French style pizza truck arrives in Castlebar
FRENCH style street food is now available at certain locations around Castlebar, writes Tom Gillespie.
The gastronomic treats are the brainchild of Valerie Tirmant, who is originally from France.
She moved to the west of Ireland three years ago with her husband Ben and their two daughters, aged 13 and 10.
Valerie told me: “I first came to Westport and then Ballina a few years in a row as a child on summer camps organised by my hometown. I had fallen in love with Ireland from my first trip and have since tried to come back as much as I could.
“My hometown, Athis-Mons, situated in the south suburbs of Paris, then twinned with Ballina and I participated in the twinning committee and festivities. After that I came back on a regular basis, always wanting in the back of my head to move permanently.
“I met my husband who happened to have the same passion as myself. Three years ago we decided we definitively wanted to leave the craziness and the stress of the Parisian life. We wanted to offer our children and ourselves a better quality of life, a different education for them, plus the fact that they would learn another language.
“I managed to get a job transfer with Europcar in August 2015, the company I had been successfully working for for 20 years back in France, and the Irish franchise offered me the position of manager in their Ireland West Airport branch, where I successfully developed the business for two-and-a-half years.
“Over a year ago the idea of doing my own thing started growing in the back of my head. I've always loved cooking and the idea of bringing this very successful concept to the west of Ireland then became obvious to me.
“I was lucky enough to carry out my training and receive my qualification as a pizzaiola in the Lutetia Restaurant, near Paris. I also took classes with the LEO such as start your own business and marketing for small businesses. They have been a brilliant partner in the adventure. The classes are really top quality.”
She continued: “Food trucks are a growing trend in Europe’s capitals, so why not import the idea here of offering fine food made of fresh and local ingredients, recipes with a certain French touch, in a gorgeous vintage French van that would also look fantastic outside a wedding venue, or at a festival or at any other type of event?”
Her passion for good food and love of meeting new people led her to the concept of The Fire Slice - a 1973 classic French food truck dispensing a huge selection of the finest French pizza.
Valerie went on: “I wanted to combine authentic French pizza methods together with locally sourced ingredients to bring a truly unique mobile culinary experience to the west of Ireland.
“The Fire Slice aims to provide customers with tasty fresh artisan pizza for all special occasions.
“We are a street food truck, so you will find us on different days in different locations in and around Castlebar.”
Valerie continued: “We will set up our 1973 classic French food truck at any party location. There, you can observe as we create the perfect pizza before your eyes in our wood-fire oven. “My food truck is a 1973 Citroen HY van, originally owned by Jean-Pierre, an electrician who was going around villages in the 1970s and ’80s near Issoudun in the centre of France. It took months to get it fully restored and converted into a food truck.”
The stone oven in the truck has been built using traditional methods and materials, and at 400°C is capable of cooking a thin base pizza in under two minutes.
Valerie went on: “We are a real food truck, moving around Castlebar, and we also cater for a wide variety of occasions and events, such as all family occasions - birthdays, christenings, communion, confirmation, retirements, and lots more. We bring mobile artisan pizza to your doorstep.
“If you are looking for something different for your wedding or the day after, look no further. We have the perfect alternative. You can impress your guests as they watch their pizza being cooked before their very eyes.
“We cater for all events, street festivals - music festivals, and sporting events. We bring mobile artisan pizza to you. We can provide a lovely menu that will stand out from the crowd.”
A glance at the menu includes: La Chevre-Miel with creme fraiche, Irish farmhouse goat's cheese, rocket leaves, honey and walnuts, and La Reine with tomato sauce, ham, locally grown fresh mushrooms and oregano. From Wednesdays to Saturdays find out where The Fire Slice is located on their Facebook page or phone on (085) 8547001.
Do you have a story to tell about your business? If so, Tom Gillespie would be delighted to hear from you. Get in touch at (087) 9680780 or gillespietom49@gmail.com.