Back to her roots: Claire Nash on closing Nash 19 and her new venture

January 12, 2024: Nash 19 closes its doors. Trading ceases with immediate effect.

To many, the closure felt unbelievable. If anyone could ride out the perfect storm engulfing Irish hospitality, Claire Nash was surely the woman to do it? It sent ripples through Cork’s hospitality community, and was a seminal moment that flagged how much in crisis the industry really was.

A stalwart of the Cork independent food scene, Claire Nash had rolled with all the punches over the years.

A prominent figure within the Cork Business Association, she realised it was important to have a seat at the table if you wanted to have a say.

Founder of Cork’s iconic Long Table Dinner event, and pivotal in the success of Eat the Streets that reinvigorated the city post-covid, Claire’s fingerprint is an indelible mark on the story of Cork’s food culture.

Until now, she hasn’t spoken publicly about shuttering her beloved business after 32 years of trading.

In this exclusive interview for WoW! Bites, Claire shares with me the great sadness of walking away from Nash 19 and finding solace in a new venture taking her back to her roots.

“It really meant a lot to drive over Parliament Bridge every morning before seven and see a city that was waking up; not still asleep, not struggling, but a city that was buzzing.

“We had established a fantastic customer base of people who had come in as children, then as adults with their own families. There was the business community who were our bread and butter, and we’d built up longstanding customers we’d see once or twice a year from all over the world. That to me was huge success, and we’d fantastic years of it.”

From boom to bust and back again; through floods and pandemics, Nash 19 somehow kept riding the waves, diversifying to keep pace with the changing needs of its customers.

“We opened our food shop and gallery to become a concept café; we introduced table service because people no longer wanted to queue,” recalls Claire.

“It was a tricky period to move through; managing people with flash money who were still eating the same great food from me, but now they were experiencing great food and wine everywhere. Sometimes I’d feel like saying I’ve always had that on the menu, but you’ve never ordered it.

“It was interesting to see the way food culture was evolving in the city.”

Summer and Christmas of 2023 were, says Claire, the best seasons they had ever had. But, in the end they counted for nothing against a background of escalating costs and a dip in city footfall as people began holidaying abroad again and offices were slow to bring workers back into offices.

“The city offering had become problematic with anti-social behaviour; things were getting tricky. I sensed the city was on a bit of a back foot. People hadn’t come back to work. If a city is busy or if streets are vibrant, anti-social behaviour just isn’t tolerated.

“My customer base eroded because many of the big offices that would have been my bread and butter had changed their model of work. Costs had started to really escalate, staggeringly so for us. The government didn’t even seem to be watching what was happening to us. A fuel bill had arrived for the November-December period and, like for like, it had gone from €2,900 the previous year to €10,300 that year.

“I texted a picture of it to a prominent minister and said: ‘You wonder why we’re struggling? You wonder why we’re bitching about VAT? We need help here’.”

A common misconception is if a restaurant is busy, it must be making money. But that’s not always the case.

Claire’s commitment to putting the best of Irish produce on the plate meant paying more for ingredients. Curating that special Nash 19 welcome, a quintessential hallmark of classic Irish hospitality, meant paying good staff good wages.

“The risk of running a restaurant had become incredible, and I had to bear that risk. At certain times, I was paying my own staff but wasn’t paying myself. When that happens, you know you have to call time.

“We closed in January for our annual week-long break, and I had a meeting with my ants and auditors. We’d had a phenomenal Christmas. The appetite for what we did had become invaluable to some people for treats and for our tradition. The restaurant, shop, gallery - everything was hum-dinging, but I knew what we were heading into.

“The ant asked if I could continue doing figures like that in January, February, March, because that’s what was needed. I knew we weren’t going to be able to do that; I knew I couldn’t keep going, so I made the desperate decision to close Nash 19.”

Christmas, 2024, was “a horrendous time. My hardest time since deciding to close the restaurant,” says Claire. “I lamented the busy buzz of Christmas. Dealing with that pain in your back, doing your book at 2 am, making sure you had all your orders in, waking up at 5.30 am to do your table plan. All which I adored. I’d live on adrenaline until I’d fall down.

