Delicious Handmade Spanish Sauces and Tapenades

Heather McMahon and Rosa Butler tucking in

“One of the most authentic Spanish restaurants in Ireland at present” (Sebastian Black, Spanish Flavour); “Best Tapas in Ireland” Tom Doorley (Irish Times)

Enjoy Cava at home with The Cava Kitchen Range

Cava Spanish Restaurant and Tapas Bar in Galway have just launched The Cava Kitchen Range. The range of handmade sauces, condiments and tapenades all feature on the popular Spanish Restaurant’s menu and are now available to buy in the restaurant.

Prices start from €3.00 and include the favourite Romesco Sauce (€4.50), a robust Tomato and Chorizo Sauce (€3.50), Spanish Tomato Sauce (€3.00) Piquillo Pepper Sauce (€5.00), Black Olive Tapenade (€4.50) and large juicy Marinated Spanish Olives (€3.50).

Each item is prepared in the busy Cava kitchen and stays true to the flavor and quality served in the restaurant. 20% off all items from the Cava Kitchen Range sold during the month of May will be donated to The Crumlin Children’s Hospital.

For more information on Cava and The Cava Kitchen Range see www.CavaRestaurant.ie

Marketing Graduate 3 Month Internship Position

We’re on the hunt for a graduate who craves challenge, experience and an outlet for creativity. Working in an agency environment this internship is fast moving and will require a flexible can-do attitude. Mature, professional and hard working graduates only.

You will be working on a number of accounts and will take the lead on certain projects. This internship will provide invaluable hands-on experience however you must be willing to put in the time and commitment.

Tasks will include: social media management ,copy writing, digital marketing, reporting, time logging, internal sales and marketing, plus a myriad of other tasks. Making coffee will not be below you and writing a marketing proposal will not be above you.  Must be a car owner.  Basic expenses allowance.

Sound fun? Email olivia@thosetwogirls.ie with a cover letter and compelling argument as to why this position is yours and what you can bring to the mix. No C.V’s

PR Agencies only exist to push weak stories

During a recent interview with Photographer Conor Healy Pictures Editor of Metro - Herald Alan Caulfield said "the reason PR companies exist is to try to get coverage for things that wouldn’t normally make it into a paper on their own merits, and for cheaper than an advert would cost".


It's disappointing to read such misrepresentation of PR from a member of the media,  our industry partners. A good PR's job is to work with clients to create inticing campaigns, identify newsworthy stories, utilise tools online and offline to help promote solid businesses and products, gain press coverage by building a knowledge of what members of the media are interested in and pitching well- presented, factual stories and communicating this through images.

Working with journalists to bring to their attention stories that may be of interest for possible use in their particular subject area. That's a PR's job - well, in the traditional sense. Social media has of course opened up a whole new world where buyers can be communicated with directly, but that's for another day.

Although he did make an accurate observation of some of the more lazy PR photo calls "I can tell you some common clichés in PR photos though: a subject or model posing with food and pretending to eat it; posing with two open laptops formed into a ‘tunnel’ and looking through them; posing inside a giant picture frame; ‘the minister and the model’; everybody in the photo jumping in the air at the same time".  Yes, cringe indeed.

Alan should spend an hour in a reputatable PR agency and see the work that's carried out. It's a lot more then banging out multiple generic press releases and getting photos of girls in bikinis.

Take Your Taste Buds For a Culinary Trip to Madrid This Month

During the month of May the capital city of Spain pulls out all the stops to showcase its culture, music and cuisine. This month, representing the colourful and diverse Spanish cuisine in Ireland, Cava Spanish Restaurant and Tapas Bar in Galway is featuring an array of special dishes and wines from Madrid.


Explore the tastes of the region with classic Madrid tapas such as meatballs, calamares and tortilla. Also, enjoy nightly specials such as Madrid-style marinated oxtail and free range pork fillet with piquillo pepper marmalade (pictured). For the month of May, Cava will also be offering two tapas and a glass of wine from Madrid for €15.

Not forgetting Madrid’s proud history of fine wines, headlining the line up at Cava, and recent visitors to Galway, are the wines from Bodegas Francisco Casas with their Camparron range. These renowned wines will be on special, with 20% off the Camparron bottles of wine.

Soak up the Madrid atmosphere in Cava this May, with live flamenco music to accompany your tapas and wine.

There’s only one think left to say - ‘Vamos’!

For more information see www.cavarestaurant.ie or phone 091 539 884. Advance booking is recommended.

