Ómós Digest: A new chapter begins at Ómós.
We're opening a restaurant and Guesthouse. By Cúán Greene
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Hello All,
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A new chapter begins at Ómós.
A restaurant to explore, cook, and create. A guesthouse to stay, let go, and dream. A garden to grow, regenerate, and nurture the land.
I am very excited (and a little nervous) to announce that I am opening a restaurant, guesthouse, and 4-acre farm in Ireland. It’s a dream I’ve had for over 17 years, ever since I took my first step into a kitchen. Rather than a new beginning, we see Ómós Restaurant and Guesthouse to be an extension of the stories we’ve been committed to over the past couple of years.
Ómós will be located 2km from the town of Abbeyleix, in County Laois. Our future home will house the thoughts and ideas we’ve been gradually sharing with you since the inception of the Ómós Digest, and significantly, will allow us to put our words into practice. We hope for it to be a space that encapsulates the ethos of Ómós and builds upon this knowledge-sharing network that has blossomed thanks to your continued support.
We’re so lucky to have found a beautiful property, surrounded by ancient beech trees and rolling hills, not to mention an idyllic old mill pond. On the land sits Millbrook house, a (currently) dilapidated Victorian house, which we are renovating to accommodate 16 bedrooms. Honestly, I’ve spent the best part of a year studying every inch of this old house, and I’m completely obsessed. The fact we get to keep it from falling apart is humbling. Our plans for the house are inspired by various auberges and boutique hotels around the world, connected by a focus on informal hospitality and thoughtful cooking. For us, it’s really about creating an authentic atmosphere that feels of the place, more like a modern Irish home with great food, productive gardens, and a beautifully comfortable space rather than a sterile luxury hotel or restaurant. We want guests to experience Ómós, wander the land, breathe in the country air, discover all the nooks and crannies of the guesthouse, enjoy a glass by the fire, feel inspired by the art, folklore, and design, and savour a departing breakfast comprised of produce. Each guest will hopefully experience a unique part of Ómós.
To be honest, I thought the prospect of building my own restaurant from the ground up was inconceivable, a young chef’s pipedream– but we’re now doing it! The single-story restaurant building will be designed as a contemporary interpretation of a typical Irish vernacular farm, backing onto a market garden, allowing the new buildings to fit quietly into the rural landscape, while tying in traditional forms and materials. I feel so lucky to be working with Ryan W. Kennihan and his incredible team of Architects, as well as the interior design team ASCA and Relief Gallery who are responsible for so much more than just the look and feel of both the restaurant and guesthouse. This incredible opportunity allows us to think deeply about aspects so often overlooked in our industry. Avid readers will know I harp on about the importance of basic human needs in working environments; natural light, access to nature, a designed place to switch off and rest. Well, we’re building it! I can’t even begin to explain how energising this collaboration with such a great team has been.
Another defining aspect of moving to Co. Laois is that Ómós will be situated in the middle of Ireland's breadbasket, at the heart of a thriving community that includes a host of incredible producers and wonderfully skilled craft and tradespeople. I am thrilled that we can look forward to supporting each other and extending the growth of this region. To learn from and draw on local talent; find a workforce from the locality; and celebrate the excellent ingredients and materials from all around our Island. If Mother Nature permits us, we hope to harvest a lot of our own regeneratively grown produce and will look to raise livestock over time. We are doing everything in our power to track down the best local producers and educate ourselves about the region's wild species. However, we will embrace an emerging Ireland and with that, a developing palate. Immigration and travel over the last couple of decades have changed how we eat. Therefore, rather than be puritans of locality, we wish to cast our net further afield in search of bold flavours, focusing on ethical growing methods, supply chains, and delicious produce that makes sense seasonally.
Our site is at the very initial stages of the build. Our estimated opening date is July 2025. We will be releasing information at every stage of the process.
In the meantime, we will continue to select articles from our collection of contributing writers and continue to record and share our findings surrounding people, place, and discovery.
It seems like an appropriate time to mention that over the coming year, we will make space for domestic and international pop-ups and collaborations. We will inform you about these with ample notice.
I think that is enough for one day. A final thank you for all your support. We can’t wait to welcome you to Ómós. In the meantime, explore our new website, and of course, see you next week.
Mise le meas,
Cúán and the Ómós team.