I’m deeply honoured to be named one of the three 2025 Producers’ Champions by Blas na hÉireann, the Irish Food Awards, alongside two incredible colleagues and friends, Caroline Hennessy and Santina Kennedy.

What makes this recognition especially meaningful is that it comes directly from Irish food producers - the farmers, growers, makers, and artisans who pour their passion into every ingredient. Being chosen by the people who understand the challenges and joys of producing food in Ireland is a privilege beyond words.

This award isn’t just a celebration of food - it’s a celebration of integrity, flavour, connection, community, and storytelling, the values that have guided my work for many years.

From mentoring artisan producers to launching Fat Tomato, my organic edible garden and horticulture project, to co-founding Taste Wexford and #thisisirishfood, I’ve always believed in the power of good food to foster relationships, culture, and resilience. My work is often quiet, behind the scenes - connecting people, curating experiences, developing hospitality and tourism spaces, guiding policy and campaigns, supporting those whose stories deserve to be told. I don’t always shout about what I do, mostly because I’m too busy doing it, but this award is a reminder that impact doesn’t always need a spotlight to matter.

It’s especially fitting to be honoured alongside Caroline and Santina - two people who, like me, have walked the path of production, who understand firsthand the realities of the artisanal journey, and who are unafraid to speak to the challenges facing producers today. In a time when climate change must inform how we grow and do business, it’s vital that we lift up the voices doing the work, not just the work itself.

To now be included in a roster of other Producers’ Champions - names like Darina Allen, Rory O’Connell, John and Sally McKenna, Conor Spacey, and Kate Ryan - is something I’ll carry with pride and humility.

The story was beautifully told by Janine Kennedy in Irish Country Living, the supplement of the Irish Farmers Journal - the most-read newspaper on the island of Ireland. You can read her article here:
Blas na hÉireann names three Producers' Champions for the first time ever.

*Fallon Moore, Anthony O’Toole, Santina Kennedy, Caroline Hennessy, Artie Clifford*
*Photo credit: Joleen Cronin*

A heartfelt thank you to Artie Clifford, Fallon Moore, and the entire Blas na hÉireann team for their tireless work in uplifting Irish producers and bringing them together in Dingle for one of the most fun weekends of the year.

And most of all - thank you to the producers who voted for me. Your belief in this work is the greatest motivation of all.

This honour is not just about the work I’ve done - it’s about the values we share: respect for the land, belief in the people, and a vision for what Irish food can be.

This is community. This is resilience. This is Irish food.

#thisisirishfood

Honoured by the Hands That Feed Us: Named a 2025 Blas na hÉireann Producers’ Champion