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meet him in person, but he was so warm Forest Scenic Drive, a road surrounded by
and modest for a superstar that I was im- giant evergreens. On the ride, Noel said he
mediately at ease. As we’d arrived early in grew up on his family’s farm, inspired by
the afternoon, he planned to accompany his mother's traditional home cooking. But
us on a private guided boat ride around long before he became a chef, he was the
Lough Erne. all-Ireland traditional Irish dance champion
I know the Irish are story tellers, but be- and could have continued his dance career,
fore meeting the skipper, I had no idea how but cooking was his passion. When he re-
many Irish tales are associated with gods ceived a scholarship to the prestigious
and mythical warriors and fairies. As the Johnson & Wales College of Culinary Arts,
skipper took us towards Enniskillen, he ex- he left for America.
plained that in mythology, there was a In the USA, Chef Noel worked in famous
fierce female warrior who was badly restaurants including Le Cirque, Chez
wounded by an arrow and tried to escape Panisse (where he learned simplicity from
by swimming across the River Erne. She his icon, Alice Waters) and Jean-Louis Pal-
died. The town of Enniskillen on that island ladin at the Watergate (where he met the
is named in her honor. Clintons). McMeel – that’s his real name –
After the boat ride, Chef Noel, who was once told by an American agent to go
loves to be out in nature, drove us to one to McDonald's and sell his name as a “Big
of his favorite places, the Lough Navar McMeal.” McMeel laughed it off.
Horseback riding at Castle Leslie
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