VEGANUARY: Local chefs plan to take on a vegan challenge this month. From l-r were: Exec Chefs, Rory Gabriel (Great Southern Killarney), Cyril Durand (Dromhall Hotel), Abraham Nur (The Brehon), John Drummond (Gleneagle) and Chad Byrne (The Brehon).

By Michelle Crean

Chef Chad Byrne and the kitchen team at The Brehon, Killarney are busy preparing post festive feel good food to kick start the new decade.

Chad, a champion of plant-based food, is leading the Veganuary charge in Killarney by offering his customers the opportunity to taste incredibly tasty and healthy vegan and plant-based options.

“The concept of Veganuary or going vegan for the month of January began in 2014 and has since swept across the nation,” explains Chad.

Chad went vegan last year and loved the challenge. He believes that he learnt more during this period of cooking than at any other time in the last decade. He has even convinced two of his team, Dan Moynihan and Abraham Nur, to take part in Veganuary.

“I knew I needed to go full circle in order to learn as much as possible about what we're providing on our vegan menus. It’s great that I have company in the kitchen this year,” Chad, who was last week named the Irish Examiner Food Hero of the Year 2019 for his work with Chef Collab, said. “I’m hoping to get more people interested in trying and exploring plant-based foods and bring awareness to the abundance of choice we have.”

He added that it used to be hard to be a vegan working in a commercial kitchen but now around 20 percent of their menu is plant based.

“We have a big plant-based customer base. We are known already for having vegan and vegetarian menus and we love to experiment with new produce and flavours.”

The Brehon will be offering vegan specials every day throughout January in both The Brehon Bar and Danú Restaurant. Then on Saturday, January 25, Chad along with a number of guest vegan chefs will create a special five course tasting menu. Tickets for this special evening cost just €45. To book visit www.thebrehon.com or call 064 66 30700.