Ep 84. Santina Kennedy - Ireland Made by Makers

00:00 – 04:30
Early passion for food, growing up in agricultural Ireland, and choosing a “safe” banking career
04:30 – 07:00
Opening and running a café with limited resources - lessons in authenticity, service, and commitment
07:00 – 09:30
Transition from hospitality operations to food consultancy and returning to formal education
09:30 – 11:30
Finding a voice through gastronomy studies and stepping into leadership through knowledge
11:30 – 13:30
Telling Ireland’s overlooked food stories - workers, tenant farmers, and everyday heritage
13:30 – 18:30
Irish whiskey as cultural identity: history, grains, mash bills, resilience, and food pairings
18:30 – 21:00
Whiskey tourism experiences and changing Irish drinking culture
21:00 – 25:30
St. Brigid: goddess, saint, hospitality icon, and inspiration for food-led cultural events
25:30 – 30:30
County Wicklow’s food network - abundance, collaboration, and regional pride
30:30 – 33:30
Comparing Wicklow and Boyne Valley; celebrating Ireland’s regional diversity without competition
33:30 – 36:30
Why Irish food storytelling must start at home, not just with tourists
36:30 – 39:30
Hospitality labor, work-life balance, and sustaining Irish voices in food and tourism
39:30 – 44:30
Cuisine evolution, immigration, innovation, and respectful adaptation of tradition
44:30 – End
Reflections on food tourism, gratitude, and the role of shared language in shaping a field

You can learn more about Santina here (linkedin.com/in/santina-kennedy-63925720a).

The Taste of Place podcast is sponsored by the World Food Travel Association’s Taste of Place movement. Taste of Place is a global initiative that celebrates culinary culture, food heritage, and the makers behind them. Through the movement, travelers and consumers are encouraged to connect more deeply with destinations and products through their unique flavors and traditions. Learn more at JoinTasteofPlace.org.