THE connections that Val Manning made in life helped to create a famous food landmark in West Cork.
To tell the story of how Manning’s Emporium evolved through these connections is to tell the story of Val Manning’s life.
And so it was with a great sense of sadness that the food producers that Val championed learned of his passing, at the age of 74, on Saturday December 7th last.
It was Val’s parents, Tim and Jo, who started the business on the wide stretch of road at Ballylickey, near Bantry.
They had been rearing Jersey cows on nearby pastures and sold their surplus as milk, cream, and butter to local hotels and restaurants.
Locals soon heard of the quality of these products, and in 1946 the bricks and mortar business began.
It was in the 1970s that Val, as the second-generation storekeeper, got involved and forged new friendships with artisan food producers throughout West Cork and provided them with a market.
Of course, Manning’s wasn’t called an emporium at the time: That came later, as the range of quality meats, treats, oils, cheeses, and wines filled the shelves in this unique premises, which, quite simply, has nothing to rival it this side of the English Market in Cork city.
The business, like the friendships Val had with producers such as Norman and Veronica Steele, Tom and Giana Ferguson – to name just two – evolved.
On Tuesday, for example, Quinlan Steele called into Manning’s to pay his respects to Laura Manning, Val’s niece, and her husband, Andrew.
As a couple they believe they are merely third generation caretakers who will one day pass it on to their own children, as will the Steeles and the Fergusons.
Andrew, who previously had a catering business in Dublin, said he knew of Manning’s by reputation long before he had ever visited West Cork, or met Laura at a wedding at Faithlegg Hotel in Waterford.
It is these connections, these web-like strands, that have turned Manning’s, and food production in West Cork, into its very own brand.
Even in 2010, when Andrew and Laura took out an initial five-year lease and Val began to step back from the business, he continued to be an invaluable source of knowledge.
‘He was a great sounding board,’ said Andrew. ‘We leant on him massively, his eye for things, his experience, the people he had met, and the connections he had made.
‘In a world, where the gap between producers and the consumer is widening, Val did the opposite. He brought people together,’ said Andrew. ‘I hope he knew how much we appreciated him, and how proud we are of him.’
