Now this going to cookery school and getting restaurant experience is all well and good, but what's it really like to be a Chef?
And tells us why if he wasn't a Chef he might have been a rally driver. Just don't forget the sparkling water in his section...
Head Chef of Viewmount House Restaurant in Longford, Gary hails from Donegal originally. He’s the man who, amongst other things, put Longford on the culinary map and made peanut butter gourmet. A beautiful dessert of peanut butter parfait, apple jelly, apple meringue, bee pollen, raspberry gel, coconut and chocolate.
Peanut butter parfait
The beginning
As a kid I often stayed with my aunt when my uncle-in-law was working nights. His mother was an incredible baker. The smells
always caught my attention. I'd stand on books to reach the counter and
taste whatever she was baking. More often than not I was licking raw
ingredients from a wooden spoon. I was hooked from then. I was
probably around 5 or 6.
How
did you become a Chef?
My aunt Dette is the Head Chef of the fabulous Rosapenna Hotel and Golf Resort in Donegal. After years of being knee-deep in oysters, whelks and
mussels with my father I was mad to get into a professional kitchen. Plus it
was much warmer. On the night I finished my Junior Cert and the day before
my 15th birthday my dream became a reality. Into the vegetable prep and
pot washing section I went. By the end of my first summer I was promoted into
the pastry section then sauces. I never looked back. I spent every weekend
and holidays working in the Rosapenna before hitting the Tourism College in
Killybegs and here I am. 20 years later!
How
would you describe your style of cooking?
Evolving is the only word for it. I don’t have a style as such. I try as best I can to
stay ahead of the trends and that takes a lot of doing. I do love putting
twists on classics and I like my food to be delicate but most important of all
taste fabulous. Too many heroes these days concentrate more on style over
substance. Food should first and foremost taste incredible.
Your next objective is to give a customer something that they’ll struggle to
re-create at home and at the same time be confident in the fact that your team
can re-produce it, when in the weeds at 8 pm during a busy service. It all boils
down to consistency and reaching the highest possible standards with the team
you have. And make money doing it!
How
would your team describe you?
Fair. Angry.
Calm. Mental. Generous.
Crazy. Caring. Nuts. Disciplinarian. Moody.
Great craic (I hope).
Serious. Impossible to
please. Grateful. Lucky to have them (I am). Perfectionist.
A day in the life of a Chef
Every
day is different but if committed you're working every single day. Even when you're off you're 100% involved - if you care.
For
me though it’s generally gym then work. Starting with office work to see what's happening on that
given day, then the rest of the week. Run through reservations. Meet with the
crew. Have a little chit chat with them all individually to
see where their heads are at. Check on the mise en place. Delegate jobs. Sort out
my own section.
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| Gary with Salty and Pepper |
Cook
for the staff (yes I normally do this). Clean
down the kitchen prior to service. Then it’s Rock’N’Rolla time.
Go
home. Chill with Netty, play with my pups. Watch football news until my eyes
close and sleep (only if it was a good service!).
Gary on whether it helps to be a little bit mad to be a Chef...
Yes
and no.
It
certainly helps to be a good business person, committed, talented, fit, organised
and mature. We may be mad to be doing a job that most people would hate but the
Chefs at the forefront of the best
restaurants love what they’re doing. We often hate it but I think that’s normal
in any walk of life. Everyone has a bad day.
What
is the most common misconception about what Chefs are like?
Most people think we're mad.
Maybe
we are. It’s a high pressure environment. It’s loud and perfection must be
delivered in real time. Seconds count. At the end of the day it’s only cooking.
Lives aren’t being saved but a good Chef is obsessive about impressing a
customer.
What
annoys you in your kitchen?
Bad
timing. Fingerprints. Watermarks. The smell of cigarettes. A Chef answering back. My word isn’t gospel. I'll always give a person a chance to argue but only after
service. During service only one person makes decisions - Chef. A dirty Chef, an
un-ironed uniform. No sparkling water in my section :-)
What
is your signature dish?
