Elaine Mahon
Elaine Mahon is a lecturer in Gastronomy and Food Studies at the School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology at Technological University Dublin, Ireland, where she was awarded a PhD for her research on Irish state hospitality. She is a founding member of the TU Dublin Centre for Irish Studies, and co-editor of the Journal of Franco-Irish Studies. She serves on the organising committees of the Dublin Gastronomy Symposium and the ‘Food and Drink As…’ Conference Series, and is a trustee of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery where she coordinates the Young Chefs programme. Her research focuses on food history and diplomatic gastronomy, with a particular interest in menu analysis, protocols and hierarchies of prestige. Elaine is a regular media contributor and was recently nominated by students for the TU Dublin Excellence in Research Supervision Award. Prior to taking up her current role, she worked as a chef for ten years and, in a previous career, held posts at the European Commission in Brussels and Spain. Elaine holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Education, a Postgraduate Certificate in University Learning and Teaching, and a BA (Hons.) in Culinary Arts. She has a strong interest in equality, diversity, and inclusion, and supports inclusive practices in education. She is currently working on a monograph for Peter Lang, Oxford entitled '"The President Requests the Pleasure': Establishing Protocols for Irish State Hospitality, 1922-1963."