Six countries, one kitchen!

My new TV series, Fusion Kitchen, premiere’s in April online and on TV

There are times when a project comes together in a way that feels a bit bigger than what you set out to do, and Fusion Kitchen has, I feel, been one of those.

It began as a straightforward idea – people cooking together, sharing food and stories. What it became was an opportunity to show something very positive about Drogheda and the surrounding area, particularly in terms of food and the people behind it.

We filmed in Tara Walker’s kitchen in Termonfeckin, and that decision shaped the whole tone of the series. Tara brings a grounded, practical approach to cooking, with a strong focus on seasonal ingredients and doing things properly. She has built her reputation on that, and you feel it the moment you step into her kitchen. Working with her gave the series a sense of ease and authenticity that would have been hard to achieve otherwise.

One of the most interesting aspects for me was how the participants responded to what was available locally. We had three food enthusiasts and three working chefs, each coming from different cultural backgrounds, and all of them gravitated towards local produce where they could. It wasn’t something we pushed. They recognised the quality themselves and used it with confidence. There was a genuine appreciation for what’s produced in this area.

Among the chefs were Ken, the Nigerian chef behind Suya Man in Drogheda, and Mykola, the Ukrainian chef behind Lucy on Clanbrassil Street in Dublin, both of whom were able to bring their own food businesses directly into the process. Yebin, chef at Song and Jenn’s in Drogheda, brought the same energy and flair that people will already know from his work there, and translated that into the shared space of Tara’s kitchen.

From my own perspective, as a member of the council of Drogheda Chamber, it was important to keep the production rooted locally. The series will air on DCTV and can be watched anywhere, but it mattered to me that it was made here – using local facilities, local people and local produce wherever possible.

That was made possible by the support that came in behind the project. Funding from Coimisiún na Meán got the series off the ground, and the support of the SICAP team at Louth Local Development helped ensure that it could be produced here in Drogheda. That had a real impact on how the project developed.

Another element I wanted to explore was bringing in people who had come through EurAV’s community media training. There is always a question about how that transition will work in practice. In this case, it worked very well. The crew members who came through that route contributed fully to the production and held their own in a professional environment. It was a good demonstration of what can happen when people are given a proper opportunity.

As the broadcast dates approach, from April 13 to 18, there is a sense of anticipation about how it will be received. I think people will connect with the warmth of it and with the sense of people coming together through food.

And already, I find myself thinking about where it could go next. There is more in this idea, and more that could be explored.

For now, I am simply glad that we were able to make it, and that we were able to make it here.