brownies) at Camerino Bakery in Dublin, which started in Capel Street and is now based in Blackrock.

Canadian-born Caryna has been living in Ireland since the early 2000s, baking her way out of a HR job and into a life that prioritises food and community. That’s why her occasional Supper Clubs are so popular. There’s always a different atmosphere in the café at night and the five-course, family-style meals, including a welcoming drink and nibbles, is priced at €50.

Presented with the care and attention that epitomises Camerino Bakery, enjoy baking and breads, including challah from Caryna’s family recipe, made in-house; the legendary scones (Caryna does occasional private baking classes for these); carefully sourced Roasted Brown coffee and Clement and Pekoe’s leaf tea. With the Supper Club, there’s always a theme, something new to try on an evening out for people who want to gather together and eat good food. The next event will take place on Monday 8 June.

See camerino.ie

The City of the Tribes is the place to be for summertime festivals and things have already kicked off with Blas na Bealtaine, a month-long food festival celebrating Galway’s food scene.

Before the end of the month, you can sign up for a Bao and Beats Brunch in Kombu (Sunday 24 May), the Be Sage, Make Lovage foraging workshop with Ivonka Kwiek or a Full Brazilian Experience at Chef Laura Rosso Restaurant in Salthill (both Sunday 31 May).

Brazilian food is having a moment in Ireland with the recent publication of the colourful Samba by Giselle Makinde, a handbook on Brazilian cuisine.

Whet your appetite with Giselle’s book; assuage your hunger at Chef Laura Rosso Restaurant with a menu that includes golden fried cassava, feijão tropeiro (cattle drovers’ beans) and their classic pudim, a caramel flan. Coming from Brazil, Laura had worked in Australia and Italian kitchens before studying Culinary Arts at GMIT (now ATU).

She and her husband, Lucas, started a takeaway during lockdown before opening their restaurant in 2021, to bring the flavours of Brazil to the west of Ireland.

See atasteofgalway.com/events

Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside, especially if it involves glamping and some excellent food in an unexpected place. Goleen Harbour Eco Resort has kicked things up a notch for this summer season with a series of events which sees chefs step out of their kitchens and head to west Cork. Summer Food Pop Up x Goleen Harbour will feature The Glass Curtain team; Leviathan’s James Gabriel Martin; Wild Izakaya from Pádraig Nagle and Epi Rogan (Miyazaki/The Glass Curtain and Paradiso, respectively); and Gautham Iyer, formerly of the much-loved Iyer’s in Cork city.

There are two nights of two sittings for each of these meals (priced between €65-€70) but tickets have been disappearing rapidly so make a booking before signing up for a road trip to west Cork. It’s worth it just to see what Goleen Harbour Eco Resort founders Matt Mills and Melanie Furniss have created in this beautiful coastal setting, from the geodomes and glamping bell tents to newly planted native woodland, cultivating organic fruit and vegetables and their on-site farm shop.

goleenharbour.ie

Amidst all the festivals and events, sometimes I just want to sit out in the garden with a glass of something nice, some good snacks on hand and enjoy my own space. We’re big fans of Blanco Niño, the Tipperary-based tortilleria that makes big and crunchy tortilla chips that have a real taste of corn.

Their lightly salted and blue corn versions are always kept on hand at ours for emergency nacho events and we recently got to try their new Meaty Asado version, which has an intense meaty and zesty lime flavour. People had a bit of a marmite reaction – as in, those who like marmite, loved the flavour. Others, not so much.

But, intrigued, they still came back for more. Widely available at some supermarkets and independent shops (approx €4.50/170g bag), so you can try for yourself. Pair with some salsa from Irish producers for best results; A Bit on the Side mild salsa dip, Garnacha chipotle salsa and Mi Amor Cheeky Green are all on full rotation this summer.

Our Neven is a dab hand at the demos and his on-stage antics at Bord Bia Bloom, which takes place in Dublin’s Phoenix Park from Thursday 28 May to Monday 1 June, are always much-anticipated. He’ll be in good company. Also cooking on the Dunnes Stores Quality Kitchen Stage are Rory O’Connell, Eva Pau, Brian McDermott, Catherine Fulvio and Shane Smith – check out Shane’s gorgeous debut cookbook Loaf Tin Bakes – and Cork’s Trisha Lewis is back to have the craic on her Seafood Kitchen stage.

Neven will also be curating A Taste of Bloom in the Garden View Restaurant. This seasonal, three-course meal uses food from many of the producers in Bloom’s Food Village – giving you the opportunity to try before you buy – as well as an always-welcome chance to sit down and relax.

There are two sittings a day, 12pm and 2.30pm, and tickets, which include entry to Bloom and lunch, are from €85. Daily adult tickets for Bloom are €39.40 each.

See bordbiabloom.com