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IRELAND














             In Search of Chef’s Noel MacMeel’s Cheesecake


                       wo years ago, Chef Noel McMeel,          we traveled offered unending views of
                       known as the King of Northern            rolling green hills dotted with sheep and
                       Irish cuisine, served a melt-in-         cows or country lanes shrouded by
             T your-mouth luncheon at a confer-                 canopies of leafy trees. I wanted to take
             ence in Ireland I was attending. Unfortu-          photos constantly, but there was no place
             nately, I had to leave                                                    to pull over. Plus, a
             for a meeting, so I                                                       two-dimensional
             missed his you’ve-                                                        photo cannot possibly
             never-tasted-any-                                                         capture views only the
             thing-this-good                                                           eye can see.
             cheesecake. At dinner,                                                       I hadn’t had a
             everyone was still rav-                                                   chance to talk with
             ing about it. As they                                                     Chef Noel at the con-
             say in Ireland, I was                                                     ference, but I know
             pretty down in the                                                        that before he arrived
             mouth I’d missed it.                                                      on the scene in North-
                     A year later,                                                     ern Ireland, people
             with cheesecake as                                                        thought Irish food was
             my excuse, I recruited                                                    mainly cabbage and
             my friend Hilary and                                                      potatoes. Chef Noel
             returned to Ireland.                                                      introduced only sea-
             My plan was to go to                                                      sonal, local products
             Lough Erne where                                                          including bacon from
             Chef Noel presided                                                        local black pigs and
             and finally try his fa-                                                   cheese from local
             mous cheesecake. To                                                       cheesemakers. I was a
             get there, every road                                                     little intimidated to



                                        By Margie Goldsmith










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