Want the Photo Desk Editor to Like You?

An interesting interview courtesy of Conor Healy Photography with Pictures Editor, Gareth Morgan Pictures Editor of The Irish Independent. Gareth explains how to work with Photo Editors and ensure the best approach when pitching PR photos.

Image courtesy of Conor Healy Photography

CHP: What is your readership level of the Independent online and on the street?

Gareth: The Irish Independent has 539,000 readers daily while the website Independent.ie has 2,400,000 unique users per month.

CHP: What is the breakdown in sales between the compact version of the Independent and the broadsheet version?

Gareth : The compact / broadsheet breakdown is 50/50.


CHP:What is the Independent age readership bracket?

Gareth: The age group breakdown is as follows;

15-24: 44,000

25-34: 88,000

35-44: 100,000

45-54: 108,000

55-64: 94,000

65+: 104,000

Source: JNRS 2010



CHP: Do PR stories appear online as well as in the paper?

Gareth: I would argue that "PR stories" do not appear in the paper. Instead we're always looking for a real news story, or at least an interesting angle from a celebrity or consumer perspective. But yes, most stories that appear in the paper do also appear online.


CHP:What makes the Independent different to the Times and the Examiner newspapers?

Gareth: The Irish Independent has great reach. It has the biggest circulation of all the newspapers in Ireland, it has a strong geographic spread and it is read by a wide range of ages and social groups.


CHP:What makes a really good PR photograph?

Gareth: A good PR photograph doesn't look like it's selling a product. It is a photograph that looks great on a page - where the product might only be a subtle factor. Otherwise it ends up looking like an ad, which we won't use.

CHP: Describe your working day.

Gareth: The morning is spent reacting to breaking news, the afternoon mostly spent monitoring the pictures that have been filed and also planning the following day's paper. The evening is mostly devoted to diary - ie forward planning. I don't really get the chance to plan the following day's coverage until after 5pm.

CHP: When is the ideal time to get images in from a PR photographer?

Gareth: Any time before 3pm is fine. We can take pictures much later - but we must know that they're coming and what time to expect them, with solid contact information provided in case there's a problem late in the day.

CHP: Do you think the PR photograph will continue to be as popular in 2011 as it was in 2010?

Gareth: There's no reason why PR photography should get any weaker, but I think clients need to realise the importance of getting photographers onboard. Too many companies seem to rely on us to send our own photographers these days. Often this is not possible due to breaking news... and the event goes uncovered.

CHP:How many images do you view in a day?

Gareth: More than 2,000

CHP: Are some days better to issue a photocall to the newspaper?

Gareth: For some reason Tuesdays and Wednesdays are very busy, and Mondays/Fridays are very quiet - as if the PR industry is enjoying an extended weekend. There is definitely scope for doing more stuff on Mondays and Fridays, it would spread the load a bit from our perspective.

CHP: Is photocall location a factor for you?

Gareth: It certainly is. Some locations are getting boring (St Stephen's Green....) while we got some recent pictures from the Kerry coast which were stunning. It does make a difference.

CHP: Do you have any other thoughts on the photocall?

Gareth: Too much flesh on show, too many logos, and too much general cheesiness is always a bad thing.

CHP: Do images with ***NO REPRO FEE** attached to them have a better chance of making it in the newspaper?

Gareth: We judge pictures on merit, but it does help to know which ones are free, of course!

CHP: Is there something a PR company can do, to make things easier for you?

Gareth: Make sure the event that they're promoting is covered with a professional photographer who is experienced at filing for national newspapers. Make sure that when they send us the photocall notice, it includes details of who is taking the pictures. No need to ring us dozens of times to ask if we are going to use the pictures. Often decisions on what we will or will not use are not set in stone until about 9pm at night anyway. We will ring you if we need any more info.

Remember, logos or too much product placement really spoil pictures for us.

For more from Conor Healy Photography.

CHphotography was established in 2002 by award winning photographer Conor Healy. Having graduated from Nottingham Trent University, Conor has worked for Fennell Photography, MacInnes Photography and Eye.con Photography as well as having spent a year assisting advertising and fashion photographer Tony Higgins.

Learn the Art of The Perfect Dinner Party - Cooking Class

Learn the art of hosting, cooking and presenting the perfect Dinner Party for friends this Saturday in Sligo’s newest Restaurant, Wine Bar and Cookery School. From the Won’t Cook Can’t Cook to the domestic goddesses, grab your ally and head to Sligo.

