Contemporary Celtic Feast
This year, the AIA presented another ancient feast with the help of acclaimed chef and native Dubliner Cathal (the “t” is silent) Armstrong, who shared with us the culinary skills that have earned him recognition in the Food & Wine Hall of Fame as well as multiple nominations for the James Beard Foundation Awards, including the Best Chefs in America category. And he’s prepared a birthday dinner for the Obama family to boot!
The Washington D.C. chef has teamed up with Capitale’s Executive Chef Jason Munger to create was nothing short of an amazing contemporary version of a Celtic feast. With his roots in Ireland, Cathal created gala dishes with great complexity from some very ancient ingredients. Cathal’s connection to the land and his farm-to-table approach to cooking was evident in each course – from barley wild flower honey cakes to dandelion greens. Be sure to read the rave reviews of Cathal and Restaurant Eve.
First Course
Smoked Mackerel Salad with Wild Garlic, Dandelion Greens and Pickled Fennel
Main Course
Braised Shoulder of Lamb with Roasted Loin with Root Vegetables and Barley Wild Flower Honey Cakes
Dessert
Mead, Wild Berry and Apple Custards with Shortbread
Capitale’s Jason Munger
In 2009, Capitale’s Executive Chef Jason Munger was challenged at the AIA Gala to prepare a Maya feast that could only include the vegetables, fruits and meats that were available to the Maya. Staying true to ancient cooking methods and ingredients, Chef Munger worked with Maya archeologist Ben Thomas, AIA Events Director Andri Magdalena Cauldwell, and Maya food expert and descendant Patricio Balona to create a menu that garnered the attention of Martha Stewart’s Sirius Radio morning show, Food & Wine and Food & Beverage magazines, and won the 2009 BizBash New York Event Style Award for Best Overall Catering at an Event in New York City. The event was also featured in a two-page spread in Special Events magazine.
At both Capitale and Espace, Chef Munger has catered events with some of the world’s most renowned chefs such as Jean George Vongerichten, Rocco Dispirito, and with Food and Wine Magazines “20 Best Chefs”. Chef Munger’s culinary experience spans both coasts in high end catering as well as with smaller intimate dining here and abroad as a guest chef in Istanbul.
Chef Facts
Did you know that Cathal….
- was one of the first chefs invited to the White House to brainstorm with chef Sam Kass on an initiative to improve school lunches.
- is a board member of Fresh Farm Markets, which operates eight farmers’ markets in the Chesapeake Bay region.
- was invited by the Irish ambassador to the Bloom festival in Ireland to “recreate” First Lady Michelle Obama’s garden and demonstrated to school children and attendees the joys and benefits of “growing your own.”
- received an exceptional four out of four star rating by Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema only four years after the opening of his Tasting Room of Restaurant Eve.
- To learn more about Chef Cathal Armstrong.
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