The four-star country house, Cahernane House Hotel in Killarney, Co. Kerry has a new chef at the helm. Cormac Vesey has been appointed as the new Executive Head Chef at the luxury PREM Group owned hotel and is set to bring Cahernane on an exciting new culinary journey. His focus on food provenance and seasonal ingredients lies at the heart of everything he does and is the cornerstone of his cooking. “For me great food is made with great produce, it’s about knowing where it comes from, how it’s grown or produced. The passion and care that goes into creating premier produce is reflected in the final plate of food, so it’s essential that the raw materials that come into my kitchen are of the very highest standards. Cooking with the seasons allows me to find the best that nature offers, what could be better than locally foraged mushrooms or herbs picked just a few hundred metres from my kitchen door? Great food is a celebration of the seasons, it’s when the ingredients should be allowed to sing– even something as simple as in season mushrooms, winter cabbage or hand foraged herbs can be the star on the plate.”
A native of Dunshaughlin Co. Meath, Cormac is a graduate of the Waterford Institute of Technology where he studied Culinary Arts. Over the years he has honed his skills in kitchens in New Zealand, England, Canada and the South of France where he worked as a private chef for a high-profile client in the glamourous location of St. Tropez. He also worked at several well-known restaurants and hotels in Ireland including the Cliff House Hotel which has 4 AA Rosettes and 1 Michelin Star, the Five Star Killarney Park Hotel in Killarney and Waterford Castle Hotel among others.
Cormac’s love of travel has also had a huge influence on this cooking, “I was lucky enough to work with some really great culinary teams all over the world and when you are young you just want to learn and experience as much as you can. For sure, travel has had a big influence on my cooking style and when you work abroad you meet people from different backgrounds and different cultures which is just so important and interesting.
Now, Cormac will put his own culinary signature on the 2-AA Rosette Herbert Restaurant which is famous for serving up some of the finest cuisine in the southwest of Ireland, with the kitchen producing consistent, beautiful plates of food.
The Herbert Restaurant, The Cellar Bar and the Drawing Room at Cahernane House Hotel all offer various dining options for guests and visitors. The Herbert Restaurant is a fine dining restaurant while the Cellar Bar serves casual fare, cocktails and artisan gins and beers. The Drawing Room, overlooking the mature garden is an elegant space to relax in front of the fire and read while enjoying a glass of something lovely.
Cahernane House was originally built in 1877 and was restored to its former glory by owners, the PREM Group. The stunning 48- bedroom hotel is set on 6.4 acres on the edge of the Killarney National Park and lakes yet is just a short stroll into Killarney Town Centre. The house is filled with original antiques, artwork and the beautiful original features of the property have been sympathetically restored such as the feature staircase and original stucco ceilings.
Cahernane House Hotel will host an exciting culinary evening called ‘A Taste of Cahernane’ on the 11th of November which will see diners enjoying an eight-course tasting menu prepared by Cormac Vesey and his talented culinary team. The evening is available for both residents and non-hotel residents and is priced from €65 per head for the 8-course dining experience. The residential package costs from €169 per person sharing for one night’s bed and breakfast and the 8-course tasting menu.
For more information on Cahernane House Hotel or to make a booking see www.cahernane.com or call (064) 663 1895.
