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Rachel Gaffney's Letter from Texas - Like a Phoenix Rising

The famous foodie who’s flying the tricolour for us in the States tells us about the revival of the Texas Chapter of the Irish Georgian Society

The Irish Times 23rd July 1953 ~ ‘Sir, As the Georgian Society seems to have lapsed, has anyone objection to my restarting it? Our aims are to bring the photographic records up to date, publish further volumes of the Georgian Society’s books, and fight for the preservation of what is left of Georgian architecture in Ireland’
Yours, etc
Desmond Guinness

7 months later , February 21st 1958, the Irish Georgian Society was established. Chapters opened up in Chicago, New York, Palm Beach and Dallas.

After several years of slumber, the Texas chapter has been reborn, rising like a phoenix from the ashes. Following in his fathers footsteps, Patrick Guinness is now leading the charge as President of the Irish Georgian Society. So, to help revive the Texas chapter, he visited Dallas for the weekend as we announced plans for the year ahead, shared success stories and talked about the crucial work still to be done.

I knew I needed to find people who shared the same passion for preserving our heritage, people who loved architecture and people who supported restoration and craftsmanship to aid in this endeavor.

It wasn’t long before a couple here in Dallas, Amanda and Brint Ryan, stepped up to the plate and embraced our quest. With a name like Ryan, one would wonder if he were Irish, and one would be correct. Although not an Irish native, he is indeed of Irish descent, and no prizes for guessing Tipperary!

Brint Ryan, chairman and CEO of Ryan LLC www.Ryan.com (a global tax services firm, with new offices recently opened in Dublin) has long been known for his love of history, philanthropy and heritage.

His most recent accomplishment was the meticulous restoration of the Hotel Settles, in Big Spring, Texas. www.hotelsettles.com. People scoffed at this ambitious project, said it could not be done, that he was crazy to do it, and that it would lose money. Well, I’ll leave you to click on this link and form your own opinion ! https://texasarchitects.org/v/article-detail/Hotel-Settles-A-Bell-Cow-Rings-Again/d2/

Irish Georgian Society Party They say the devil is on the detail, and no better person to prove this point than his wife, Amanda Ryan. I saw this trait as she prepared to host the party with my husband and I for the Irish Georgian Society.

She chose every flower so they would match the colors on the invitations, so the floral arrangements in the grand foyer would complement the art hanging on the walls. The tablecloths on the veranda had to be unobtrusive, the servers needed to be everywhere at all times and no-one was to go unfed or left without a drink. Her attention to detail, her convivial and welcoming spirit made for an altogether lovely evening for us all.

The following day, I was hosting a brunch. I now needed somewhere a little different. I did not want to host this in yet another restaurant or country club. I had an idea. I wanted to host it in the same place I teach my cooking classes. A new appliance store. Yes, you heard me, an appliance store. But, not any appliance store. This is PIRCH. I reached out to the store director, Tammy Wood and, as I suspected, she was on board.

If you have a vision, your best bet is to work with people who also think outside the box. Together with the executive chef, John Miccio. and chef, John Simon, Tammy set about arranging brunch with me for our special guest Mr Patrick Guinness.

Kerrygold shipped in the cheeses and butters for both days and were featured prominently in all the recipes. Of course, these dairy products were featured as a way of introducing the quality ingredients that the island of Ireland has to offer to our American audience.

Wood Burining Pizza Oven PIRCH is a high end, luxury appliance store. Upon entering, you are greeted by their team of baristas who are employed to make you a complimentary coffee, latte or espresso of your choice. You can meander through the aisles of Japanese toilets, luxury bath tubs, stop at one of the many AGA’s on display, speak to a custom cabinet maker. Perhaps you have discovered a shower that may interest you. No problem, you can bring your swimsuit to your next visit and try them out for yourself.

Pirch is not a store but an experience. Executive chef John Miccio and his staff are there all day, preparing and offering complimentary food for you to taste. As the holiday season is under way, pastry chef Connie can be found painstakingly decorating home made gingerbread houses as she prepares them to be donated for the Ronald McDonald House (home for sick kids awaiting organ donors).

Our brunch was held in the outdoor grill kitchen. Complete with wood burning pizza oven, large screen TV with Sunday football on in the background for those who did not want to miss the Dallas Cowboys play, the Patio Grill was a hive of activity.

Patrick Guinness making pizza We could not help but laugh as Chef Miccio attempted to teach Patrick Guinness how to toss pizza dough. Suffice to say, pizzas are best left to the Italians and I think we’ll let the Guinness family stick to making beer!

We enjoyed breakfast pizzas with home made sausage, topped with Kerrygold Aged Cheddar, Amaretto French Toast cooked on the new EVO grill, Fried egg Pizza, fresh raspberries and so much more. Robert O’Byrne, Vice President of the Irish Georgian Society entertained people with his extensive knowledge of Irish architectural history.

For the last four days I have been receiving emails, texts and phone calls calling the weekend a huge success. We now have new supporters and more importantly people who are eager to visit Ireland.

Years ago, I was introduced to the Russian American novelist, playwright and philosopher, Ayn Rand. As I write this article, one of her ideals springs to mind ‘join other people when you have real values in common and go your separate way when you don’t’.

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