Darina Allen is one of the most famous chefs in Ireland and has been teaching and demonstrating how to cook numerous dishes for decades.
She is a popular figure online too, with her recipe videos racking up hundreds of thousands of views.
Allen is the founder of the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork, which welcomes visitors from all around the world and trains them in various cooking techniques recipes and tips.
US television channel CBS sent a team to meet Allen and learn a little more about her own journey to becoming one of the country’s most loved chefs.
The video begins by suggesting that when people think of great cuisine, Ireland is not necessarily the first country that springs to mind.
Of course, in recent years, Ireland has seen a huge improvement in the quality of chefs and food being produced.
Allen jokes: “I think a lot of people still think we live on corned beef and cabbage here in Ireland, but gradually the word is getting out.”
The video looks inside the school, and the surrounding farm where much of the ingredients needed for the classes are grown.
A mother and daughter, who had travelled all the way from Connecticut to attend a cooking class at the school, said: “It’s been fantastic, the food is phenomenal.”
The history of the Allen family’s association with food is also revealed, with Darina’s mother-in-law Myrtle opening a hotel and restaurant in 1964.
Darina continued that path and became a household name in Ireland, synonymous with good quality food and healthy meals.
Many of the Allen family now work as part of the team running the Ballymaloe Cookery School, hotel, shop and farm.
Take a look at the video.
