Women Of The Irish Food Industry – Sheena Dignam, Food Tours Operator

Sheena Dignam is the creator of Galway Food Tours. 

I met Sheena Dignam over two years ago now. I was at the media launch of the Galway Food Festival and she was our tour guide. Two years later, and I still remember her catching enthusiasm, her deep knowledge of Irish food and her absolute love for Galway. 

Sheena Dignam is pure passion and when we met, it was obvious that she was onto a great thing. She has been blazing a trail ever since. Her tour, is the best one I’ve been on in Ireland. Sheena taps into the great food community in Galway and makes you feel like you are part of it. 

She is winning awards and forging her career from sheer passion and hard work and I am a huge admirer of her. 

I’m talking to women the Irish food industry. How did your career path bring you here?

I am originally from Wicklow, but I grew up in France, in the Loire Valley where I fell in love with food and later wine and decided to study Culinary Arts (or a BTS en Arts Culinaires de la Table) and chose this passion as a career path.

When I moved back to Ireland I got to work with many restaurant start ups and later I moved into Chocolate. I opened Cocoa Atelier (owned by La Rousse Foods).  It was very interesting to help design everything from product range right down to the packaging.

When we opened the shop we used to have ‘Fab Food Trails’ come in with their tours and I thought it was a brilliant idea. I moved to Galway , saw the opportunity with all the amazing producers to start tours. Originally I wanted to change the perceptions of my French camarades on what they thought was Irish food. 

 I was working full time in Kai and started the tours part time 4 years ago and it became a full time job 2 years ago. I now have 2 employees, we have seen a growth of 70% from 2017 to 2018 and this year is off to a good start.

How does your career fulfill you?

Absolutely,  my passion is food and drink. There is so much energy in the Irish food & drink industry. I love showcasing this on a daily basis to visitors in Ireland to show them the new perceptions on our food. We are still know for our stews, Guinness, brown bread but there is so much more and that’s what I get a kick out of.

What are your professional ambitions? What’s next for Sheena Dignam?

I would love to see help roll out food tours around the country. In conjunction with Skillnet and Taste For Success, myself and Gosia Letwoska have developed a 5 day training course on how to set up your own Food Tour business

In your opinions, what challenges women face in the food industry in Ireland?

The perceptions of old ‘women in the Kitchen’ mentality.

Tell us of one woman in the Irish food industry who constantly inspire you and why?

It has to be Mary Farrell I love what she does and she has finished her PhD in Equality & Head Chef  positions in the Irish industry.

What do you think can be done to help raise the profile and visibility of women in the food industry in Ireland?

I think getting young culinary students involved in this movement as early as possible so they can see what is happening at the moment in the industry and what can be accomplished.

What was the proudest moment of your career so far?

Winning best Food and Beverage Experience in Ireland 2019 for Galway Food Tours at the Irish Tourism Industry Awards. 

What advice would you give your younger self?

Be more confident and assertive and trust your gut.

What are the top skills required to do your job and why?

You need to be passionate about people and culture. People connect with stories, and want to know why are you bringing them here or there, and what the story is behind each place. You need to be able to relay those stories with passion as people can see straight away if you are passionate about the produce and places featured on your tours. 

You must be good with people, on one end you work with so many businesses and they need to feel a connection with you as that transpires to the welcome you get when you’re on tour and on the other end you are sensing the dynamic of the group (not to leave anyone out ), keep the conversation flowing and ask them questions.

Being a food lover is essential. It’s a food tour, if you are not interested in Ireland’s food heritage, producers, chefs etc… you will not be able to tell those stories to your guests.

Finally, you must be a good public speaker.  Your body language and voice are important, you need to be heard and keep people’s attention. It’s like being on stage!

You must choose 5 cheeses for that perfect cheese board. GO!

Killeen with fenugreek seeds; Mossfield; Young Buck Blue; Valencay frais and any Comte over 18 months!