Men on a mission (to cook)

Andrew Clancy, Lahinch, Michael Morgan, Kilfenora and Peader O’Reilly, Lisdoonvarna, are intent on creating the perfect sauce in Mary’s Men Only Cookery Class at the Boghill Centre, Kilfenora.

Mary Sheehan agreed to teach the class when asked by North Clare flute player Peader O’Reilly.
“Men need their own class where we can feel free to ask questions, make mistakes and move forward at our own pace,” says Peader, who after taking Mary’s first series of classes, enthusiastically admits, “Mary’s class changed the way I cook and eat.”
“We cooked a complete meal at each class, which at first was daunting. But Mary has a relaxed style that makes everything easy, fun and she gives loads of tips. I am now cooking a variety of healthy, good-tasting meals that my kids really enjoy,” he went on.
Brian Hawley, a Leaving Cert student, has signed up for the next course and another student and local farmer is interested in Mary’s vegetarian cookery classes. The men in her first class ranged in age from 18 to 79 years, proving age doesn’t matter when learning something new.
Armed with 30 years of recipes and an enthusiasm for what she loves to do best, Mary arrived in Clare in 2007 from America to manage the Burren Perfumery Tearooms. She immediately felt connected to the Burren and soon made friends with Clare’s diverse population of farmers, cheesemakers, herbalists, beekeepers and crafts people. This led to her writing and self-publishing her own cookbook, Coming Home To Cook, vegetarian recipes inspired by the organic gardens of Ireland. It includes her traditional and nontraditional recipes, her grandfather’s family stories of life in Ballyvourney, Cork, before emigrating to Boston, and her photographs. She also started a popular food blog, www.vegetarianireland.com.
Mary is now chef at the Boghill Centre, a residential music and healing centre in Kilfenora.
“I have developed a method of teaching cooking that simplifies the process for someone who has never boiled water. It is amazing how fast a person with the most basic skills catches on that cooking is not that complicated, you just need to have the enthusiasm to learn something new and the commitment to eating healthier or saving yourself some money. No matter what your motivation, we have fun in the process,” she commented.