Kilkenny restaurant wins big at leading hospitality awards ceremony

A Kilkenny restaurant was among the winners of the Georgina Campbell Irish Food & Hospitality Awards 2024,  announced this week.  

One of the top awards went to Kilkenny with Ristorante Rinuccini picking up the much-coveted Georgina Campbell 2024 Wine Experience of the Year Award. The awards were presented by leading food and travel writer, Georgina Campbell and well known Irish chef, Richard Corrigan at a gala event in Dublin.

Georgina Campbell said of Ristorante Rinuccini: Established in 1989 by Antonio and Marion Cavaliere, this well-known restaurant is in a semi-basement in the impressive terrace opposite Kilkenny Castle - at the beginning of what is now known as ‘the Medieval Mile’.

"It is Kilkenny’s longest established Italian restaurant and, despite a recent extension, it fills quickly such is its enduring popularity," she said.

"Still very much a family affair, with Antonio and Marian’s son Riccardo and his wife Orla also involved in the business and, as with many of the best restaurants, Rinuccini is a multi-faceted gem and the secrets of its success include consistently excellent classic flavour-focused Italian cooking of fresh, mainly local, ingredients, together with great service and outstanding value for money. All of which make it one of Ireland’s best Italian restaurants – and it has a wine list to match. Over the years they have built up a very impressive Italian list, which is a pleasure to explore and - not only is the wine service spot on, especially when Riccardo is on the floor –but they also hold wine-focused events including their highly popular Wine Producer Dinner with wine pairing, or evenings that focus on a particular region, such as A Taste of Tuscany. A wonderful destination and very deserving of its enviable reputation, Rinuccini is a great asset to Kilkenny."
Ireland’s longest running food and hospitality awards, the selections are the result of independent all-year assessments by a team of anonymous experts. This year, the great benefits of regional collaborations in creating hubs of excellence around the country are especially recognised, along with the increased importance placed by the food and hospitality sector on sustainability and supporting Irish producers - who are celebrated in a special category of the awards as providing the foundation of all of our good food.

However, celebrated food and hospitality writer, Georgina Campbell, offered a note of caution about falling standards in some areas, particularly around the most important meal of the day: breakfast.

“Cost-cutting is understandable and often necessary in the current business environment,” said Georgina, “but it needs to be done with care. Slashing the quality of breakfast in an otherwise enjoyable experience is counter-productive, and leaves guests disappointed on departure. But, as usual, this year’s Irish Breakfast Award winners are setting a gold-star standard for the famous Irish breakfast and showing how a reputation for serving an outstanding breakfast can be good for business.”  

The prestigious ceremony featured an engaging panel discussion and a lively Q&A with special guest and award-winning Irish chef, Richard Corrigan, who is a great ambassador for Irish food and an inspiration for young people considering a career in hospitality. This year, Georgina particularly acknowledged the achievements of those who have been striving for high standards over many years and continue to do so in the face of all kinds of challenges.

Georgina said: “We need to encourage more young people to see the food and hospitality industry as an exciting option. Even quite young children could experience the enjoyment of doing rewarding work with a hospitality team, and that could create positive associations that would remain with them later, when career choices are to be made. It is not enough to tell a child about the hospitality sector, we must help them to develop an early interest and that could shape the sector’s future pioneers from the get-go.”

Sustainability
Georgina added: “Something special that we noticed this year was how the rise of the kitchen garden is accelerating. We’re seeing more chefs getting actively involved in this eco-friendly initiative and not just paying lip-service to the concept. Growing their own seasonal produce is something for establishments to be proud of, as well as having environmental benefits. It’s great to be working with deliciously fresh, nutrient-dense produce grown right outside your door, and it’s a point of special interest for guests.”

Room for improvement
Georgina did offer words of caution however, noting: “Although service has improved a lot this year and there is generally a warmer feel to hospitality, shortcuts are being taken in some establishments. We would like to see cost challenges addressed in more imaginative ways than cutting quality – by offering more choice of sizes for dishes on menus, for example, and reducing waste overall. That the shorter weeks and shorter opening hours that resulted from the pandemic are still continuing in many places – often together with higher prices - is not helping matters and must be discouraging for people thinking about having a break or a meal out.”