Beloved Athy baker returns home to open Ernie’s café at the Shackleton museum

WELL-KNOWN Dublin-based baker Graham Herterich – otherwise known as ‘The Cupcake Bloke’ – is making a permanent return to his hometown of Athy with brand new café and retail space ‘Ernie’s’ opening inside the soon-to-be-launched Shackleton Museum.

The venture marks a full-circle moment for the chef, who grew up in the town and says it was the pop-up food experience in two years ago that rekindled his connection with Athy.

“I couldn’t wait to get out of here when I was younger,” said Graham.

“But coming back as an adult, I saw how vibrant the town has become. It’s completely changed.” Graham credits the women of Athy, including his mother, grandmother and local matriarchs for his passion for everything culinary, citing a page dedicated to them in his first ever cookbook.

“Their food, their baking it’s all still with me,” he said. “And of course, growing up above a butcher shop, food was always central in our lives.” “Ever since the pop-up, it’s been calling me to come back and do something properly.” Now, he’s doing just that, and with a personal twist.

The café’s name, ‘Ernie’s’ pays tribute not just to famed polar explorer Ernest Shackleton, but also to Graham’s grandfather Ernie, an Athy local man named Ernest Coyle, and his brother, also named Ernie.

“It’s a very special name in the town,” he explained.

The café will open in tandem with the highly anticipated Shackleton Museum – a “world-class facility” showcasing the life and expeditions of the Sir Shackleton.

While Ernie’s will be housed within the building, Graham is clear that it will stand on its own.

“I didn’t want it to be just a coffee dock in a museum,” he said.

“It’s important to me that locals can just pop in, grab a coffee and enjoy the space without having to do the full museum experience.” Mr Herterich, whose Dublin bakery in Rialto has earned a cult following for its tasty bakes and quirky style, says Ernie’s will have a distinctly different feel.

“The Dublin shop is like the inside of my ADHD brain; loud, colourful, a bit mad,” he said. “This space is calmer. It’s still me, but it’s the more grounded version.” Ernie’s will serve many of The Bakery’s signature products, including retro biscuits, Guinness bread, and the beloved brack. But the menu will also mark a return to his roots as a savoury chef, with a strong focus on traditional Irish recipes made with local ingredients.

“We’re sourcing as much as we can from Kildare and the surrounding counties. Dublin, Meath, Offaly, Laois, Carlow, Wicklow. That’s my pantry,” he said.

Dishes will include barley and vegetable broth, smoked trout on stout bread, and even an unexpected nod to Shackleton himself: Bovril with bread and butter.

Shackleton was the face of the brand for some time, marketing it as packed “with the nourishment value of many pounds of beef,” and now museum visitors will be able to get the full Shackleton experience during their tour of the museum.

The new café will open its doors this October alongside the Shackleton Museum.

While the official launch date has yet to be publicly announced, Graham promises that Ernie’s will come in tandem with the museum.

“I’m just so proud to be coming home to do this. There’s a real energy in Athy now. People are working so hard to bring the town up to a world-class standard. I’m just delighted to be a part of that,” concluded Mr Herterich.