West of Ireland chef and author of The Irish CookBook (Phaidon, 2020) Michelin Star Chef JP McMahon, is getting virtually up close and personal with culinary enthusiasts around the world with private online cooking classes.
The classes are offered to both individuals for one-on-one classes or for groups of up to four people. The content and theme of each class can be chosen by the students. Each class takes approximately three hours and students can expect to complete five to six dishes in this time. JP has welcomed cooking class students from all over the world, “Our online classes are a way for us to spread the great word of Irish food. We’ve been doing classes with people from all over the world, from Switzerland and Copenhagen to Seattle and San Francisco. Because people can’t travel to Ireland, they’re taking our classes to experience Irish food. Our future plans include expanding on our classes by recordings that can be rolled out as Master Classes”.
JP, along with his business partner Drigin, is the restaurateur behind some of Galway’s most beloved restaurants including Cava Bodega, a Spanish inspired tapas restaurant, and Tartare Café + Wine Bar, a café by day and small plates restaurant and natural wine bar by night. Both Cava Bodega and Tartare Café + Wine Bar have been operating a take-away only service since COVID-19 measures were enforced on Ireland. Both will reopen as dine-in restaurants as restrictions are eased next week. Tartare will reopen Tuesday 30th June while Cava Bodega will reopen Thursday 2nd July. Reopening the restaurant, Drigin said, “we have a strong local base in Cava and Tartare and we are looking forward to welcoming guests back into the restaurant. The takeaway has been very successful and we will continue it in Cava for the foreseeable future.”
JP is also co-owner of Michelin-star Aniar Restaurant and Boutique Cookery School. While the popular cooking classes will remain as scheduled throughout the season, the restaurant will not reopen this year. JP McMahon said, “Due to the pandemic and the lockdown, we’ve decided not to re-open Aniar this season. As we only have 16 weeks left of this current season, social distancing measures reducing the possibility of making the restaurant viable, and a complete absence of international tourism – which is our main base – the financial risk is too great for fine dining. We’ve decided instead to focus on our online cooking classes for the remainder of the season until October. Our regular classes in Anair will begin a little earlier in September and continue to March next year. We hope to welcome back our guests in April 2021.”
Prices for these tailored live classes are from €225 for one person to €560 for four people. To book a private class and for more information visit www.aniarrestaurant.ie