Show Notes
The real-life of a casual dining food business owner who gave up her corporate role in the financial sector in Dublin and pursued her dream of owning and operating a casual dining, coffee-focused business in the heart of Kilkenny's Medieval City. A real and honest conversation is exactly what we need more of in our industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Tracie - The Food Business Coach
"If your local cafe is serving free-range eggs and sourdough while the place next door uses cheap, battery-farmed eggs—why are you paying the exact same price for your breakfast?"
"We import over 80% of our food on an island made of gold, while multinationals pocket the profits and our farmers get driven to the wall."
In this unmissable episode, Siobhan of St. Tola- a proud third-generation teacher and one of Ireland’s most celebrated, award-winning artisan cheesemakers—takes us on a raw, deeply truthful journey through the realities of her craft. She pulls back the curtain on the gut-punch feeling of discovering food businesses lying about using her iconic cheese on their menus, or worse, watching kitchens dilute her hard work with flour and inferior fillers just to stretch a margin. She walks us through the turbulent ups and downs of farm life and food production, but above all, delivers exceptional, battle-tested wisdom. With 27 years of building a thriving business and creating one of the country's most delicious, pure, and natural products, Siobhan’s insights offer a masterclass in resilience, integrity, and passion that every chef, producer, and food lover needs to hear. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Hidden Crisis Behind the Pass Let’s be clear: this isn’t one bad boss or a single toxic workplace. It’s systemic. According to Fáilte Ireland’s 2024 Labour Market Insights Report, over 60% of hospitality workers report regularly working beyond their contracted hours. The Irish Hospitality Institute noted that 41% of employees experienced harassment or bullying at work, while research from the University of Galway (2023) highlights that burnout rates among hospitality staff are nearly double the national average. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Entitled consumer behaviour is quietly stripping the profit, joy, and humanity out of my world – the world of independent Irish hospitality that I have given my life to. We do not permit BYO food into our cafe!