Peter Fowler is a radical guy. How so? Well, to celebrate the Waterford Harvest Festival, Mr Fowler did something radical: he turned The Granary, his city centre restaurant, into a mirror.
And what you saw, when you looked in the mirror, were the foods of Waterford: Tom Cleary’s vegetables; Flynn’s ham on the bone; Dungarvan cheddar; Metalman smoked chilli porter; Seagull Bakery sourdough bread; blaas from Walshe’s Bakery; Flahavan’s bircher muesli; Tastefully Yours chutneys; Jim Doherty’s fish.
It was an astonishing spectacle to behold, on a bright Sunday morning.
And it was an even better spectacle to eat and enjoy, as we all did.
Mr Fowler’s act was truly radical, because Waterford has, traditionally, been shy about asserting its culinary riches. But turning his pretty café into a catwalk for all the good things from his region showed locals and visitors just how much the county has to offer. It was one of those events where the zeitgeist changed, and Peter Fowler changed it.
In truth, though, Mr Fowler has been changing things ever since he opened the Granary. His attention to detail in his dishes is formidable. Just as importantly, he has nurtured one of the best crews you will find at work anywhere in Ireland: every team member over-delivers in the Granary, and they do it because they want to do it for the boss.