'I find it therapeutic': Praise for Cork prison’s pop-up restaurant as it welcomes over 50 guests

Cork Prison has welcomed more than 50 guests to the fourth edition of its award-winning prisoner-run, pop-up restaurant.

The Open Door Restaurant is operated each year by six inmates who have completed the prison’s practical culinary skills programme.

Headed by experienced chef and MTU lecturer JJ Healy, yesterday it catered to 54 invited guests, including local hoteliers and restaurateurs.

The event, the culmination of the accredited eight-week culinary skills course, included a new element, where physical works from several prison workshops across Ireland were on display.

These included hand-crafted pieces made from wood, metal, and stone, with some stonework pieces carved from original stone removed from the old Portlaoise Prison.

This year, the restaurant-goers were treated to a carefully curated set menu, comprised of Aubergine en Croute, French Onion Soup, Carbonnade of Beef, and Baked Alaska.

Speaking to The Echo ahead of the event, inmate Glen, who was involved in this year’s programme, said it helped the participants to learn new skills, but also fostered personal confidence and aspirations for employment upon release.

“I was always interested in cooking and working as a chef, I had a bit of experience from the outside, [as] I worked in a couple of kitchens,” said Glen.

“It’s something I enjoy doing, and it’s good for the mind — one thing I’ve learned from this is that when I get out, I’ll try to further my career in the industry.

“We all get on very well — a couple of the younger lads might have been a bit nervous on the first day because it’s a new thing for them, but when you see them today, even in the space of six weeks, they’re after coming on a lot.

“It’s good to see, and everyone helps each other out. I think it’s a really good stepping stone.

“[Cooking] takes me away from everything else that’s going on around — I find it therapeutic.

“It [the programme] gives you confidence to try new things. It can put people on good paths for when they get out.”

The programme, managed jointly by the Irish Prison Service, MTU’s Department of Tourism and Hospitality, and the Irish Association for Social Inclusion Opportunities, aims to see participants enter employment both in and out of the culinary industry upon reintegration into society.

Governor of Cork Prison, Liam Spacey, said: “I would love for people to come away from [The Open Door] thinking: ‘Am I the sort of person to give someone a second chance?’.

“Everybody involved in this has committed themselves, they have stepped out of the norm in a prison to take on this training and want to better themselves.

“What we need to do is challenge people outside in these industries to offer them employment and to give them a real opportunity to get back into their communities.”