- Myrtle Allen
-
Myrtle Allen Born Myrtle Hill
1924
Tivoli, Cork, County Cork, IrelandResidence Shanagarry, County Cork Nationality Irish Occupation Chef Employer Self-employed Known for Michelin starred Ballymaloe House Religion Quaker[1] Spouse Ivan Allen; six children[2][3] 
Kinoith
Myrtle Allen (born 1924, Tivoli, Cork, County Cork) is an Irish Michelin star winning head chef and co-owner of the restaurant The Yeat's Room of Ballymaloe House in Shanagarry, County Cork. Besides her cooking duties, she has also been a writer, hotelier and teacher.
In 1943, Myrtle Hill married Ivan Allen, a vegetable grower, who was working at the farm Kinoith in Shanagarry. In 1947[2] the couple bought Ballymaloe House and the surrounding farm. Ivan managed the fruit- and vegetable farm and worked on Kinoith, while Myrtle took care of the children and the manor.[4] Later, in 1958, Ivan Allen inherited Kinoith from Wilson Strangman, the deceased owner.
With her husband a successful grower of fruit and vegetables, Myrtle had an abundance of fresh products in her kitchen. Under the guidance of her husband, an avid gourmet, she learned to cook by taking cooking courses at the School of Commerce and self-study. That went quite well and in 1962, she was cookery correspondent with the Irish Farmers Journal. Originally the Irish Farmers Journal was a publication of Macra na Feirme. Myrtle Allen was very active in this young farmers organization, eventually becoming "Vice President for the Munster Region" of the "National Council" of Macra na Feirme in 1959. A bid for the presidency in 1963 was unsuccessful.[5]
In 1964, Myrtle decided to start a restaurant in her own dining room dubbed The Yeats Room.[6] Later she changed a few unused rooms into rooms for a guesthouse, what grew to the hotel Ballymaloe is today. By the 1960s she and her sous-chef, Darina O'Connell, started giving courses in cooking. Later Darina, then married with son Tim Allen, moved the cookery classes to Kinoith under the name of Ballymaloe Cookery School.
In 1986 Myrtle Allen was one of the founders of Euro-toques International and founder of Euro-toques Ireland. Euro-tocques was ment as an organisation of professional cooks which would promote and protect Europe's culinary heritage and defend the quality of food.[7]
In 1998 Myrtle Allen was widowed when her husband Ivan died at the age of 83.
Awards
- 1975-1980: one Michelin star[8]
- 1975-1981, 1983-1984 and 1987-1988: one star in the Egon Ronay Guide[9]
- 1981-1994: Red M awarded by the Michelin Guide[10]
- 1984: Cesar Award in the Good Hotel Guide
- 1988: Ballymaloe House included in the Courvoisier book of best hotels
- 1990: the Ackerman Martell Guide the black four leaved clover for excellence in all aspects of the hotel and restaurant business
- 1991: Ballymaloe House included in Harpers and Queen 'The one hundred Best Hotels in the World'
- 2000: Degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa - awarded by the University College Cork[11]
- 2011: Taste Icon award - presented by Taste of Dublin[12]
- 2001: Lifetime Award - Women and Agriculture awards[13]
Books
References
- ^ This year the penny has dropped... bling is over
- ^ a b Schultz, Patricia (2003). 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. Workman Publishing Company. pp. 70–71. ISBN 0761161023.
- ^ Family
- ^ The emergence, development and influence of French Haute Cuisine on public dining in Dublin restaurants 1900-2000: an oral history. Thesis DIT by Mairtin Mac Con Iomaire, 2009. 3 downloadable volumes.. Part 2, pp. 459-462
- ^ A voice for the country - 50 years of Macra na Feirme by Jim Mileym pp. 191-2 (1994)
- ^ Heart and Hearth
- ^ About Euro-Toques
- ^ Michelin Online
- ^ The emergence, development and influence of French Haute Cuisine on public dining in Dublin restaurants 1900-2000: an oral history. Thesis DIT by Mairtin Mac Con Iomaire, 2009. 3 downloadable volumes.. Part 2, p. 348
- ^ The emergence, development and influence of French Haute Cuisine on public dining in Dublin restaurants 1900-2000: an oral history. Thesis DIT by Mairtin Mac Con Iomaire, 2009. 3 downloadable volumes.. Part 2, p. 345
- ^ National University of Ireland
- ^ Championing Irish food
- ^ Myrtle Allen receives a Lifetime Award at the Women and Agriculture awards
- ^ http://www.worldcat.org/title/ballymaloe-cook-book/oclc/60079122&referer=brief_results WorldCat
- ^ WorldCat
Arbutus Lodge · Armstrong's Barn · Ballylickey House · Ballymaloe House · Bon Appétit · Cashel Palace Hotel · Chapter One · Chez Hans · Deanes · Deans on the Square · Dromoland Castle · Dunderry Lodge · Erriseask House · Kildare Hotel & Country Club · L'Ecrivain · Mint Restaurant · Park (Park Hotel) · Peacock Alley · Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud · Roscoff · Shanks Restaurant · · Sheen Falls Lodge · Shiro · The Commons Restaurant · The House (Cliff House Hotel) · The Oriel · The Russell Hotel · Thornton's ·
Head chefs Myrtle Allen · Matthew d'Arcy · Michael Bolster · Aiden Byrne · Derry Clarke · Colin O'Daly · Michael Deane · Matt Dowling · Oliver Dunne · Conrad Gallagher · Patrick Guilbaud · Martijn Kajuiter · Gerry Kirwan · Guillaume Lebrun · Ross Lewis · Hans Peter Matthiae · Stefan Matz · Dylan McGrath · Robbie Millar · Kei Pilz · Paul Rankin · Declan Ryan · Michael Ryan · Bruno Schmidt · Barry Smyth · Kevin Thornton · Paolo TullioOther head chefs
No or not enough informationCatherine Healy (Dunderry Lodge) · ?? Malone (The Commons Restaurant) · Fergus Moore · Unknown chef (Dromoland Castle) · Unknown chef (The K Club)
List of Michelin starred restaurants in Ireland · Category:Restaurants in Ireland · Category:Michelin Guide starred restaurants Categories:- Irish chefs
- Michelin Guide starred chefs
- Living people
- People from Cork (city)
- 1924 births
- Food writers
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