Gold medal award for Ballyvaughan café

A Ballyvaughan café scooped a top industry award when it received the prestigious Hotel and Catering Review Gold Medal Award for Cafés and Coffee Shops.
An Fear Gorta Tea and Garden Rooms beat off stiff competition from peers in Ireland’s busy café sector to win the coveted award at the 23rd Annual Hotel and Catering Review Gold Medal Awards last week.
An Fear Gorta shot to national fame earlier this year when Hollywood director Stephen Spielberg flew to Ireland especially for a slice of The Tea and Garden Rooms’ cheesecake.
An Fear Gorta has been described as a ‘must-visit’ by members of the Hotel and Catering Review Gold Medal Awards jury, who together travelled close to 20,000 kilometres across the island this summer to search for Ireland’s greatest cafés, hotels, restaurants and catering operations.
“It’s not hard to see why Stephen Spielberg jetted into Ireland just for the cheesecake in The Tea and Garden Rooms in Ballyvaughan,” commented Sarah Grennan, editor of Hotel and Catering Review and chair of the Gold Medal Awards jury. “We’ve long been fans of this charming little café, which is a must-see for any visitor to Clare’s beautiful Burren. Even if you can’t get there by private jet, if you love great cakes and you appreciate great service, it’s worth the journey.”
Organised by Hotel and Catering Review, one of the leading magazines for the Irish hospitality industry, the Gold Medal Awards are recognised as among the industry’s most rigorous and competitive independent awards programmes.
A total of 15 category awards were presented at this year’s gala black tie ceremony at Dublin’s Burlington Hotel on October 24, which was attended by over 480 leading hoteliers, restaurateurs and caterers from across the country.
An Fear Gorta Tea and Garden Rooms celebrated its 30th birthday earlier this summer and was the only Clare winner at the awards.