Arthur Guinness Projects: Dylan McGrath

Food is often strangely undervalued in terms of its cultural worth. Which is why it is so encouraging to see that creativity in food is one of the four areas that the Arthur Guinness Projects initiative is planning to support. One man who most certainly agrees is Masterchef judge and proprietor of the thriving Rustic Stone and Fade Street Social restaurants, Dylan McGrath.

Dylan earned his first Michelin star in the brilliant fine-dining restaurant Mint, in Ranelagh in Dublin. However, the premises was too small – in fact it was tiny! – and the restaurant closed in 2009. From there, McGrath dusted himself off, reinvented himself on TV alongside Nick Munier on MasterChef Ireland, and started the highly successful Rustic Stone. Last year, Fade Street Social opened its doors in Dublin and he hasn’t looked back since. He is perfect as a panelist and mentor for the Arthur Guinness Projects initiative: the determined chef who has found ways to adapt to the changing times.
In a quieter section of the Guinness Storehouse, he tells Hot Press exactly what he’s looking for.
“The first thing is that it has to have the potential to work,” he says. “There’s no point in funding something that is going to be a major risk. The second thing is that the applicants themselves have to have the dedication and the ambition to pull it off. It must be a sound idea, backed up by a very committed and positive person, or team of people. And once those things are in place, it is up to us to give them as much support as we can..”
What, for McGrath, are the key ingredients in making projects work?
“Good staff. Surrounding yourself with good people is the key. Plus, it must be accessible to everyone. I’d like to see some fun concepts rolling in.
“It’s tough out there,” he adds. “But this is not a cooking contest or anything like it. It’s about an idea and it’s about entrepreneurship. It’s about understanding that we are creative. And it’s about backing Ireland and Irish people to do great things.”
If anything, he argues, the economic downturn has forced the food industry here to operate to even higher standards.
“I think what the recession has done is bring it back to simple ideas,” he offers. “I know many people have taken a hit – I myself have taken a hit. But it’s interesting to see that simple and innovative ideas are being supported. People like them. They like to be around a buzzing atmosphere. So the customers are changing the way everyone in the food sector looks at things.
“Ireland has changed and it’s part of the reason why I got involved in this project. We are cool, we are innovative – and so it’s great to be in a position to remind Ireland that we’re not as beat-up as we sometimes think. The last couple of years, the we’ve had a lot of navel-gazing about whose fault it was and how it has robbed people of their ability to go out and do things. Well, I, as a person, refuse to accept that you can’t get things done here. That’s why I got involved in the Arthur Guinness Projects – so I can try and open doors for people.”
Dylan is just finished filming the latest Celebrity MasterChef Ireland.
“I was surprised at how good they were,” McGrath says of a line-up that includes Yvonne Keating, Gary Cooke and newscaster/Youtube sensation Aengus Mac Grianna. “We’re doing another series come August. As long as they keep asking me back, I’m happy to do it I suppose. It’s been good fun – but it’s a big commitment. To be honest, my business is restaurants, it’s not TV.”
As always, he has plenty of his own ideas in the pipeline.
“I’m currently working on a concept which is about healthy eating and flavour joined together, so it’s quite exciting. That should be ready in January or February. In fact I’m already planning lots of different things – and I’ve a bit of travelling to do.”
But before that, there is the small matter of making what will doubtless be hard decisions about the Arthur Guinness Projects. That won’t be a problem to Dylan McGrath, who is a man of strong opinions. “Food is such a vibrant sector,” he says. “I think we’re going to get some brilliant projects coming in.” Watch this space...