The Dinner Party In A Day class runs through all aspects of hosting the perfect dinner party from start to finish with ideas on setting the tone with table and floral displays and tips on how to choose wines to compliment the dishes you are serving.
Enjoy your end result by sitting back and taking in the stunning views over Sligo town and the tabletop mountain Benbulben.

Source Sligo also run special private classes for groups of 12 or more and these can be tailor-made to suit any group from hen parties who would like to cook Mexican to groups who would like to learn about cooking special meals i.e. for diabetics or those with special needs.

Dinner Party in a Day cost €65. Booking is essential and as each class has limited numbers early booking is recommended. Special Source Sligo overnight rates available in local hotels please ask for more details. For more information call 071 9147605 or see www.SourceSligo.ie

OFFER EXTENDED UNTIL 1PM TODAY: get 2for1 on Dinner Party In A Day Class just email Vanessa - info@sourcesligo.ie and quote 'TTG PR' remember only valid until 1pm TODAY. Places are limited.

Cava Spanish Restaurant and Tapas Bar in Galway Hosts Regional Euro-toques Lunch



JP McMahon Cava Spanish Restaurant



Next Monday sees Cava Spanish Restaurant and Tapas Bar host the Euro-toques Regional Lunch.

The lunch is the inaugural Euro-toques event hosted by Jp McMahon, Cava Head Chef and Owner, and celebrates their recent membership to this European community of cooks.

The lunch will be attended by prominent chefs from around the country as well as local producers who feature everyday on the Cava menu.

If you fancy lunch in Cava next time you’re in town, take a look at their menu here Lunch Menu




Euro Toques Ireland



New Irish Website Offers Anonymous Reporting For Whistle Blowers

 

Ethicspro is a recently launched website which facilitates reporting by company personnel into inappropriate behaviours or actions of others within an affiliated organisation. While predominantly aimed at improving internal governance in organisations, the company works with business in promoting best practice and sound business reputation.

A unique feature of the venture is that it allows for anonymous whistle-blowing while outwardly demonstrating best practice policy and procedure in an organisation. It serves to manage a company's governance and ethical standards in a strictly confidential manner.

 

On sign-up a company is given unique login which is then communicated to employees, often through an organisation's specific "ethical reporting at work policy" or through HR documents and contracts. On logging an incident the 'reporter' can track progress of the report by a unique case number assigned and known to them only. As the service prioritises confidentiality and discretion, neither names or emails address are required by the reporter. The reported incident is then sent securely by EthicsPro to the Company's management who then decide how to proceed or follow up.

Graham Burke is managing director of Ethicspro, and is principal of Burke & Associates, a firm of registered auditors, and also a leading forensic accounting firm in with offices in Galway & Longford. Burke explains "With many businesses availing of forensic accounting services I saw the need for a forum whereby people could report professional unethical matters without the fear of intimidation or penalty. Many companies do not take account of the HR or legal matters which can potentially arise in a situation where there has been a fraud against a company, albeit that the fraud is perceived beyond a reasonable doubt".

In its first year of business Ethicspro hopes to build a strong foundation of both national and international clients who value the benefits of using internal resources to build transparency throughout an organisation. The fundamental concept of Ethicspro is to maintain awareness in organisations, that wastage, fraud bribery or corruption all have an impact on business both financially, and by damage to reputation setting the "tone at the top" and delivering that throughout an organisation can be a challenge in itself. Over 40% of frauds are detected by "tip off" and Ethicspro's future plans are to be that watchful eye, becoming reliant on the ethics of individuals to report internally, and perhaps save their company thousands in the process.
 More information http://www.ethicspro.ie/

Flippin' Pancakes in Sligo

For anyone who missed the RTE Six One News last Tuesday evening, check this clip out below to see the flipping fun in Source Cookery School Sligo

If pancakes are out of your cooking repertoire check out the cooking classes coming up this month on http://www.sourcesligo.com/

A PR Launch Using Female Breast Milk

An ice cream manufacturer using Breast Milk as an ingredient for a PR stunt.

Gimmicky or ingenious? What do you think?
At first we thought is was  a good talking point that generated alot of ink both here and over the pond  but defeated the purpose by turning us off their ice cream.


However, that was until we saw the name of company 'Icecreamists' and realised their niche is extreme ice cream. Brilliant!
They named it Baby GaGa and now Team Lady Gaga is looking to sue - Brilliant-er

See News Clip From BBC London Here

Thanks to Brand Ireland for story lead