Down Syndrome Cork Youth Club cook up a heartwarming evening at the Cornstore

Down Syndrome Cork Youth Club 

cook up a heartwarming evening at the Cornstore.

Beef cheek

It was billed as a “heartwarming evening at Cornstore Restaurant”. And it was that, and more, as members of the Down Syndrome Cork Youth Club cooking class showcased their culinary talents for a very special dining event. And there was no shortage of talent front of house, either as the club played a key role there as well.

The event was MC’d by Joe McNamee, senior food writer with the Irish Examiner, and was sponsored by MTU, who facilitate the weekly Down Syndrome Youth Club cooking classes.

The youth club’s budding young cooks were given the onerous task of preparing and presenting a delicious three-course dinner. And, under the expert guidance of the Cornstore kitchen team, they succeeded, bigtime!

Salad with Feta

Having enjoyed a few lovely lunches at Killarney’s Deenagh Lodge, where many local Down syndrome people played key roles, I thought this Cork event, one of many on the continuing Cork on a Fork festival, would be a good one, and so it proved.

It was indeed a great celebration for the youth club, for their relations, friends and for us “outsiders”. It was heartening to see the interactions at the various tables, the fun and the crack. Joe McNamee got the tone exactly right (doesn’t he always!) as he conducted some brief interviews towards the end.

Welcome

He had a few humorous exchanges with the youth club members. One guy got a little emotional. When he finished his little speech, he went back down to the floor. A Cornstore staff member, who had been looking after the terminal all evening, spotted a few tears and discreetly offered some paper napkins to the young man to tidy up. It was just the kind of gesture that typified the night.

And, by the way, the food overall was excellent. We started with a welcome drink and soon moved on to the wine list, enjoying a smooth and balanced Marcel Martin Cabernet Sauvignon and the juicy, blackberry, spicy, and earthy Ocaso Malbec from Argentina.

Joe McNamee

I was tempted by the Mini Lobster Roll starter as I've had it here previously, but this time I picked instead the delightful Creamy Burrata with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic reduction and tomato. CL meanwhile enjoyed a seasonal Strawberry and Feta salad with pearl couscous, mint, pine nuts and white balsamic dressing.

Quite a few choices in the mains section, but we both went for the Braised Angus Beef Bourguignon with pearl onions, mushrooms, bacon lardons and honey-glazed carrots. The beef was top quality, very well cooked and presented and certainly one of the best of the type.

Led by Mags, Mike and Ricardo, the Cornstore staff played a blinder in making the evening a success, all taking a few of the club members under their wing, making sure that everyone had something to do as the food was delivered and the tables cleared. It was a joy to watch.

Dessert

Quite an evening then, a great illustration of what can happen when the community unites. The more we pull together, the further we will go. Think I’ll finish with an Obama throw-back. Can we do this again? Yes, we can!

* Cork on a Fork continues all this weekend. Find all the details here.  And indeed, you can see our Youth Club cooks again on Sunday in Emmett Place, where, at 10am, they showcase favourite dishes, this event also hosted by Joe McNamee.