Popular Kildare catering company expands with restaurant in Newbridge

Good news for foodies in County Kildare, as catering company Lily and Wild has officially opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Newbridge. 

The brand-new restaurant replaces the Market Kitchen café and restaurant, which closed back in October of last year.

At present, Lily & Wild cater for Naas Racecourse, Punchestown Racecourse and Goff's Bloodstock sales.

Speaking with the Leinster Leader, one of the company's directors, Davina Walsh, elaborated on the background of Lily and Wild, and also explained the reason behind the group's decision to set up shop in Newbridge.

Davina explained: "We previously launched another company, Event Waiter, back in 2011.

"The catering company idea formed at the beginning of the lockdown, when an events venue approached Kevin (Lily and Wild's Managing Director, and Davina's partner) to provide event management / staffing and food options. 

"As a result, we decided to start up Lily & Wild... I'm from County Kildare (Athgarvan), so, I'm a Lilywhite, and Kevin was wild in his youth, hence the name."

She continued: "It was scary to start something new at such a precarious time, but sometimes you just have to go for it. 

"We began in Naas Racecourse, serving food and drinks from our beautiful vintage truck as a takeaway catering option for race days and for locals on the weekends.

"Kevin is the driving force behind it all, the one who is continually coming up with new ideas to drive us forward, but it is only possible with the support of Davina and the amazing team at Lily & Wild, who work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure a remarkable customer experience in everything we do.

"We are forever grateful to our fantastic and dedicated team," she concluded.

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When asked about why they chose to open up a restaurant in Newbridge, Davina said: "Over the past four years, we have been asked regularly if we have a restaurant outside the racecourse that people could visit, so it has always been in the back of our minds to set up restaurant.

"We were waiting for the right place at the right time when this space in Michael Murphy became available. Since we now live in Kildare town, location-wise, Newbridge is perfect for a work-life balance as we have three school-age kids together.

She added: "While it’s scary to do something so close to home, opening yourself up for criticism, we are so excited about Newbridge and the support we have received has been overwhelming we are very grateful."

The brand-new restaurant currently employs 14 staff members, but according to Davina, 'it is an ever-expanding team.'

Davina further said: "It took nearly two months to refurbish the site, and more renovations are planned over the coming months."

As for personal recommendations, Davina had this to say: "Oh, the falafels are one of our favourites.

"Hadi, our chef, makes them from scratch, and they are definitely worth a try."

Davina also revealed that the one thing she wants customers to take away from their time at Lily and Wild: "Our team’s commitment to our customers’ needs and providing exceptional food and hospitality.

"It takes a village as they say, but in our case, it takes a team."

Lastly, Davina said: "We are so excited about where we find ourselves and are so grateful for our amazing team!"

For further information about Lily and Wild, you can visit https://www.lilyandwild.ie/.