Series 5, Episode 5
Catherine said of her Spanish experience, “San Sebastian had always been on my bucket list and for it to be the first destination that we travelled abroad to for filming Tastes Like Home means it will always hold a special place in my heart. What’s not to love about it – the food culture is outrageously good, when I close my eyes I can still savour the atmosphere, the wonderful aromas and the delicious flavours stemming from the Pinxos bars.”
San Sebastian
In the San Sebastian episode Catherine visited sisters Linda Kennedy in Dublin and Fiona Kennedy, in San Sebastián and their taste of home was Fish Pie. Their parents had lived abroad working all over the world but by the time Linda arrived the family had settled in Limerick and growing up she remembers lots of her friends were always keen to come around and try her mum’s exotic curry dishes. Since this original episode was filmed Linda is now in West Cork where she runs the kitchen in O’Sullivan’s Bar in stunning Crookhaven. They also own a charming bar next door, Nottage’s, where Fiona started doing tapas there last summer, very much in the style of San Sebastian, but an Irish fusion. Local Fish and artisan produce done on bread and tartlets, more amuse bouche than raciones, all under Fiona’s tutelage.
Linda Kennedy (Dublin said of her Tastes Like Home experience, “My sister and I are great friends at the best of times, and this was great fun because she didn’t know exactly what she agreed to do.”
In San Sebastian Fiona & Catherine take the funicular railway up above the city and Fiona points out the town and scenery below from the high up vantage point. In order to fully sample the Basque cuisine Fiona & Catherine visit a number of pintxo bars to taste San Sebastián tapas or “pintxo” as they are know here. Gabriella Ranelli a friend of Fiona’s takes them to a Gastronomic Society (historically they’re male only cooking clubs ) and cooks them a typical Basque fish dish, they also spend time in the local markets shopping for the ingredients needed for Catherine to cook with.
“It was great fun to show the lovely Catherine around our adopted city and share a little bit of Ireland with our friends, many thanks to all the Tastes like Home team!” said Fiona Kennedy in San Sebastian.
Barcelona
In the Clare / Barcelona episode it was mum Katie Maher from Ennis, Co. Clare who cooked Chicken Fricassee for her son Micheal now living in Barcelona, Spain. Micheal had played sport at a younger age and studied Nutrition & Biomedicine, so eating well was always a focus for Katie when she cooked for her husband and 4 sons. So inspired by the flavours and tastes of the Basque and Catalan regions in this episode Catherine teaches you to cook Pisto Con Huevos a Spanish version of ratatouille and a a number of Tapas dishes Garlic Prawns (Gambas), Patatas Bravas and Spicy Chorizo with Honey & Rioja.
Katie Maher, from Ennis said, “I love cooking family dinners; sharing this recipe with Catherine was great fun…being on camera was a little nerve wracking! Making connections through food is fantastic!“
In Barcelona Catherine visited with Micheal the eldest of the 4 brothers. Since he was 8 yrs Micheal has been a keen athlete and after graduating UCC, he moved to Germany to complete a Master’s Degree in Munich focused on disease in relation to nutrition on a molecular level, once completed he moved to Barcelona, Spain to live and work and it was here that Catherine spent time with Micheal.
Catherine went on a food tour around the Santa Caterina (Market), with Àlex D.Cardona, a Catalan native who was keen to promote local gastronomic tourism which fits to Catalonia’s food traditions. Alex offered plenty of insight on the country’s gastronomic and cultural heritage, from delicious foodstuffs to secretly guarded culinary traditions. A trip to the ‘Alastruey Restaurant’, a traditional and simple restaurant, serving breakfast and lunch, mainly to locals gives Catherine the opportunity to taste very typical Catalan dishes. They take a trip on the Mountjuic Cable Car which leads them out of the city to a vantage point 173 metres above the port, to Montjuïc Castle which commands stunning views of the city below. Micheal also showed Catherine around the Gothic Gothic Quarter which is the heart of the old city of Barcelona.
Son, Michael Maher in Barcelona said of his Tastes Like Home Experience, “Living in Barcelona has certainly broadened my palate with its many quirky restaurants and pop-up food markets. With Catherine I enjoyed discovering some new local delicacies, such as egg sausages and some (very) salted cod.”
In this new eight part series Catherine Fulvio visits families across Ireland who show her how to make their favourite family dishes, before travelling to locations around the world to recreate these ‘tastes like home’ for family members now living abroad. In the first four episodes Catherine revisited Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa, Vancouver and Tiny Township in Canada, Portland, Oregon and Mexico to capture individual stories, from contestants who refuse to let the physical distance from home curb their appetite for home-cooked meal that “Tastes Like Home”.
The fifth series of Tastes Like Home is sponsored by Belling.
For further information, imagery, interviews with Catherine or participants or to receive recipes with accompanying imagery, please contact; Ann-Marie Sheehan, Aspire PR & Marketing, T : 01 827 5181 / 087 298 5569