Tourism Ireland Shares Sweet News About Canadian Market at Pastry Event

As guests at The Chef’s House at Toronto’s George Brown College enjoyed the creations of an esteemed Irish pastry chef, Tourism Ireland’s Market Manager for Canada Sandra Moffat shared some sweet news about the Canadian market.

“Not only are we back to 2019 arrival numbers, but Canada has risen from seventh to fifth among the top-spending international markets. Canadians are staying longer and spending more,” Moffat told Travel Market Report Canada. 

With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, Moffat is preparing for a busy year of keeping the Emerald Isle’s profile high. The famed Riverdance show of traditional Irish music and dance is celebrating 30 years in 2025, and it will be running in Toronto during March, before heading to Vancouver in June.

Ireland will be honoured by the “greening” of Niagara Falls on March 17, among many other celebrations across the country. St. John’s, Newfoundland will revel in the return of twice-weekly nonstop WestJet flights to Dublin from May through October.  

Tourism Ireland will bring some Irish magic to travel advisors and their clients in smaller Canadian centres including Victoria, Kelowna, Edmonton and Ottawa later in the year. A group of Irish suppliers will travel here to offer atmospheric events featuring tastings, music and dance.

“There’s a lot happening and we’re excited to get out there,” Moffat said.

Contrary to tired stereotypes, fine food is a highlight of an Ireland trip in the 21^st-century. That fact was celebrated at the Toronto event by JR Ryall, the long-time pastry chef at the 500-year-old Ballymaloe House in east County Cork. 

Ryall says there is “a rising tide of energy” among young Irish chefs, who have worked abroad and are returning with new ideas on how to employ Ireland’s delicious produce – meat, fish, vegetables and dairy included.

“The Irish food scene is not just corned beef, cabbage and soda bread, though I love them all,” Ryall said. “Modern Irish food is made from clean, delicious produce. And I have to say, our butter really is the best.”

On his second visit to George Brown, Ryall spent two days cooking with students. “I think I learned more from them than they learned from me,” he said, praising the high level of culinary education at the college that has produced internationally recognized chefs including Mark McEwan, Jamie Kennedy, Bonnie Stern, and Roger Mooking.

As a four-year-old, Ryall’s favourite TV show was a cooking program called Simply Delicious, hosted by Darina Allen, who founded the cookery school at Ballymaloe. In 1992 she signed a copy of her cookbook to him, with the inscription: “He will be a great chef when he grows up.” 

Ballymaloe features a 32-room hotel and a 60-year-old restaurant that was serving farm to fork meals even before Alice Waters rocked the restaurant world with Berkeley, California’s Chez Panisse in 1971. 

The ancient house is set on a 100-acre organic farm, and students follow the slow food philosophy, doing everything from making compost to planting and harvesting produce before any cooking takes place.

“Eating well is our health,” Ryall said. And as Canadian travellers have learned, eating well in Ireland is a pleasure worth returning to.