A Kerry-based blogger who runs an ice-cream shop in Dingle and Killarney, and whose blogging exploits led to a book deal, has just won the Gourmet Cook Book of the Year Award at the Gourmand World Cook Book Awards.
Kieran Murphy, director of Killarney and Dingle-based Murphy’s Ice Cream, started a blog that not only won the Best Business Blog at the 2008 Irish Blog Awards, but landed a book deal with Mercier Press for Murphy’s Ice Cream Book of Sweet Things, which is choc-full of new ice-cream and dessert recipes.
Murphy’s Ice Cream was established in 2002 by Kieran and Sean Murphy, who grew up with a penchant for all things chocolatey. As children, their grandmother, who lived in Switzerland, would bring home chocolate treats.
In the last couple of years, Kieran started blogging about recipes and topics du jour, and found it was a useful tool for driving business and getting publicity.
Very soon, Mercier noticed the blog, and a book deal was soon in the offing.
“Our grandmother brought us chocolate as children and we never grew out of it. That’s the key to the blog. You have to have a passion for something if you want people to find it an interesting read,” Murphy said.
By John Kennedy
