St. Brigid's Special School and DkIT team up for annual culinary collaboration
Dundalk Institute of Technology Department of Hospitality was delighted to recently welcome students from St. Brigid’s Special School to campus for a wonderful collaborative kitchen experience.
Year 1 and Year 3 Culinary Arts students, alongside Year 1 Hospitality Management students, warmly welcomed students and staff from St. Brigid’s to the DkIT training kitchens over two days under the guidance of Rosemarie Leonard and Caitriona Lynch.
The long-standing collaboration is much anticipated by staff and students from DkIT and St Brigid’s every year, bringing everyone together in a vibrant “live kitchen” environment where learning takes place through teamwork, creativity, and shared experiences.
During the sessions, participants worked side by side to create delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies and deluxe double chocolate brownies.
Students from St. Brigid’s praised the experience, with one participant commenting:
“It felt like college, the students were very patient with me, and we worked as a team.”
Ann Gallagher, Home Economics teacher at St. Brigid’s Special School, added:
“What a heart-warming inclusive experience for our students, who enjoyed every minute of this collaboration.”
For DkIT students, the event also provided an invaluable opportunity to step into mentoring and leadership roles, with Culinary Arts students proudly becoming the teachers for the day.
Head of Department Kevin Burns said:
“Partnerships like this create such meaningful experiences which enrich both learning for both our students and the wider community. Initiatives like this demonstrate the powerful role higher education can play in supporting community inclusion while developing graduate skills such as empathy, teamwork, communication, and leadership.”
