How the Blas na hEireann awards went ahead this year against the odds
William Despard of Bretzel Bakery, Dublin winner of the Supreme Champion title in the Blás na hÉireann Irish Food Awards for their Pain de Maison Boule
For William Despard, the past year perfectly encapsulates the vertiginous highs and plummeting lows of the rollercoaster ride that is life under the coronavirus: from fighting desperately in March to keep his recently expanded business afloat to coping with his mother’s death in May to picking up the ultimate accolade at the Blás na hÉireann Irish Food Awards in October.
Born in Limerick and graduating as an electrical engineer, William worked first in the US and then here in Ireland before eventually tiring of the corporate treadmill: “I wanted to be in control of my own destiny rather than just being a 'corporate yes man', the idea was to have a career change that wasn’t based on corporate employment.”
