Clare woman, Margaret Jeffares, founder of Good Food Ireland, has been invited by President Barack Obama to the White House for St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Ms Jeffares, whose parents Tom and Teresa Frost live near Quin, will also be attending a number of high profile business networking events, as Good Food Ireland reaches out to the global Irish diaspora.
“I am hugely honoured to have received the invitation from the President and will be flying the flag for Irish food and good local food places in Ireland at all these events” said Margaret Jeffares.
“The US is a hugely important market for both Irish agriculture and tourism. By raising the perception of Ireland’s food we provide a new growth driver for tourism provided we direct those tourists to quality places that are actually using local Irish food” she said.
On a personal note, Ms Jeffares said this invitation to the White House on St Patrick’s Day is a lifelong ambition.
“I have watched with huge pride for many years our Taoiseach hand over the pot of shamrock. To be there to represent all our wonderful chefs, food producers, farmers and fishermen and Ireland’s food tourism is the greatest reward for me for the many years of pioneering and dedication to Good Food Ireland”
Good Food Ireland promotes Ireland’s premium food produce and food experiences . It is a quality standard for restaurants, hotels and tourism establishments throughout the island that are committed to using Irish ingredients and is the champion for small artisan food producers.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.