The epicurean adventurer/chief gourmand behind The Dalkey Food Company is Ivan Varian, a Ballymaloe-trained chef. His food odyssey began as a child growing up in Dalkey where he watched as his father brought freshly-caught fish and game to the table. His mother, a great cook and gardener, was also an influence on Ivan's growing love for cooking. His parents passions for self-sufficiency rubbed off and Ivan holds dear the matching principles of the Slow Food Movement. He believes in using seasonal, ethically sourced produce for superior quality and flavour.
Ivan retrained in cooking after the economic recession hit Ireland and his previous career path in the audio visual industry looked shaky. His decision to follow his passion was one of the best he ever made. He now works in the field he truly loves.
Since qualifying from the certificate course in Ballymaloe, he has worked as a personal chef for the Burlington household in Lismore Castle and for Louis LeBroquy and his family. He has also worked in Coppinger Row, honing his skills on the team led by Billy Scurry and Troy Maguire. Ivan helped to introduce and develop the food business in Glasthule's prestigious wine and artisan food store, 64Wine where his range of soups became a daily sell-out.
As a chef passionate about all elements of cooking, he writes a blog and articles for Eat Magazine.
Ivan is as dedicated to music as he is to food and he also DJ's in popular bars and restaraunts such as JoBurger and The South William.

Ellie Balfe is one of Ireland's most renowned makeup artists,beauty bloggers, and acting Beauty editor of Image magazine. Together they dreamed up the idea of The Dalkey Food Company after Ellie commented that she couldn't find any interesting soup flavours in stores or cafes.