Welcome to Grilled by The Staff Canteen, this is season 6 and our next four episodes will be hosted by Michelin-starred Chef Dr. JP McMahon of Aniar Restaurant in Galway, Ireland. JP is also founder of Food on the Edge, Blas Na Gaillimhe (A taste of Galway) and Cava Bodega restaurant.

In this episode of Grilled, JP talks to Annette Sweeney.

Annette Sweeney is a senior lecturer in culinary arts and coordinator of culinary arts programmes at Technological University Dublin-Tallaght Campus. As an educator she is passionate about using an applied approach and involving industry inspiration when designing and delivering culinary programmes. She also designed and leads the University’s Masters in Applied Culinary Nutrition for practising chefs which in 2015, was the first of its kind globally. Each year, many of these masters’ students take inspiration from FOTE for their applied research projects.

Food on the Edge is an ongoing inspiration for her work and resulted in her being appointed a FOTE ambassador in 2019. Inspired by FOTE 2015, she was instrumental in activating an ‘action point’, and in 2018 she and her colleagues designed the BA (Honours) in Botanical Cuisine- a seed to plate degree for chefs. Further inspiration from FOTE over the years resulted in the development of ‘The Mindful Kitchen Project’ a series of modules for chefs on Health and Wellbeing, Creativity & Social Gastronomy, and recently the awarding of a fellowship to design a module on Creative Food Sustainability. These modules engage young chefs in mindful practices to benefit their health and wellbeing, creativity and work practices, enabling confidence to affect change to ensure positive kitchen culture–an approach which is also a global first in culinary education. Inspired by the impact of ‘The Mindful Kitchen Project’ on students and a gradual integration of positive health into the modules, she was recently awarded a scholarship by The Centre of Positive Health Sciences at RCSI, Ireland, for a professional doctorate, focused on further exploration of the role of ‘The Mindful Kitchen’ in culinary education and professional practice. This is the Food on the Edge effect!

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