The biggest and most consequential decision I’ve made in my career was to start waiting tables in a local restaurant. It was this job that gave me my first window into the professional kitchen and sparked my curiosity for professional cooking. The next would certainly be my decision to work with Chef Alex Petit, it was he who fostered and encouraged my budding career and ambitions and always provided impartial advice on what to do next.

My parents have certainly been incredibly influential, they’ve always been so supportive and helpful when it came to making tough decisions about what direction to go in next, and of course there's been plenty of chefs who have had a massive impact on me, Alex as mentioned above, as well as chef Paul McDonald from Bastion, Sean Cunningham and also Sahen Deane - all chefs with immense passion for their work and a stern belief in doing things the way they should be done.

I applied through a job listing on LinkedIn and had a series of interviews as well as an in-person trial where I was tasked with making two dishes in 2 hours that were fine dining orientated and presenting them.

Most days are the same, arrive, light up the stove and check the fridges, amend last night’s prep list, check orders and gather the ingredients I need for the day and then start prepping, 1 to 5pm is prep, 5 to 5.30 is clean down and set up 5.30 to 6.30 is for all small jobs and last minute details and 6.30 to 10.30 is service.

Ordering and always follow and enforce HACCP guidelines, manage budgeting and costings for the restaurant and when all of that is done, help in the other outlets and provide support as they need it. 

I think the biggest challenge with cooking is staying organised and up to date as the seasons and trends change, there's a rhythm to turning over your dishes and ingredients with the seasons so you’re always emptying your fridge of one ingredient as you prepare for the next, without producing any waste, and of course the people management is hard, everybody engages with their work and motivation differently and understanding how to reach people and share my passion with them has always been an interesting challenge, but one I’ve always really appreciated.

I really like everything about my job, I love kitchens, I love the people, and I love the food, every day is a new day, there's always something changing or evolving and getting to be a part of the constant push forward as a leader in the kitchen is inspiring.

I think I have good people skills, I’m highly organised and efficient, I think I’m compassionate and understanding and I’m willing to do anything that needs to be done for anyone to ensure a smooth service.

I took history, biology and tech graphics, I really can’t say any of these had a major impact on my decision to be a chef.

I completed secondary school and got into college and graduated with a level 7 Culinary Degree.

College provided me with a solid base of information about the culinary world that allowed me to approach things with a general understanding of how and why each action produces each result, this further allowed me to build upon and experiment with each technique or preparation to make them unique and to utilise them in new and exciting ways.

Being a Young Chef of the Year finalist and going on the various trips with the Eurotours team, being a part of teams that were assessed by Michelin and subsequently retained a star/stars, having family come and eat in a restaurant that I was leadin. 

Open my own restaurant, small team, 12 or so tables, amazing fresh produce, excellent and perfectly cooked food, casual but informative service, fairly priced and accessible.

Yes, my job now provides a comfortable and happy life for myself and my family, although of course at times it's been harder to be comfortable and happy, but that’s just unfortunately the economic climate we have. It has however always helped that you get what you give to this career, and hard work and dedication is always rewarded fairly.

Just try it, the worst-case scenario is you pick up a couple of handy culinary skills that will stick with you for a lifetime and finish after a few weeks knowing it’s not for you. Work for good people over good restaurant. 

You should strive to be keen, attentive and ambitious. 

Disorganisation and careless decision making, having a bad day or bad service is rarely due to one singular issue, its normally death by a thousand cuts, a lot of small decisions made poorly that amount to a day far harder than it should of been, stick to the plan, do it right and do it once.

I have not taken yet, but in the future I’d like to find the time to do some further study into food science and teaching.

Any experience in the hospitality sector is good experience, understanding the struggles of all other departments keeps you grounded and appreciative of the work others do and that empowers you to do your own, and vice versa.

Head Chef at The Cove Restaurant) Fota Island Resort.