MTU wins award for pop-up restaurant at Cork prison educating prisoners in culinary arts

MTU Technological University (MTU) has won a prestigious award for its pop-up restaurant at Cork Prison at a global event recognising the role of universities in the community.

The university was declared the outright winner in the European Awards' EDI Community Engagement Initiative of the Year at the ACEEU Triple E Awards in Barcelona.

It was awarded for the highly innovative pop-up restaurant in Cork Prison, designed to train prisoners in the culinary arts and hospitality industry.

Accepting the award on behalf of MTU and the staff of the pop-up restaurant, Dr Noel Murray, head of the department of tourism and hospitality at MTU, paid tribute to all involved. 

"This is a fantastic endorsement of the impact that this initiative has had on the participants, their families and their communities. 

"There has been an incredible effort by so many people in MTU, in Cork ETB, in Irish Association for Social Inclusion Opportunities (IASIO) and the Irish Prison Service, so this European award recognises this collaborative effort and is testament to the contribution of everyone involved," he said.

'The Open-Door Restaurant: Unlocking Potential' is a unique collaboration between MTU, Cork ETB, IASIO and Cork Prison, working together to train and educate prisoners to improve and develop their culinary skills and workplace learning.

The programme culminated in a pop-up restaurant, aptly called ‘The Open Door’, allowing the students on the programme to demonstrate and be assessed on their knowledge and skills in the culinary domain. 

Subsequently, four former prisoners are now working in the culinary arts, while two others were offered jobs pending release.

Speaking from Barcelona, where the awards are being held, professor Irene Sheridan, founder and head of MTU extended campus, said the initiative "demonstrates the role of MTU in supporting change through ensuring access and raising expectations across society as a whole".