Top accolades for North Clare businesses

NORTH Clare businesses have fared well in recent weeks by winning top national awards.

L’Arco Italian Restaurant in Ballyvaughan scooped one of the most prestigious awards in Irish hospitality, the Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Award for Best Ethnic Restaurant.

The restaurant, owned by the Quinn family, was awarded the coveted title at the Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Awards in Dublin’s Burlington Hotel last week.

“Proprietor George Quinn and manager David Quinn are committed to providing an authentic Italian dining experience in this gem of a restaurant in beautiful Ballyvaughan. All the dishes are prepared freshly by Italian chefs using the best quality ingredients, which are sourced locally wherever possible.

“L’Arco Italian Restaurant is another feather in the cap of Ballyvaughan, which is rapidly becoming one of Ireland’s greatest gastro villages,” said Sarah Grennan, editor of Hotel & Catering Review and chairperson of the Gold Medal Awards Jury.

Also honoured on the night was the Tea & Garden Rooms in Ballyvaughan, which was crowned Ireland’s Best Café and Tearoom for the second successive year. The Dining Room at Gregan’s Castle, the nearby country house, was also nominated as a finalist in the Fine Dining category.

Run by leading hospitality industry magazine Hotel & Catering Review and judged by an independent jury of experienced hospitality practitioners, the Gold Medal Awards are widely regarded as the most prestigious and coveted awards in the business.

A total of 17 category awards were presented at this year’s gala ceremony, which was attended by over 400 leading hoteliers, restaurateurs and caterers from across the country.

Meanwhile, another North Clare business was applauded at the Irish Cheese Awards recently.

St Tola Organic Goat Cheese was awarded gold in the category of Goats’ Milk Cheese for its St Tola Log. St Tola Ash was also awarded silver in the New Cheese category.

St Tola took home one of the nine gold medals awarded at the Irish Cheese Awards, run in association with Sheridan’s Cheesemongers, at SHOP, one of Ireland’s retail, food, drink and hospitality trade shows.

SHOP took place from September 25 to 27 in the RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin.