Bridgestone Editors

John and Sally McKenna

John and Sally McKenna began their research into Irish food in 1989, when they gave up their Dublin flat, splurged £100 on a broken-down Renault 4, and set off around Ireland to discover what they hoped would be an exciting food culture. Despite a complete lack of planning and any sort of foresight, the McKennas stumbled upon the great cooks, artisans and innkeepers, about whom they have written ever since.

They have won many awards for their food writing and broadcasting, and are the only Irish writers to win both the André Simon and Glenfiddich Awards.

Today, the McKennas live in West Cork with their three children, Connie, Sam and PJ, and continue to travel the country in a slightly more expensive Renault, always on the hunt for good places to eat, good places to stay and great food producers.

Check out for details of John McKenna's Consultancy Service for Ireland's Food Industry

Eamon Barrett

Along with his wife Julie, Eamon has owned and run his own business in Waterford for the past sixteen years. Food has been a great passion of his during the last eighteen years and he been known to drive a round trip of over two hundred miles just to have lunch in a particular restaurant. Holidays involve a complex itinerary of how many restaurants of note are within driving distance. Eamon lives in Cheekpoint, Co.Waterford and his other interests include architecture, visual arts and music.

Gillian Bolton

Gillian Bolton left a career in marine biology research to run front of house with Jeanne and Paul in Roscoff when it opened its doors.Seduced by Paul's food she moved to the kitchen to learn the ropes from the bottom up. Those were the "hot house" days working along side the likes of Robbie Millar, Simon Shaw, Eugene O'Callaghan, Darren Simpson and Niall McKenna. After 10 years at the mother ship where she had also done estages at Roux Pattisserie, Sally Clarkes in London and Nancy Silverton in California, she went into business with the Rankins to open the Bakery and Cafes. Gillian retired in 2001 to become a full time mum and chef to Rebecca and Angus. She continues to teach and consult in different aspects of cuisine.

Karyn Booth

Karyn Booth is a freelance food stylist and writer living in Moira. Most of her work involves making food look good for camera, magazines, food packaging and television commercials; although she spends lots of time creating recipes for the Belfast Telegraph and a few supermarkets.

Karyn trained in the Ritz Hotel, London for 1 years, then was a pastry chef for Paul Rankin for four years. She returned to London for a brief stint in the house of Albert Roux before joining Sir Terence Conran's Sartoria on Saville Row. The final stage of her London Tour was spent working with some of the leading caterers, cooking for all sorts of people - Lord Linley, the Spice girls, Ruby Wax, Elton John to name a few. She describes this as "good practice for motherhood."

Orla Broderick

Orla is a freelance food writer who is based in Dublin, but works mainly out of England. Orla worked as a writer for "BBC Good Food" magazine for five years before deciding to specialise in creating recipes and preparing food for the television. She has worked on numerous books and productions, including work with Ainsley Harriott, Nick Nairn and Gary Rhodes.

She has just finished producing "10 of the Best", a forty part series on Irish chefs that is due to be transmitted early next year on RTE.

In addition to this she has written several cookbooks including two Gourmet Kitchen books for Apple Tree Press, Meals in Minutes for the BBC as well as two editions of Can't Cook, Won't Cook. Her most recent publication was 100 Great Soups, a follow up to her 100 Great Snacks and Appetisers (Weidenfeld and Nicolson).

Ken Buggy

Ken Buggy is an innkeeper, publican, cook and somehow finds time amidst all of these vocations to illustrate the Bridgestone Guides newsletter. Mr Buggy served his apprenticeship in various locations in the UK before opening The Old Presbytery in Kinsale. He and Cathleen Buggy quickly established the Presbytery as one of the cult addresses in Ireland.

Fearing that Kinsale was becoming over-commercialised, the Buggys sold the Presbytery and moved to Glencairn in County Waterford. Here they have made the Glencairn Inn just as celebrated as its predecessor. The Buggys are famous for creating the most extraordinary beds you can sleep in, and also for cooking the most inordinately brilliant chips!

Ken's illustrations line the walls of his bed and restaurant-with-rooms.

Visit: www.lismore.com

Caroline Byrne

Caroline Byrne graduated from Trinity College Dublin where she studied Ancient History and Archaeology and French. Having a strong interest in food and wine, particularly within their specific cultural contexts, she wrote her undergraduate thesis on Wine and Society in the Ancient Greek World. After university she gained work experience with Food & Wine Magazine, to which she has contributed as a writer. Caroline is currently working as a full-time in house journalist for a magazine publishing house in south Dublin.

Sabrina Conneely

Sabrina Conneely lives and works between Inis Mean the Aran Islands and Galway city.

Elizabeth Field

Elizabeth is a New Yorker who originally earned a degree in Fine Art before becoming a food writer 20 years ago. She has free-lanced about food, wine, restaurants, travel, business and the arts for The New York Times, Boston Globe, Gourmet magazine, Saveur magazine, Travel & Leisure, Bride's and Organic Gardening.

For the last year Elizabeth has been free-lancing for The Irish Times. She was a staff writer, focussing on food and features, for 11 years for The Berkshire Eagle, a daily newspaper in Pittsfield, Mass. Elizabeth studied food history at Radcliffe and is a regular attender/presenter at the Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery.

She now lives in Dublin with her husband, 9-year-old daughter, and cat Sooty.

Claire Goodwillie

Claire Goodwillie shares her Kilkenny homeplace with Lavistown cheese and sausages, so a passion for food is hardly surprising: "Food priorities would have to be local and seasonal...there's something strange about a melon that looks the same in March as it did when it was bought at Christmas. Asparagus in November? Strawberries in February? I'll live without them, thanks. Passionate about eating and cooking, I'm happy with an elaborate dinner out or cheese on toast at home, provided both are cooked with enthusiasm and flair..and the cheese is Lavistown, of course!"

Val O'Connor

Val O'Connor began her media career as a reporter in the Limerick Post then jumped ship to photography and based herself in Dublin for 6 years. She has recently re-patriated to her home town of Limerick where she continues to work in the media. Val's Kitchen, her food blog, started in October of 2006 and has enjoyed a steady readership of foodies from around the world. Val has contributed lifestyle, food and travel features to the Irish Independent Weekend Magazine, Examiner Magazine, Super Quinn Magi, Irish Tattler, Ireland's Homes Interiors and Living as well as my newest column in the Limerick Independent.

Aoife Wasser

Aoife Wasser is Art Director of Visionaire Magazine in New York and works on advertising for fashion houses such as Fendi, Chanel and Dior.

Leslie Williams

Leslie Williams is a freelance Food and Wine Writer and Consultant. He is a contributor to Food and Wine Magazine and other publications and editor of www.TheWineRoom.ie. Leslie has devised and taught courses in Wine Appreciation and regularly conducts tutored wine tastings.

Leslie lives in Dublin with his wife Caitriona and son Grellan. Passions include all foods from kimche to kulfi and pumpkins to polenta plus Breton Cider, Eastern European Beer, and wine from Alsace, Burgundy, Provence, Piedemont, Puglia, the Veneto and just about everywhere else.