None
really. My food and style of food changes so much with the times that a dish I
love today will seem too simple and irrelevant to me in a years time. But one
bond that will never be broken is the one I have with Duck Confit. So simple
but 95% of Chefs make a mess of it. FACT. I love our Duck Confit dish. The
elements we serve with it often change but the curing and cooking process of
the duck never will.
Do
you like other people cooking for you?
Oh
yes. No matter what it is, if someone other than me has cooked it I’ll
appreciate it.
What
is the best thing about being a Chef?
I
love my life. I’m in control of how good or bad I want to be. Be lazy, get bad
reviews, have an empty restaurant and make bad money. Or work hard, cook
as best I can, have the respect of my peers and be able to hold my head high in
my community knowing that people respect you for your work. The choice is
yours. I hope people look at me as having taken the latter option.
What is the worst thing about being a Chef?
The
stress. The fear of a bad review. The fact that people expect you to be in the
restaurant every second of every day. It’s very difficult. Not being able to
make plans. EVER.
What
do you typically eat when you’re not working? Banshee Bones is not an acceptable answer Chef.
 |
| Just married |
It’s
been well documented what I eat when I’m not working but I genuinely plan on
making drastic changes to that. I have a wife now, a new house almost built and
what I hope will be a family to look forward to in the near future. I have a
responsibility to be alive and providing for them until they are old enough to
look after themselves. The days of Red Bull, Haribos and Banshee Bones are coming to an end. Not just yet but it’s close. Very close.
What
has been the toughest moment of your career?
My
previous job just before taking over at Viewmount House. I've never really talked about it to be honest. A management
company had head hunted me for the job. By the time I worked a three month
notice where I was, they had been replaced and a new company had taken over. I was on a high
salary, instead of being professional and asking me to leave as they
couldn’t afford me they decided on bully tactics.
I’m made of stern stuff
though so in the face of things I took it on the chin but privately I was
breaking down. I take my work to heart. The last words from one of them was “maybe
in nine or ten years time you’ll be
ready for the job” Truth be told it nearly killed me. I
smiled and moved on. I went at Viewmount House like a man possessed. I like to
think I’ve proven my worth.
And the best moment?
How
do you feel during service?
Focused
and nervous in equal measures.
How
do you feel after service?
 |
| Pepper in her finest |
It depends
on the service. These days it’s usually great but the first three years were
hell. My team are incredible now so it’s a very rare occurrence to have a bad
night. When I do though having the pups to come home to has been a major help.
Lots of my Chef pals say that when they became parents it helped hugely after
a bad service to come home to their children. For now though Salty and Pepper
will have to do.
Are
professional kitchens the way we see them on TV – full of roaring Chefs?
They're full of ONE roaring Chef! Depending on the restaurant but in most cases they
are louder and even more hectic than what you see on TV.
What
advice would you give to anyone who dreams of becoming a Chef?
Be
sure it’s what you really really want. It's a great life but it’s a long long
road to success. It’s not nearly as glamorous as it looks and 99.9% of chefs will
never be on TV. It’s not a ticket to stardom and it's incredibly tough to succeed. But if you want it you will get it and you'll reap the rewards.
Remember...Luck is the direct result of HARD WORK.
If
you weren’t a Chef what would you be doing with your life?
Probably
teaching. I love teaching and I have huge respect for teachers. In
my dream world I’d be a rally car driver or a pro footballer.
If
I could do it all again I’d still become a Chef. The only change I’d make is to work with Marco and Ramsay when I was a Commis (trainee) Chef. I will regret
not trying to do so at a young age forever.
What
do most people not know about you?
I plan on getting a truck licence and a rally licence this year or next. I love cars, trucks, engines and every type of machinery imaginable.
And finally, can you do me a deal in Viewmount for my wedding?
I'll see what I can do :-)
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