Sustainability strategist Pat Kane on her life in food

Pat Kane is a sustainability advocate, speaker, writer, and out-and-out foodie. The founder of reuzi, a business that has evolved to become a whole hub for environmental living and awareness, Pat is also a partner and Chief Sustainability Officer for environmentally-focused consultancy, Pragmatica.

Here, Pat shares her life in food…

What are your earliest memories of food?

My granny was an excellent cook and I have this vivid memory of a coconut-based dessert she used to make for our family Sunday lunches. I can still taste it.

How would you describe your relationship with food?

I’d say I have a very positive relationship with food. I enjoy eating and cooking and I am a big fan of trying new ingredients and flavours. I have a folder saved on Instagram with a bunch of recipes that I plan on bringing to life one day.

What was the first meal you learned to cook?

As a girl from Rio, I love stewed black beans, brown rice and some fried ‘couve’ – which is like kale – so that was probably the first ‘meal’ I learned to cook. Super simple and so extremely tasty.

How did food become a part of your career?

I never really thought about food as “a part of” anything in particular. It’s just a part of who I am – I enjoy eating good food and so I often bring new flavours into our family life. I hope my boys will grow up as adventurous as their mama.

What’s your go-to breakfast?

I usually fast until 12 noon, but then I will either have eggs, tomatoes and spinach on a wholemeal wrap or overnight oats. I love the versatility of overnight oats, so filling.

What’s your go-to comfort food?

Fresh sourdough bread, some really good quality olive oil with a sprinkle of sea salt and a few dips like hummus or baba ganoush. I make an epic hummus and I am still to find one as good as mine, just sayin’…

What’s the go-to quick meal you cook when you’re tired and hungry?

I absolutely love the ready-made meals by fiid, in particular the Smokey Black Bean one. Add a few spoons of brown rice or some leftover salad et voilà. Another great business making ready-made meals would be Irish business Eatto. I keep a few meals in my freezer at all times. Their meals are super tasty and they come in fully compostable packaging, 10/10.

What is one food or flavour you cannot stand?

I absolutely despise cumin. That’s probably why I don’t enjoy hummus outside of mine as all the shop bought and restaurant ones are always so heavy on cumin… It is overpowering and in my humble opinion, it tastes like a dusty antique shop, if we could lick one!

Hangover cure?

Coconut water. The real deal preferably, but failing that, something like Vita Coco will do.

Sweet or savoury?

Sweet, always. I am a ‘eat the dessert first’ kind of gal.

Food for thought — Is there room for improvement within the Irish food/restaurant/hospitality scene?

I’d absolutely love to see a really excellent Japanese place opening up somewhere in Ireland.

Chef’s kiss — Tell us about one standout foodie experience you’ve had recently.

I visited Japan in 2019 and I never experienced food like I did while walking around the streets of Tokyo. Their attention to detail is just phenomenal, everything is beautifully presented and the ingredients will blow your mind. We had dinner at a temple and the food – all plant-based – was just incredible. They served a variety of lotus root tempuras which I found incredibly interesting. Certainly one I will never forget.

Compliments to the chef — Now’s your chance to sing the praises of a talented chef, beloved restaurant or particularly talented foodie family member.

I want to give three people a shoutout:

Deirdre Doyle from the Cool School Food for all the wonderful ways she goes about teaching parents and kids to cook delicious and healthy meals and snacks. The kids and I love her book Chop, Cook, Yum.

Fiona Uyema, an Irish chef who is all about Japanese cuisine. I am so inspired by her cooking and love her book Japanese Food Made Easy.

Una Leonard from 2210 Patisserie who is all about the most incredible sweet treats you can possibly imagine. Her book Sweet Therapy is packed with stunning recipes and her story is really inspiring.

Secret ingredient — What, in your estimation, makes the perfect dining experience?

Without a shadow of a doubt, the people you are sharing the meal with.

@iampatkane, reuzi.ie.