Taste of Dublin 2018 kicked off in the beautiful Iveagh Gardens this morning and we were on the scene to chat with chefs and celebs alike to find out what makes the festival so special to them.
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Shay Byrne: "There is something about the atmosphere that is created by having all of these different artisan food producers in one place and people coming to enjoy themselves and have a day out and the weather being gorgeous [as he crosses his fingers!"
"It lends itself to a great day out and there’s a hub and a buzz, everybody’s busy and there’s so much lovely food about the place and lovely little drinks, some alcoholic, some not. Little samples and you can taste things and walk around. It’s kinda like a throwback to a more gentle era."
"Bringing the family here is a great thing as well. I have 3: 10, 12 and 14. My 14-year-old girl loves it, walks around taking free samples from everybody, in all her finery – it’s an excuse to get dressed up as well."
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Avril Bannerton: "Taste of Dublin is running for 13 years now, 12 in Iveagh Gardens. [We're] back for a fun packed weekend, growing and growing and just getting more interesting each year. This year for the first time we've got Neff who have joined us, they're our headline sponsor...they've got the most breathtaking and biggest stage ever and on that stage they're hosting world-class chefs and producers which is really, really nice. They're really acknowledging that they're the heart and soul of Irish cuisine."
"There's something for absolutely everybody. If you're a serious foodie, definitely you'll meet every chef that you want to meet.
"The Allens are going to be joining us over the weekend [following the passing of Myrtle Allen, the founder of Ballymaloe House, earlier this week].
"Kevin Dundon here, Ross Lewis, we have Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall...we've a huge variety. we also have 18 restaurants, we've a massive new vegan section, Visiting Vegan."
"[There's] entertainment, there's a huge array of cocktail masterclasses - alcoholic and non-alcoholic. An amazing Applegreen coffee master class hosted by Ross Lewis."
"We've the Lindt chocolate masterclass...hosted by Simon Lamont there's The Lazy Basics, which I'm going to be doing, 20 minutes express cooking, really good learning from that."
"Fun packed. All I would suggest everybody does is grab the show guide and when you get in, book all of the free...we've over 160 free experiences happening over the course of the four days so there's something for everybody to learn, host, be part of, interact in."
"Visit the producers - we've 88 producers at the event all showcasing really nice [variety] of food.
"This is probably our biggest and really exciting year. Our theme is a food-lovers playground so all of the restaurants are doing fun-filled dishes. Jaipur are doing a whole pink themed restaurant for the weekend.
"The sun is out, there's going to be no bad weather in Dublin [!]"
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Sharon Hearne Smith: "This is my second year cooking at Taste of Dublin but I've come for years. I love coming...there's such a great atmosphere, especially when the sun is shining. Its absolutely the start of summer, the music is fantastic of course the food and there's loads of lovely drinks places too. Love bringing the kids along too - its a great day out for all families."
"This weekend at Taste I'm cooking on the main stage - two demos which I'm really excited about. It's a great way for me to meet the audience, to meet people."
"I do ask people do they see me on the Today show with Maura and Daithí and luckily they say they do so its great to chat to those people and meet them here.
"Even when I'm walking around, the amount of people who come up to me and say they recognise me from the beehive - its great to chat with them and hear what they've been cooking or that I've inspired them to cook which is brilliant.
"And I always have a little check and see what they're eating when they're here as well and get some recommendations from them!"
Sean Cunningham: "My age is getting more open to food culture and something like this, trendy festival in an area of town on a nice day it's more inviting than a [stuffy] restaurant."
Dad Liam Cunningham added: "It's my first time and you know what, I've been trying to get here for years and I always seem to be working and this is the first time I've been off so I ran at the chance.
"This is the first day so I've run up here so everything in here is going to be a surprise for me and I'm really looking forward to it."
Tickets for Taste of Dublin are on sale from €15 - for more info, visit the site here
Looking for more foodie festivals? Check out A Taste of Summer with Stephen Gibson, Dublin's Secret Food Tours or the Delicious Dublin Food Tour.
