New Year 2019

94 There are, arguably, only a handful of truly exceptional ice cream parlours in Ireland. Over the last couple of decades, the country has undergone a gastronomic renaissance, fighting to claim back Ireland’s status as a place of fine food and tantalising treats. Fantastic Flavours, established in 2013, has long been considered one of these stalwarts, and with Miceál and Oksana at the helm, the brand has gone from strength to strength on the back of well-deserved accolades and glowing guest testimonials. Miceál was quick to emphasise that Ireland, unlike say the USA, UK or Italy, has never had a culture dedicated to producing real, handmade ice cream. Due to war demands, the industry died out in the 1940s during the Second World War. As such, Fantastic Flavours is one bold step in reintroducing high quality, real, handmade ice cream to the Irish Market. It’s an endeavour that has been exceptionally fruitful over the last five years and today, it is considered a must-visit destination, with guests travelling from far and wide to have a taste of Miceál’s famously fantastic ice cream. Boasting ‘More than 42 Flavours’ on the menu, guests have plenty of flavours to choose from, including Banana Rama, Malteser Pleaser, Delicious Wonkalicious, Lemon Flufferella, and, more recently, the bombastically coloured SuperGirl. Each has been carefully crafted to cater to gourmets and connoisseurs alike with a creamy mouth feel and deep punch of flavour. It’s a product that is, by any definition, luxurious. A treat. Fantastic Flavours is an ice cream parlour with a difference. Founded by husband and wife team Miceál O’Hurley and Oksana Shadrina, Fantastic Flavours is a delightful mid- century style American Ice Cream Parlour in the centre of Youghal, Co. Cork, Ireland. Recognised in LUXLife Magazine’s 2019 Restaurant & Bar Awards, we spoke with Miceál to find out more about his efforts to reinvigorate a dying craft in the country. During our conversation Miceál took the time to discuss his unique approach to his art, and his efforts in helping to redefine what it means to be ‘an artisan’ – to be specific, that artisanal, as a term, has wrongly come to define a product and not the craftsmen behind it. To be an artisan, in Miceál’s words, is to be a dedicated master of the craft, A Master Artisan Revitalising the Irish Ice Cream Market Nov181007