Will Ballinrobe man’s ice-cream melt Dragons’ hearts?

FACING A GRILLING? Ballinrobe man Danny Coleman is all set for an apperance on Dragon’s Den this weekend.

Will Ballinrobe man’s ice-cream melt Dragons’ hearts?


Ciara Galvin
ciaragalvin@mayonews.ie

Chef and healthy ice-cream creator Danny Coleman will appear on RTÉ’s new series of Dragons’ Den on St Patrick’s Day (RTÉ 1, 10.05pm).
Some of his biggest achievements came while working under the guidance of Stephen Fitzmaurice (Hotel Westport), Phillip Brazil (Knockranny House Hotel), Mark Kilner (Delphi Resort and Spa) and Myles O’Brien (The Tavern, Murrisk).
Now however, Coleman has turned his efforts to ice-cream – healthy ice-cream. Creating the brand ‘Guilt-Free Indulgence’, Coleman pitched his range of healthy alternative ice-creams to the Dragons. This St Patrick’s Day, the public will find out whether the Dragons liked his product.
Speaking to The Mayo News, Coleman said the experience was ‘nerve wracking’ and ‘quite intimidating’.
“It was filmed in two parts, and for the second part when entering ‘The Den’ you didn’t get too much time to compose yourself,” said Coleman.
Winner of the 2010 Westport Dessert Competition, Coleman’s interest in molecular gastronomy led him to devise a range of soft-serve ice-creams, which have an emphasis on both taste and healthy eating.
“The emphasis is on texture. Because the ice cream is frozen quickly, ice crystals cannot form, making a smoother ice cream than most.”
Using coconut milk and super foods like goji berries as substitutes, Coleman’s ‘Guilt-Free Indulgence’ ice-cream range is both diabetic and vegan friendly. The range currently includes, vanilla and hemp (Hemptastic Vanilla), cacao and macca (Maccanificient Cacao) and goji berry (Goji-Licious).
Along with working on expanding the range of ice-creams, Coleman is also focusing on creating healthy pasta and healthy winegums with Mark Kavanagh (The Kavanagh Group).
Not giving anything away about how he got on in The Den, the ice-cream creator did say his book ‘Simply Natural’ got a mention from one of the judges.
Peter Casey said ‘My wife has 35 cook books at home and by far the best was Danny’s ‘Simply Natural’.”
The book will be on sale in local shops and bookstores in the coming weeks or you can email Coleman at dannythechef52@hotmail.com. ‘Guilt-Free Indulgence’ ice-cream is set to launch in the coming months.

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