“Appetite for that gush of business and cracking on - there’s nothing like it. That adrenaline flow and rush of the busier, the better. When the book is full, but come on in anyway, and I’ll get you a table - of course I will! I’ll find you somewhere. I miss all of that.”

Any regrets?

“No, I had to do it. I couldn’t have kept it going any longer. It was going to kill me. I’d have lost everything, I think... I had to just walk away.

“That’s difficult; how I feel walking up there and seeing the same vista coming towards me. I felt I let my staff down. I felt I let my family down. But I’ll get over all that because, you know, it was just me and myself, and I couldn’t do it anymore.

“I was quite unwell when I finished up. I needed to reset; I needed to realise that it’s OK to not be crazed out of your mind every day trying to keep it all going. That there is life after being a restaurateur.”

The Claire Nash of today is back to form and looking forward to the next chapter.

“I still need to do something,” she says. “There’s still life left in the old dog!”

Her new venture is ‘Claire Nash Cooks Kinsale’ – a boutique cookery school where she can continue to share her love, knowledge and years of cookery experience with those who want to learn how to entertain with food and conviviality in their own home.

“I think people want to start cooking at home again,” says Claire, “but they can be very nervous of cooking, entertaining, having people walk through their door with the full complement of drinks, food and entertainment. The art of entertaining is also the art of restaurateurship which I love to do and brings me joy.”

Claire has been cooking with confidence since making a family Christmas dinner for the first time aged 12. Classes aim to instill confidence in people to entertain at home with ease.

There are five different programmes: the flagship one-to-one Masterclass, Half Day Gathering, Let’s Cook, First Table, and All Day Aga.

All courses start with a shopping trip, menu design, preparation and ‘mise en place’, cooking with leftover ingredients, cooking without waste, table setting, drinks pairing and serving. Lunch is included, tastings, and the pick of herbs and produce from Claire’s kitchen garden.

“All programmes have the goal of creating enjoyment for cooking. Ingredients are at our fingertips, let’s cook them simply and enjoy it,” says Claire.

“Let’s sit, eat, and discuss Ireland’s food culture.

“There’s nothing nicer than handing somebody something you’ve cooked yourself. Instantly you’ve broken down barriers. This is what I want to teach: to on that connection with great food to people who come to spend a day here.”

The Masterclass is designed to be a real-time experience of creating a dinner party menu. Claire also teaches how to make lots of other elements including stocks, dressings, sauces, spice blends and soups to create a varied larder from which to create lunches and dinners as well as your dinner party.

“We’ll have time to discuss what we’re doing and why. I’m keen to suggest the main core element of a meal (protein) is the best you can find, and vegetables don’t have added food miles,” says Claire. “I’ll be sharing little tips and hacks, and the kitchen will be a hive of activity. Rather than ending up with a kitchen full of ingredients for just a couple of recipes, we’ll explore all we can make out of everything we have by cross-referencing and cross-purposing them.”

This type of cooking is less about flamboyance and more about choosing excellent ingredients and making the very best of every bit.

“People seem to think they must cook like a Michelin chef in their home, but that’s not the case. Do you want to eat food like that in someone’s home? I know I don’t!” says Claire.

“Just simple but useful things that make you the master at your craft in your own kitchen.”

Classes are open to anyone, but an interest in Irish food and food culture, says Claire, is important.

The launch of Claire Nash Cooks Kinsale is a first step back into the world of hospitality.

“My life wouldn’t be complete if I couldn’t entertain and cook. There’s more in me that I want to give, and my favourite times in the restaurant was when I was teaching new staff.

“Cooking is food for the soul, and there’s nothing nicer than entertaining in your own home. It’s a reset that’s required for all of us. To make time to sit and enjoy what someone has made you and to savour the flavour. It doesn’t have to be Tik-Tok and everything. Just turn off. Come home.”

The sabbatical has proved restorative for Claire Nash; she has a readiness to step back into the kitchen.

“It brings me joy to teach and see how people react,” says Claire. “I have never lost my ion and drive for this industry, and I never will. I just love it.”

See www.cnashcookskinsale.com