Two Cork restaurants have been shortlisted for the inaugural World Restaurant Awards.
Vegetarian restaurant Café Paradiso on Lancaster Quay in Cork city has been shortlisted in the Collaboration of the Year category for its work with the Gort na Nain organic vegetable farm in Nohoval.
Ballymaloe House in Shanagarry has been nominated in the Trolley of the Year category for its desserts service.
Reacting to the news of the shortlisting, Denis Cotter, who opened Café Paradiso more than 25 years ago, said he is "gobsmacked", pointing out that he had ignored a number of emails about the awards.
Denis also paid tribute to Gort na Nain farm which the restaurant has been working with for the best part of 20 years.
"When Ultan first came to me with a bag of greens he was renting a one-acre piece of land. It's now a nine-acre farm and it's grown along with us so the nomination is really touching."
Ballymaloe House's dessert trolley has been an ever-present offering to guests since Myrtle and Ivan Allen first opened Ballymaloe House to the public in 1964. Now more than half a century later, it's in the running for a global award.
A spokesperson said the Allen family and staff are "absolutely delighted and humbled" to be shortlisted and said that they hope that, along with Café Paradiso, two awards will be coming back to Cork when the overall winners are announced on February 18.
