Falafel man Flo has his finger on the pulse

Lifestyle – It’s 15 years since Dutchman Flo Wagemakers, nicknamed Mr Falafel for his role in making this Middle Eastern food so popular, set up his stand in Galway Market. He tells JUDY MURPHY how the plant-based business has grown to include a street-food restaurant and of his hopes for the future.

Dutchman Flo Wagemakers was living in Limerick, working for a multi-national in Shannon when he first came to Galway City for a weekend.  He landed on “a miserable January evening in 1999”, but the rain and dark were no deterrent. Flo fell in love with Galway – and he immediately saw potential for a business.

“I went to that place at the corner of Eyre Square for something to eat,” he recalls, referring to Abrakebara, which is long gone. Vegetarian choices weren’t great in Galway at the time, especially in fast-food outlets, so Flo ordered a falafel.

Biting into it, he thought immediately that “Galway was ready for the next level falafel. And it was”.

Falafels are a Middle-Eastern dish, made with ground chickpeas and a mix of onion, garlic and spices, and served in flatbread.

Thanks to Flo and other plant-based chefs, they are now ubiquitous in Galway. These deep-fried patties, which in an ideal world, are crispy on the outside and moist and light on the inside, remain at the core of his food business, TGO Falafel (TGO stands for The Gourmet Offensive).  But they are just one aspect of what’s now available at his weekend food stall in the City’s St Nicholas’ Market and street-food restaurant on Mary Street.

The Gourmet Offensive also sells a variety of burgers, ‘chicken-style’ skewers, bean sausages, terrific salads, vegan breakfasts and, unquestionably, the best chips in Galway – more about them later.

“We prepare plant-based food with care,” he says simply.

Flo celebrates 15 years in business this year, having started off with a stall in St Nicholas’ Market in 2005 before opening the TGO café in November 2015. But it hasn’t all been plain sailing, with the business running into problems during the downturn – through factors outside his control

These days, he’s a flexitarian (eating meat occasionally) but doesn’t want to get bogged down in any debate about the merits or otherwise of meat versus vegan.

For him, the approach to food is simple.

“It’s about sustainable production, whether it’s vegetables or meat.”

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