New café at Bray's Mermaid Arts Centre to create hub for local produce
The new venture is the result of a partnership between the Mermaid and Críoch Catering, which was founded in 2019 by Arklow chef Tadgh Byrne, who is a member of Wicklow Naturally and specialises in sustainable, fresh, locally sourced food, paired with warm and friendly customer service.
Críoch Café will initially serve coffee and light bites over the summer, from 8am to 3pm Monday to Friday, with a theatre bar service on performance evenings, and come September, there will be a broader menu and longer opening hours.
No stranger to the arts, in 2024 Tadgh collaborated with Dublin Filmmaker, Max Barry, on a documentary exploring how Ireland will eat in 2050 – looking at issues such as how technology will change farming, food security, robot chefs, drone deliveries and sustainability in the food supply chain.
The word 'Críoch' originates from Middle Irish and means territory or land and reflects Tadgh's deep connection to County Wicklow and sustainable produce, with the catering company's decisions guided by the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and the EU's Farm-to-Fork Strategy.
Críoch Catering has recently been nominated as a finalist in the Gold Medal Catering Awards in three categories: Menu Provenance of the Year, Public Sector Food Service of the Year and Ireland's Event Caterer – 100 Guests or Less category.
'Our mission is to make the world a better place through healthy, sustainable and ethical food and memorable experiences,' chef Tadgh said. ''Our vision is for Mermaid to become a food hub, as well as an arts hub, and we are looking forward to showcasing local produce. We will open for coffee and snacks until September and then broaden our offering.
'We want to take this time to finish decorating, hire the right people and fine tune our provenance-driven menu.'
Speaking on behalf of the board at Mermaid, chair Anne Ferris said: 'The café at Mermaid has always been a vibrant and core part of our offering, and we are delighted to welcome Tadgh Byrne to deliver his vision of high-quality, locally sourced food and drinks. We wish him every success.'
Artistic director and Mermaid CEO Aoife Demel added: 'Welcoming Tadgh and the team at Críoch Café on board is very exciting for the team at Mermaid, our artists and our audiences. One of Mermaid's core goals is to work sustainably, and Críoch's focus on locally sourced high-quality ingredients aligns with our vision.
'We look forward to working with Tadgh and his dedicated team to build a buzzing, sustainable café.'
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