I always had an interest in cooking from a young age, I started in Kitchens at 15 and enjoyed it ever since. Very few of the subjects I did in school would have led me to a professional kitchen, when it came to CAO applications I considered myself lucky as I was sure I wanted to head down the cheffing route so applied for a place in MTU Cork in Culinary Arts. I received this place but actually deferred it for a year. Unfortunately covid cut this year short prematurely.

There are a few people who influenced my career, Colin Hennesy who took the chance on me when I was 15 and gave me my first job, he showed me a lot of the fundamentals of cooking and without these I wouldn't have been able to progress my career. From there I went to the Bayview Hotel in Ballycotton, all of 200 meters up the road. Kieran Scully who was my lecturer in college and my boss outside of college and he really developed me as a chef and my understanding for provenance of ingredients. Kieran entered me into the Knorr student Chef of the year during my time in college where I won a bronze medal however the following two years he mentored both students to Gold medals. He also put me forward for the Taste the Atlantic Young Chef Ambassador programme which I was lucky enough to be selected for. This programme was a brilliant success as it connected me with fellow young chefs around the country and broadened our knowledge of aquaculture. This programme was kindly sponsored by BIM.

I had previously worked with my current head chef and I simply sent him a message asking did he need a chef and he replied with a yes and we went from there. In other jobs I have done trial days too, some successful others not so successful, this would be a common way of seeing if you are a good fit for your new job. Even if unsuccessful you still will come away from a kitchen having learned something new hopefully.

Usually we would be in for 11 depending on what needed to be done and the volume of bookings, the less bookings the less prep needed so our start times can vary. Sometimes we start our day with a coffee and get cracking from there on. Consulting with the head chef as to what he wants done for the week/days ahead. there will usually be some form of delivery to be put away throughout the day too. We have a small team and can rely on each other fully which helps bigtime, if one person is prepped and set for service we can then give the other person a dig out or vice versa. Again this depends on the volume of bookings for the week too. Usually after service we would have a small debrief to check on stock levels and come up with a bit of a plan for the next day.

The main task is the cooking and presentation of food to a high standard set by the head chef, other daily duties such as haccp records and receipt of deliveries are all carried out throughout the day too. At the end of each service a full clean down of the kitchen takes place so it is ready to use for when we come in again the following day.

Stop talking, some might say for me ! Given that it's a job I enjoy there will be little I don't enjoy doing. The biggest challenge would be keeping on top of your prep and not over prepping or under prepping. There's nothing worse than having to get rid of unused food, food waste is a huge part of the industry which we try to combat. It also has an impact on the finnancial side of things too.

The element of creativity has to be up there. The buzz of a busy kitchen is also quite a good distraction too for whatever may be going on outside of work. The friends you make with colleagues too can sometimes form friendships for life. A post service Sunday pint is high on the list as well.

I’d be shot if I said there was something I didn't like ! Luckily on the pastry side of things there's not a whole pile of ‘messy’ jobs.

Over the last few years my knowledge of aquaculture has been improved massively due to the TTA programme. Given that it's not everyone that gets to do it you'd feel you have a small bit more of an edge of certain things when it comes to the sea.

I did the core English Irish and Maths and then selected Music French Geography and Technology for the leaving cert.Irish was probably my favourite subject out of these, that's a credit to the teachers I had throughout the years. None of these would really set you on a direct path into the world of food. Luckily I had my mind pretty much made up from when I was small that I wanted to be involved in food to some capacity. Even going back as far as primary school I would have always had an interest in baking/cooking. I Put down my1st choice on the CAO form as Culinary Arts in MTU Cork and thankfully I acquired my place there. This course gave an insight into numerous aspects of the food and hospitality sector from modules like product development to event management.

I attended Midleton CBS Secondary school from 2013-2019 And then Attended MTU from 2021 to 2023

In college we did a lot of modules on costing and pricing. This gives me a great insight into the value of the ingredients I'm working with and makes me really consider how I use them and to what quantity. This would be extremely important should I decide to open my own business some day.

One of the highlights of my career again has to be the TasteThe Atlantic Young Chef Ambassador programme. We had great craic along the way too and a good few of us still stay in contact and would reach out should we be passing through each other's place of residence. There's a nice element to that as usually they’ll be off on a Monday or Tuesday as well which is a common chefs day off. I was also very lucky to have spent time down in Kerry in Cromane with Liam Hayes of Kerry Premium oysters. I have also done cookery demos at the annual Seafest down in Cromane too. This has hugely helped my profile and have also made connections with the likes of Shaoron Sugrue of Realt Na Mara Shellfish who will always make time for a chat should we bump into each other down that way or at another event around the country.

I would be very punctual. I would say I’m easy enough to get along with too and would always try and encourage someone to do their best or stick at it after a tough day. I’d like to think I’m a positive person in the kitchen and would always try to educate someone should they not be too sure of what to do or be educated by someone else regardless of their role.

Professional golfer, my handicap is a million miles away from that I’m afraid. Ultimately I’d love to have my own business down the line but that's a few years away yet as there is plenty more to learn and a few more countries to be travelled first.

Cheffing is relentless enough for unsociable hours however that seems to be changing somewhat. I have missed a few birthdays here and there and 21st celebrations etc but unfortunately that's the downside to working when the majority of everyone else is off. For me personally it doesn't bother me massively. One thing I found is it can be hard to play team sports as most matches are played on the weekends. Some places will try and give you a weekend a month off where possible. Usually what happens is you make friends with your colleagues and socialise on your days off with each other. Luckily I’m a member of my local golf club which does allow me to keep up a hobby on my days off.

Get yourself into a good kitchen where you will be looked after and taught the basics properly. Once you have the fundamental principles of cooking you can fine tune the rest of it as time goes by. You will be working weekends a lot of the time and there is no getting away from that if restaurants/professional kitchens is where you want to be. Some days will be a lot harder than others. But overall the good days will outweigh the not so good ones. Enjoy yourself and look after the body and mind.

1. Punctuality - Be on time!
2. Organisation, this will improve as time goes on
3. Positive mindset in work, otherwise you’ll drag those around you down too and no one will enjoy their day.

People being late whether that's staff or customers. On time is 10 minutes early. In saying this I’ve been late a couple of times over the years too but we won't mention that!

I plan on doing a specific pastry course down the line to enhance and upskill on this area in particular. I am also aware that BIM provides Fish Filleting master classes with a man Called Hal Dawson, a true gent who has an incredible skill set and wealth of knowledge behind him.

Working in a fast paced environment or somewhere you would be under a timeline to get the job done. A bakery ideally would be a great start. Cafe/ deli would be of benefit too as you'd have an understanding of haccp/ food safety and customer service.

Pastry Chef at Cush Midleton