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Joanne McEldowney (centre) pictured with (l-r): Alejandro Selma Saldevila, Alice Keating, Sarah Keating and Caroline Herbert, in the beautiful outdoor area at the back of Thatch & Thyme in Kildorrery. Photo: Sandra Quinn

Just two months ago, Joanne McEldowney took the plunge and opened up her own restaurant, Thatch & Thyme in Kildorrery and now it seems that the gamble is paying off, as the restaurant is adding greatly to the local community.

Joanne said that when she first opened, she didn't really know what to expect and she certainly didn't expect a picture of her first celebrity guest, Westlife's Nicky Byrne, to get more than 8,400 views on Facebook.

She has been overwhelmed by the support she has received locally and while the restaurant is getting a lot of repeat business and regular custom, there are a lot of people coming in because they have heard about it from friends or family or have seen the lovely comments posted on Facebook.

Soon after opening, Joanne found herself in the position to take on five staff members and as the restaurant is ingrained in community development, this is a great way to add to life in Kildorrery.

"It's a great facility for people in the area, as it's a meeting place and everyone that has come in has commented on the good vibe - people feel relaxed, they want to stay and want to come back, more importantly," Joanne said.

She added that since she opened, she has made little changes and let the restaurant evolve in line with what customers and people in the community are looking for. "You need to keep evolving if you want to keep surviving," Joanne told The Avondhu.

PROMOTING LOCAL

As well as trying to source things locally and growing her own herbs out the back in the beautiful outdoor area, Joanne is also promoting other business people in the area.

For instance, the artwork of Tanya Collins is on display and for sale inside, a sculpture by Bridget Gallagher in the garden is also for sale and all of the restored furniture was done by Eamonn McCarthy of Drab to Fab Furniture. The gorgeous flowers on the tables are also brought in from Joanne's parents garden and changed regularly by Joanne's mother Nell and her aunt Anna.

The restaurant is also very popular with tourists who stop off on their way to Kerry, as they are enchanted by the thatched roof and vintage style restaurant inside. When the car park is developed at the back in the coming weeks, this will also boost business, as it will make parking easier for customers.

Joanne said that the menu changes every day and is very seasonal, as it makes the most of what is available at the time.

Everything is made fresh every day and Joanne said that people can get a lovely home made lunch with locally sourced ingredients for less than €15.

"The prices are mid range and everything is home made. I don't buy anything in and all that I have in the freezer is ice," she said.

INTERNATIONAL INFLUENCE

Influences from Australia where the cafe culture is huge and Spain can also be seen, as Sandra, who is the front of house manager, has just returned from Australia and Alejandro, who is being trained as a chef by Joanne, brings a little taste of Spain into Kildorrery, in particular with his Spanish omelettes which are very popular.

The private parties are also very popular, with one a week most weeks and the next four Saturdays are all booked and these will no doubt be in high demand in the lead up to Christmas.

Serving breakfast from 8.30am until 11.30, a lot of people pop in for something to eat before their day really begins or they sample something from the lunch menu between 12 and 3pm, while others come in for a light salad or some delicious dessert before closing time at 5pm.

While the outdoor area has been well utilised on the sunny afternoons, Joanne has plans to install heating systems and an awning to use the space throughout the winter as well.

To help people to achieve a gourmet taste at their own kitchen tables, she will also be running cookery classes in September and October and orders for Christmas hampers have already started pouring in.

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