This article is from page 29 of the 2009-10-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 29 JPG
KILLALOE has been a ‘foodie’ destination for many years, but this week will see the opening of what may well become another jewel in the crown of gourmet delights in the town.
Nine years as a chef with the famed Cherry Tree restaurant and many awards later, Mark Anderson is due to open his own business in Killaloe in partnership with his fiancee, Go- sia Bublewicz.
When Gravitas, Purveyors of Fine Foods, opens this week it will be the latest in a number of gourmet and ar- tisan shops to open in Killaloe with one aim in common, to bring excel- lent produce to customers without
fleecing them.
“IT want to have the kind of shop we knew when we were young, somewhere you could go in and buy fresh fish, poultry and other produce. That kind of place, where quality mattered, has been lost to us and it needs to be brought back. But organ- ic doesn’t have to mean expensive, we re very aware of that. ”
The shop will stock carefully sourced fresh fish, organic and free range poultry, ready meals which will be cooked in the kitchen behind the shop and home-produced sauces and chowder.
Mark and Gosia will still keep up the fish stall they have been running in the farmers’ market on Sundays. “It’s a more relaxed way to talk to
our customers and it’s well support- ed, so why stop?” Mark said.
Gravitas will open in Bridge Street and not far away, on Royal Parade, Andrew Lofthouse is seeing custom grow for his wine store and Italian deli, Ponte Vecchio.
He agrees with Mark that people “want good food at reasonable pric- es. Andrew, who grew up in Italy, supplies specially-sourced Italian gourmet delights and customers who drop in to buy their hams and cheese usually can’t resist the temptation to sit and sip a great coffee or a glass of Nero d’Avola.
Keeping it in the family, Laura Kilkenny, who trained under Mark in The Cherry Tree, is feeding east Clare with her artisan breads, cakes,
quiches and other tempting morsels from The Wooden Spoon on Con- vent Hill.
“We try to supply food that is tasty, healthy and a bit different. People are becoming more concerned with what they eat. I have customers who come from as far away as Nenagh. One comes to buy for herself and brings a list of orders from her friends and neighbours. People are coming to Killaloe now to shop for good food and good ingredients.”