With an eclectic mix of well-known Irish chefs, artisan food innovators and cultural food inspired experiences, Taste of Dublin is set to return to Dublin's Iveagh Gardens from the 16th to the 19th of June.
And with over 30 thousand people expected to descend upon the capital as the champagne pops for the highlight of the Irish food enthusiasts' calendar, we decided to catch up with chef and Instagram star Trisha Lewis to find out more.
"I'm doing a few things, which is really surreal," beams Trisha. "I'll be doing cooking demos - one on the Friday night and one on the Saturday night - and then for the whole weekend I'll be there with my own brand which is Sharp by Trisha Lewis."
Leaving her kitchen of 15 years in Cork-based restaurant Jacobs on the Mall after the first lockdown of the pandemic, Trisha has brought her 221k Instagram followers (who she lovingly calls her 'Transformers') on quite the journey in recent years.
Releasing two cookbooks as well as her brand new set of cooking knives (which she describes as "lightweight, sharp and delicious"), Lewis has built an incredible following - all of whom will no doubt be excited to see the bubbly woman in person.
"I can't wait because I know there will be people there taking selfies and I'll be chatting to people. People sometimes say 'oh, I hope I don't annoy you' and I'm like, you've actually made my day. It's so lovely to put a face and a story and a personality to a follower."
Although this won't be Trisha's first time on the Taste stage, it will be her first without pandemic restrictions in place, and by the sounds of things, she's ready to enjoy ever second of the festivities.
"It's really, really cool. Obviously my career is cheffing and to share the Taste kitchen with such amazing Irish chefs is surreal. Food is something that brings families, friends, communities and colleagues together in such a way that nothing else really does. I'm excited to take to the stage but also to sit back and watch Derry Clarke, Rory O'Connell and Erica [Drum] will be amazing."
For those hoping to get the BBQ out this summer, Trisha suggests that burgeoning grill masters stock up on proper cooking tools, good quality produce, and keep their recipes "simple".
"Keep it simple and keep it to what you love," she suggests. "Don't just do stuff because you think everybody else enjoys it."
"The other thing is to pre-heat your BBQ, you don't want people getting sick because things aren't hot enough to kill bacteria. The other thing is not to have it too hot. BBQ does not mean burnt."
"It's about cooking things well, turning them, using the right temperature and following timings."
To create the perfect summer salad dressing to go with your burgers and ribs, Trisha suggests keeping things simple and flavourful.
"You can just get some light mayonnaise, add in maybe some garlic, fried parsley and a little bit of water - shake it up and you have a garlic dressing. In the same breath you can do light mayonnaise, do some ginger, chilli, lemongrass, a little bit of water - you've got an Asian dressing."
"If you don't want to go down the route of mayonnaise, go with oil. When it comes to dressings, the ratio is three to one, as long as you have three parts fat to one part acidic. Your fat could be coconut oil, olive oil, mayonnaise, butter."
For more information and for tickets check out the website - tasteofdublin.ie
