Alex Atala and director of Netflix show Chef’s Table front Food on the Edge 2019

Renowned Brazilian chef Alex Atala and Brian McGinn – director and producer of the acclaimed Netflix series Chef’s Table – are among a roster of high-profile speakers at this years Food on the Edge Festival in Galway, Ireland.

Atala, who runs D.O.M. in Sao Paulo, will close the first day of the event on Monday 21 October, which this year takes ‘migration’ as its main theme. He will be preceded by Shinobu Namae, chef-owner at L’Effervescence in Tokyo.

Opening Tuesday’s talks will be Australian chef Ben Shewry, chef and owner of Attica, in Melbourne, Australia, who will present a ‘food story’ titled ‘Shut Up and Listen’, with Alberto Landgra, chef of Oteque, Rio de Janeiro, closing the event.

Chef Rosio Sanchéz of Hija de Sanchéz, Copenhagen will speak on Tuesday afternoon, with McGinn speaking on about his series on Tuesday morning.

The ‘migration’ theme of the event will look at how food travels and how that affects people's perception of food. Speakers on the subject include: Derry Clarke of l’Ecrivain in Dublin who will discuss ‘invasive crops’; Arlene Stein of Terroir Talk in Berlin in a talk entitled ‘#noborders: Food as a Tool for Diplomacy’; Paul Carroll (Polly, Vladimir) on ‘From Tallaght to Tsar’ and Josh Niland (Saint Peter, Sydney) on ‘Beyond the Fillet’.

Tom Brown, chef-owner of Cornerstone in Hackney, London, will discuss his experience launching his own venture in a talk entitled: ‘Meanwhile in East London, Lunatics Open a Restaurant’, while Leonor Espinosa of Leo and Misia in Columbia will take about ‘Integral Gastronomy Centres: An Alternative Model of Community Development in Columbia’. Meanwhile, Selassie Atadika of Mindunu in Ghana) will give a talk entitled ‘This Is Africa’.

Food On The Edge director JP McMahon (pictured) said: "The topics at this year’s Food On The Edge are diverse and designed to foster conversation and build bridges. This year’s main theme will focus on the issue of migration, as we question the idea of what it means to be local and how people moving from place to place has defined us and shaped our food culture. We will also be looking at themes of waste, social gastronomy, education, and kitchen culture."

Food On The Edge delegates will also host an Artisan Food Village which will showcase the best of Irish produce from more than 60 top Irish producers, as well as offering a series of masterclasses for a limited number of people.

It takes place at the Bailey Allen Hall at the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), while the masterclasses will take place in the Bank of Ireland Theatre next door.

Tickets can be purchased at www.foodontheedge.ie