It is with great pleasure that we announce the addition of five new members to the Irish Food Writers’ Guild for 2025. Membership is by invitation only to established food writers with an acknowledged and substantial corpus of work.

The new Guild members are: Gráinne O’Keefe, chef, restaurateur and food writer. She contributes to various magazines and newspapers and  published her first book, “Go and Cook Yourself” in 2024; Cherie Denham, author and teacher whose first cookbook “The Irish Bakery” was published in 2023. She contributes to magazines including Delicious, Country Living and Food and Travel; Suzie Lee Arbuthnot has presented 4 series of “Home Cook Hero” on BBC and is the author of three cookbooks celebrating her Chinese culinary heritage ; Conor Stevens has been writing about food for decades, both in his capacity as a copy writer and as a critic ; Catherine Fulvio runs Ballyknocken House & Cookery School in County Wicklow. She contributes regularly to food publications and has written several best selling cookbooks including “Eat Like an Italian” and “The Weekend Chef

The Irish Food Writers’ Guild was formed in 1990 to promote high professional standards of knowledge and practice among writers about food, nutrition, food history and related matters and to assist in the formulation of links and networks amongst all involved in the food industry.

Over the last 12 months, the Guild has been able to focus on a blend of in-person and online events, enabling members to meet face to face, as well as being inclusive of those who are not in a position to travel to meetings.Our CPD event took place in June with Guild member Mei Chin in discussion with Anya Von Bremzen about her seminal work,”National Dish”. In August we visited Derry for our summer outing and in October some Guild members took part in a FAM trip to North Down. Our annual awards, supported again by Bord Bia, took place in Ananda Restaurant in Dundrum. Once again we celebrated the best of Irish food and drink producers.

As we continue to learn with, and from, our peers, colleagues and friends in this community of writers, we are delighted to welcome Catherine, Conor, Suzie, Cherie and Gráinne, who we believe will join with us in our ambition to support excellence and integrity in food writing.

Paula McIntyre