Santina Kennedy is a Food Consultant working with Irish food and drinks businesses, with over 15 years experience in the Irish food scene.
Her work includes event curation, media content creation including food writing, food photography and food styling, MC presenting and hosting for food and drink events, and creating bespoke food and drink experiences including unique food and drinks tours.
From 2009 – 2017 she founded and managed her own food business in the pretty tourist village of Enniskerry, Co Wicklow. Her ethos of using the best of Irish food and drinks and supporting local producers, combined with an innate sense of Irish hospitality ensured a loyal following. The cafe won several accolades and was featured in the Georgina Campbell Guide, The McKenna Best in Ireland Guides and was listed in the Irish Times Top Ten Cafes in Ireland.
In 2017, Santina returned to education to study Food Science and graduated with First Class Honours. She continued to specialise in Irish food history and food culture, graduating with an MA in Gastronomy and Food Studies from TU Dublin in 2020.
Santina designed the Food and Whiskey Pairing Tour in her work with The Powerscourt Distillery in County Wicklow, as well as curating a retail and hospitality offering of premium Irish food and drinks to pair with their Fercullen Irish Whiskey. She designs and manages cultural events at the distillery, weaving Irish folklore and food and drinks traditions into their whiskey experiences. She was delighted to accept the Highly Commended Brand Innovator of the Year at the Icons of Whisky Awards 2023 and 2024 for her work at the Powerscourt Distillery.
Santina has also worked with the newly formed Wicklow Food and Drinks network Wicklow Naturally. She has served on the Board of Directors with responsibility for PR and Social Media and has also spent 2 years as the network’s coordinator. She is currently the ambassador for Wicklow Naturally and is proud to champion the food and drink story of her home county.
Santina has worked with many artisan food businesses, developing PR strategies, creating social media content and mentoring. She also mentors other food networks and food clusters around Ireland. She is a regular host/ MC at food events and festivals. She has curated and presented at many notable food festivals including the recent Wicklow Festival of Food at The BrookLodge, Macreddin. She has been a regular and enthusiastic panelist at festivals such as Taste of Dublin, Beyond the Pale and was delighted to participate in Food on the Edge 2023.
Santina is a keen food writer, food stylist and food photographer and her work has featured in several publications including The Irish Farmers Journal, The Sunday World, Independent Newspapers, as well as Forbes Magazine and BBC World Service.
She has a magpie like obsession with collecting props, which she justifies when she sees them featured in print!
She has appeared on RTÉ Nationwide, The Summer Show, Catherine Celebrates Christmas as well as PBS shows such as Househunters, Ireland Edition, and Ireland County by County.
She is also the Irish Food and Drinks researcher for the PBS show Ireland with Michael.
From her early days in her own business working with Irish food and drinks producers, Santina has always admired the resilience and passion of the artisans, from farmers to cheesemakers, bakers to beekeepers. She has focussed her work on bringing their stories to life by creating compelling food and drinks experiences, curating menus to champion their produce and creating PR strategies to maximise media coverage.
Santina is committed to developing Ireland’s reputation as a food tourism destination through her work, and has made regular submissions on the importance of a Food Tourism strategy to the Minister for Tourism including a recent proposal on behalf of the Irish Whiskey Association.
In her spare time, Santina loves to cook for family and friends and is always keen to try new recipes with Irish ingredients. She enjoys traveling for new food experiences, keeping up to date with new food trends, and has a particular interest in new arrivals on the Irish food scene. She loves spending time outdoors in nature with her camera, learning about biodiversity and Irelands natural larder. She has a particular interest in Irish art history and is currently researching the intersections between Irish food culture and Irish art. Her reading list is mostly food themed but also includes Irish history and folklore, and nature.