ATC Foundation to host first Taste of Ireland fundraiser

ALBANY — The Albany Tech Foundation will host the fundraising event “A Taste of Ireland” Thursday in the college’s Kirkland Conference Center. The gala will include a silent auction beginning at 6 p.m. and a program at 7 p.m.

Designed to raise funds for an international study-abroad program, the event will celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. Culinary Arts students at ATC will have the opportunity to work with a celebrated guest chef from the Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland, Chef Lorain Walsh.

A lecturer and course leader in Culinary Arts at the WIT, Walsh holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in Culinary Arts and double master’s degrees in both science (Culinary Innovation and Food Product Development) and education. Her research interests include gastronomy; foot product development; ethical issues pertaining to food production, technologies, the environment and Earth’s natural resources, and the promotion of life-side learning and creativity.

Walsh is an active member of Terra Madre Networking Community of Universities, Euro Toque Ireland, and the Cork City Branch of the Slow Food Movement in Ireland. She also has been involved in student training for the national skills competitions (pastry and confectionery) and internationally at the European Association of Hotel and Tourism Schools. She is an external examiner of culinary programs within other Irish institutes of technology.

In 2012, the International Affairs division of the Technical College System of Georgia began collaborating with WIT on several projects, and the strategic partnership was formalized in 2017 when former TCSG Commissioner Gretchen Corbin and WIT President Professor Willy Donnelly signed a memorandum of understanding in Atlanta. Later in 2017, Corbin led a mission to WIT, which included ATC President Anthony Parker.

The evening’s menu includes ham hock terrine, potato and thyme veloute, roulade of wild salmon with shellfish broth, loin of lamb, spinach and apple crumble brown bread with Guinness ice cream. Musical entertainment will be provided by the Free Spirits Trio of Savannah. All proceeds earned from the event will go toward sending several Culinary Arts and Engineering Technology students from ATC to WIT this summer.