Day's Kitchen: From Ballymaloe Cookery School to Masterchef
Since graduating from our 12 Week Certificate course in 2012, Charlie Day has gone on to launch his own successful business - Day's Kitchen - in his native Co. Wicklow. Regulars of Kilruddery Farm Market on Saturdays, or Stillorgan Village's Wednesday market, will be familiar with his stalls where he offers a range of delicious homemade cakes, sweet treats, baked goods and breads.
Lots of nice treats @Stillorganvill including these by @charliewd pic.twitter.com/TTCUdGc3cX
— StillorganChamber (@StillrgnChamber) October 15, 2014
Having previously worked in the motor trade, one of the biggest casualities of the recent economic recession, Charlie decided to make a complete career change at the end of 2011 and enrolled at Ballymaloe Cookery School on our January 12 Week Certificate with hopes of subsequently carving out a new career path. His passion throughout the course was for baking, especially breads, and he was a regular at Timmy's evening sourdough workshops. Inspired by Darina's advocacy of farmers markets and equipped with new business skills acquired on the 12 week course, the idea for his own market stall was clear in his mind by the time graduation came around, but it wasn't going to be an easy task to start up a new business in unchartered territory in the midst of a recession.
Almost four years on, Charlie has successfully grown Day's Kitchen from its fledgling stall at Stillorgan Village to now a well established trader at three well-known weekly markets - Stillorgan and Blackrock Shopping Centres in Dublin, and Kilruddery Farm market in Co. Wicklow. He has developed a cult following for his delicious doughnuts and gluten-free carrot cake, and in addition to baking every morning fresh for the markets, he takes orders for cakes and caters for private events.
If you are wondering where you recognise Charlie from, it's probably because he was a finalist in Masterchef Ireland 2014!
As seen on TV!!! @charliewd. @MasterChefRTE ready for market tomorrow 10-4. #teamcharlie pic.twitter.com/fVRbzB3foU
— Local Farm Market (@KillrudderyFM) March 14, 2014
Previous 12 Week Certificate graduates who started out at farmers markets around the country before launching successful businesses include celebrity TV chef Clodagh McKenna; spice maestro Arun Kapil of Green Saffron; and Jack Crotty of Cork's 'Rocket Man', to name a few.
Cooking For A Farmer's Market Stall:
With the rise of the farmer's market in Ireland, more and more young entrepreneurs have the chance to make their mark on the food industry without having the considerable start-up costs of a 'bricks & mortar' premises. With this in mind, we've introduced an exciting two and a half day course to our calendar this year - Cooking For A Farmer's Market Stall - which will cover a range of easy-to-replicate recipes from zingy chutneys and pickles to rich, buttery pâtés, and decadent sweet treats, guaranteed to tempt the most discerning artisan shoppers! With Darina at the vanguard of the Irish Farmer's Market movement, and our collective experience running farmers markets stalls at the Midleton Farmers Market, Mahon Point and Douglas Shopping Centres here in Cork, we are expertly placed to deliver this one-of-a-kind course.
Cooking For A Farmer's Market Stall | Wednesday 6th - Friday 8th April | Book Now
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