Biography

Darina Allen runs the internationally renowned Ballymaloe Cooking School at Shanagarry, in County Cork, Ireland. The school is just one of many Ballymaloe enterprises owned and operated by four generations of the Allen family. A chef and instructor, Darina is also author to numerous cookbooks, most focusing on Irish cuisine. Her most recent, Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cooking School Cookbook received a nomination for best international cookbook from the James Beard Foundation in 2003. Her highly acclaimed Irish Traditional Cooking was published in l995 and won the Langhe Ceretto prize in l996. She also authored the highly successful (now out of print) Simply Delicious series, which included volumes by ingredient or event, such as Simply Delicious Fish, Simply Delicious Vegetables, Simply Delicious Food for Family and Friends, Simply Delicious in France and Italy and A Simply Delicious Christmas.

Darina is a culinary celebrity in Ireland, starring in multiple cooking shows and series. A member of the International Association of Cooking Professionals, Euro-Toques, the Irish Food Writer's Guild and the Guild of Food Writers in Britain, she won the Gilbeys of Ireland Gold Medal of Excellence in 1991 with Myrtle Allen for her contribution to the Irish catering and hospitality industry. She is a member of the Consumer Foods and Ingredients Board of An Bord Bia and is on the Board of the Organic Centre. Darina has been appointed to the recently formed Food Safety Board of Ireland. She has appeared on several American television programs, including Good Morning America, and has presented Irish feasts to heads of state such as President Bill Clinton in 1995.

Darina's work at the Ballymaloe Cooking School also includes the surrounding farm, which she built and cultivates herself. She continues to build the garden, which is now open to visitors.