Shooting starts on local ‘Fusion Kitchen’ TV show

Cuisine from around the world showcased in County Louth!

Chefs and cooking enthusiasts gathered in the kitchen of celebrity chef Tara Walker in Termonfeckin for filming – and cooking – in the first episode of Fusion Kitchen, a new series that promises to provide mouthwatering entertainment while providing a glimpse into the cultures and lives of some of the newer members of the Irish social landscape.

Fusion Kitchen sees participants from Brazil, India, South Korea, Nigeria, Ukraine and, of course, Ireland, take turns, each episode, at cooking a national meal for the others. This week had Ukrainian chef Mikola join Tara to create a typical meal of his home country. The starter was a fried, grated potato cake, not unlike Irish boxty, followed by a main of various traditional stuffed dumplings and finishing with a honey cake that involved no less than 14 layers of thin biscuit-like dough and cream. Mykola, with his wife and business partner Viktoria, have been selling their home-cooked Ukrainian food at Herbert Park Farmer’s Market in Dublin, and are in the final stages of opening their own café and restaurant, named Lucy, after Mikola’s grandmother whose recipes are featured in the new Portobello venture.

The series, funded by Coimisíun na Meán under its Sound and Vision initiative, and by Louth Local Development Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme (SICAP), is hosted by Tara and has a focus on local, sustainable produce which feature strongly in the show.

Tara is on hand, throughout the cooking process, to lend a hand and to help us learn a little about the person and culture from which the meal comes.

“I think what is really lovely about Fusion Kitchen is that we are celebrating all the different nationalities that are living in Ireland now and all of the food and culture that they’re bringing with them. But, then, we’re also using our own ingredients that are grown or produced in Ireland in those,” explained Tara. “I think we’re so lucky to have so many nationalities bringing their dishes to the table.”

The series is the brainchild of film maker Declan Cassidy who founded local non-profit community media organisation EurAV European Audio Visual CLG. EurAV’s Drogheda-based studio is active in working with community groups to help them get their message out in an increasingly cluttered and often unreliable media landscape.

“It’s a relief to have the first episode in the can,” said Declan. “We’ve got the template right now, so the next five episodes will be easier, but none of us could be sure what to expect with episode one. It all ran really smoothly though. It’s the first time that I’ve worked with Yana Prokopenko as production manager and she’s been amazing. It was like clockwork. And, of course, working with a professional like Tara Walker was a dream. She’s done so much television work and is so knowledgeable about global cuisine that she was able to create a really relaxed atmosphere for Mykola – who had to be extremely nervous because he was the first of the six chefs to brave the cameras!”

The second episode features India, with Jasmine Mathew joining Tara in the Fusion Kitchen to bring the taste of the sub-continent to County Louth.

Fusion Kitchen will air on Virgin Media Channel 802 – the home of Dublin Community Television (DCTV) and will also stream online. Stay tuned for details!