Trigon Hotels Demonstrate How Surplus Food Can Be Turned Into High Quality Meals

The hotel group teams up with FoodCloud and Northside Community Enterprise for a unique dining experience.

Trigon Hotels has partnered with FoodCloud and Northside Community Enterprise (NCE) to demonstrate how surplus food can be transformed into high-quality meals. A group of 40 guests were treated to a unique dining experience last evening (Thursday, February 19) at NCE’s main campus in Farranferris.

The three-course meal was prepared and served by a group of people who attend NCE and was led by Group Executive Chef at Trigon Hotels, Alex Petit, using food sourced from FoodCloud’s network of local producers.

FoodCloud is an Irish non-profit that works with producers, retailers and food businesses across Ireland to redirect perfectly good surplus food that would otherwise go to waste. It supports over 50 charities in Cork and, in the last five weeks alone, has redistributed 22.5 tonnes of food per week — the equivalent of 54,000 meals.

“Surplus” refers to food that cannot be sold due to overproduction, packaging changes, short shelf life or forecasting inaccuracies. During the evening, the team demonstrated how this perfectly good food can be used to create restaurant-standard dishes such as beef koftas, pork medallion katsu with curry sauce, and spelt and pear sponge.

MC for the evening was renowned food writer Joe McNamee. Guests heard about the impact of food redistribution in Ireland, the environmental implications of food waste, and how hospitality businesses can play a leadership role in responsible food systems.

The partnership began through conversations between Alex Petit and Carmel Lonergan, Director of Operations at Trigon Hotels, regarding the hotel group’s long-standing commitment to sustainability, food responsibility and meaningful community engagement. Their shared vision led to a collaboration with FoodCloud, and the menu was designed around the available surplus ingredients sourced via the charity.

NCE became a natural partner as a respected community organisation rooted in training, employment and social inclusion. The organisation was recently recognised by the Department of Social Protection for its dedication to the Community Employment Scheme over the last thirty years. Since 1993, NCE has been helping people who are long-term unemployed or otherwise disadvantaged to return to work or further education. It offers training opportunities and work experience placements on CE projects across the various enterprises operating within NCE.

Carmel Lonergan said: “As a hospitality business, food sustainability is a key priority. This event demonstrated how surplus food can be transformed into high-quality dining experiences while reducing waste and supporting communities. It also highlighted the power of partnership between the hospitality sector, social enterprise and charitable organisations to create practical, scalable impact. The evening was not just about dining but about showcasing a responsible food system in action.”

Rosie Fuller, Account Manager at FoodCloud, added: “FoodCloud’s mission is to ensure no good food goes to waste, while strengthening communities through the redistribution of perfectly good surplus food. Through our partnership with Trigon and NCE, we’re highlighting the potential of surplus food, not as something unwanted or waste, which is often the misconception, but as a valuable resource for local communities who need it most.”

Fr John O’Donovan, Chairperson of the Board of Management of NCE, said: “We are delighted to host guests here tonight and be part of a wonderful initiative. At NCE we strive to create a circular economy through a number of our enterprises and the event tonight speaks to that. We had a remarkable event with such talent on display. A lot of work has gone into tonight and I want to thank everyone who made this possible. We look forward to continuing our dedication to the Cork community with many shared ideas.”