Blogs

ABOUT MATTHEW BROWNIE Matthew Brownie, from New Zealand, has been a professional chef for 27 years & is the Director/Owner of his own snack company (The Skibbereen Food Company). Formerly, Matthew was a demonstration Chef for The Simply Better Brand for Dunnes Stores and a Writer for The Southern Star Newspaper in West Cork and for The Irish Foodie (Quince Publishing) Matthew lives in West Cork, Skibbereen.   THE INDUSTRY I LOVE, LEFT BEHIND Let’s go back 30 years and here’s a skinny New Zealander that loves cricket, works as a Mig and Gas Welder and is passionate about NZ rugby in his hometown of Whanganui, New Zealand. ...

ABOUT NIGEL McGRATH My name is Nigel McGrath and I have been working in kitchens for about ten years now. I had spent most of my working life in the Defence Forces - 24 years in total having joined at the tender age of 17. Leaving the Military was a decision that was never going to be easy as once you leave there is no going back. I had a burning desire to work as a chef from about the age of thirty onwards. I have no culinary background and no one in my family had previously worked in kitchens. There are no grandma recipes lying around the house Well maybe there is, I just did not see them. Truth be told, I did not learn to cook until I got married when ...

ABOUT AIDAN KELLY Aidan trained at the IT Tralee, leaving as NTCB student of the year. He spent his Commis years in the Blue Haven in Kinsale, and credits Sheen Falls and L’Ecrivain as where he learned his trade. Aidan has been Sous Chef and Head Chef in some busy hotels and restaurants, picking up some medals en route. For the last 6 years Aidan has been his own boss, the last 3 being in The Grillshack, a very busy and funky restaurant in Kildare, where he also produces his range of hot sauces.   PRODUCING & SELLING YOUR FAVOURITE RECIPES It's been a strange old year for all the food industry in every part of the world, but ...

KITCHEN CULTURE Meet the chefs & teams of Ireland’s professional kitchens, with Chef Network The Chef Network community brings together chefs at all levels from all sectors across Ireland. In a  Hotel & Restaurant Times  regular column we meet some members and hear from them what inspires and motivates them, their career challenges and opportunities, and how they believe we can improve the industry. In this edition, we meet Maurice Mc Geehan . Maurice grew up in his parent’s baron a rural farm in Co. Donegal. He is currently the Performance Chef for the IRFU where he combines his culinary experience with the science of ...

ABOUT JONATHAN FARRELL Currently the senior sous chef at Bastible in Dublin., Jonathan has spent over ten years working as a chef in a wide range of roles; from large hotels to making cakes in his Mum's café, to catering for exclusive groups in ski chalets and Scottish hunting lodges. After a spell of backpacking in 2016, Jonathan re-entered the kitchen when he took a job in a small seaside hotel in Sweden. This lead to stints in some of the best one and two star kitchens in Copenhagen and the UK. Working with such great chefs as Jonathan Tam at Relæ, Matt Orlando, Tommy Banks and Simon Rogan. Jonathan believes in making delicious, sustainable ...

ABOUT MARK COMERFORD Mark Comerford is a chef, food blogger, and founder of The Writing Room - a creative outlet for aspiring young writers and blog   No Eggs, No Milk, No Problem . OUT OF MY DEPTH; COOKING ADDICTION & MENTAL HEALTH The narrow, bare-concrete, spiral staircase underfoot leads the way to a new chapter of my life. My feet are heavy and not just because the steel-toe-cap shoes are a size too big. I trip on a step, stumble to one knee and catch myself; the rattle of my knife case echoes, startling the HR lady, who, instinctively and with a sharp gasp, asks if she should fill out a report. I decline and nervously laugh it ...

ABOUT GUILHERME Born and raised in Porto Alegre, Guilherme Bender started his cooking career at his home in south Brazil. With an intent on tracing his Italian ancestry, he then moved to Italy, learning about the food on which he was raised. Now, living in Ireland for 3 years, he is Executive Sous Chef at Kinsale Hotel and Spa. Guilherme loves Ireland; the people, the culture, and he loves the opportunity to introduce to Ireland more of his South American roots. PERSONAL TIPS TO FIT IN AS A CHEF LIVING ABROAD A country's cuisine directly reflects its culture, history and diversity. Knowing this, every time I visit a new country, I use the gastronomic ...

A little background on myself. I’ve been a chef now for 22 years and a lot has changed in the culinary world. I‘m currently the Executive chef of two of the busiest restaurants in the major cities of Ireland. Like many people being a chef wasn’t on my radar and I fell into it while doing work experience in transition year. There have been good times and bad times. Being a chef has taken me around the world and through it I met my wife. Right now I’m very happy in my current role and have great work satisfaction. I want to write on how technology has made my life much easier and hassle free, when balancing a team of 40 people from all over the world. Initial costs ...

KITCHEN CULTURE Meet the chefs & teams of Ireland’s professional kitchens, with Chef Network The Chef Network community brings together chefs at all levels from all sectors across Ireland. In a  Hotel & Restaurant Times  regular column we meet some members and hear from them what inspires and motivates them, their career challenges and opportunities, and how they believe we can improve the industry. In this edition, we meet Siobhán McDonagh. Siobhán grew up around cooking and has worked in kitchens since the age of 14. She has worked in kitchens all over Ireland and is currently head Chef at the Brandywell in Dromod, County ...

My name is Padraic Tighe and I have been a chef for over 20 years. I am originally from Castlebar but now live in Loughrea.  My first job was as a barman for ten years in hotels, clubs and bars all around Castlebar, but as I always had a passion for cooking and hated the hours as a barman, I took the leap from being a barman to go to college in GMIT So in 2001, I went to college in GMIT where I did my training as a chef for two years.  While in college I did some work in Castlebar and Westport, which I loved,but a friend of mine is from Limerick and he asked me to move to Limerick, to which I did for 6 years (love it there too). I then moved around ...