Elaine Murphy

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Ask Elaine Murphy, the dynamic owner behind three of Dublin’s best-loved restaurants – The Winding Stair, it’s adjacent sister The Woollen Mills, and Glasnevin’s The Washerwoman – about the person who has exerted the most influence on her in her career, and her answer goes like this:

“Alice Waters, because of her firm belief that food and politics are intrinsically connected, and her belief that we have responsibilities – socially; environmentally, and politically – that are reflected in our food, employment and purchasing practices”.

So, food and politics unite the founder of Berkeley’s Chez Panisse, and the founder of three of the most characterful places to eat in Dublin. But does this matter when it comes down to dinner? Yes, indeed. Ms Murphy has injected all of this culture of concerns into how her restaurant operates, but not in a didactic way. She isn't a polemicist, just a concerned citizen, a concerned cook who knows the ramifications of what she does.

And whilst those ramifications are felt in the deep background of her restaurants, they are felt also at the forefront of The Winding Stair, The Woollen Mills and The washerwoman, for these are three rooms that pulsate with power, with colossal human energy, an energy summoned from her very conscientious commitment to ravelling the ties that bind.

The great Wendell Berry once wrote that “Eating is an agricultural act” For Elaine Murphy, eating is a political, social and environmental act, as well as a cultural and sensual act. Uniting all these elements is what makes her such an exemplary restaurateur.

The Winding Stair, 40 Lower Ormond Quay, Dublin 1
01 872 7320
http://www.winding-stair.com