Food For Life, On The Page And On Stage

Kevin Thornton was never just a cook. Before he became famous for his food, he had also worked as a photographer^[3].

That other passion became a book. Food for Life – the Photography of Kevin Thornton gathers his photography in one volume^[1]. Its profits go to research into meningococcal disease^[1].

From Book To Stage

Then he did something few chefs would try. He turned the book into a performance. Food for Life was staged at the Dublin Fringe Festival in 2007^[1]. A chef's photographs became a piece of theatre.

On Television

He also became a familiar face on RTÉ. He appeared in No Experience Required and Guerilla Gourmet, and fronted two series of HEAT^[1]. Viewers saw the intense, thoughtful chef behind the famous dining room.

Radio called too. He co-presented Foodtalk, a six-part series on Newstalk 106, and became a regular voice on The Food Show on 4FM^[1]. Food Republic later noted that his work stretched across television, radio and books^[2].

A Writer As Well

He wrote about food as well as cooking it. He was a food writer for The Sunday Business Post and for The Gloss magazine^[1]. His words, like his plates, came back again and again to nature and local produce^[1].

For a chef with two Michelin stars to his name, these projects were a way to reach people who might never eat in his restaurant. A photograph, a TV show or a column could carry his ideas much further than one dining room^[1][2].

A Restless Mind

The Food Republic writer called him possibly Ireland's hardest-working chef^[2]. Foraging, diving for sea urchins, testing new ideas with beef: he never seemed to stand still^[2].

Food for Life summed up what drove him. Food was not just dinner. It was nature, art and a way to do some good in the world^[1][2].