A chefs head

Some people don’t realize the work behind the curtains, what do we think when we finish a dish ,a menu …..
What do we really think in our heads….

PRODUCT
You have to get the best quality ingredients, according with your budget and your knowledge,you can’t hide behind a bad produce no matter how , good quality speaks for itself

TASTE
We taste our food and season it…..
We know what food taste like or most of us do

SEASON
We cook what’s in season,unfortunately all foods are available all year round so it’s pretty confusing even for us , but we stay in season in the country we live in …. in this case beautiful Ireland

KM 0 or MILE 0
What’s this?
Very simple ….we are surrounded by quality suppliers!!
Fish ,meat , vegetables…. you name it …. we have to support them , they are passionate about what they do and have the knowledge, they are a key factor in our food change they battle bad weather , hot weather, heavy seas ….. and work really hard for it!!

COLORS
People eat with eyes too, and contrast in colors is important
Now saying that balsamic vinegar doesn’t taste as good as it looks in a plate for some reason , so everything has to make sense

TECHNICAL
This is due to your training and ability to understand products and cooking products, for a long time or really short time but that requires skills that are earned by experience and knowledge, doesn’t matter if it’s a traditional method or new techniques, we try to apply them correctly

TEXTURE
Contrast in texture, soft , crunchy, crispy …… understanding of mixing ingredients, sour, sweet , spicy, bitter….. BALANCE

CUSTOMERS
Cook to please your customers not yourself, they are paying for … set boundaries between you and them earn their loyalty and respect and challenge and surprise them every time

CONSISTENCY
We have our days off and holidays like everyone else , so dishes should look , taste …. the same when we are on or off …….

Do we think of everything here?
For every dish!!!!
Mad???? Well we also have the gift of enjoying what we do and remember one thing we are our worst critic and we are human …. so sometimes we make mistakes like everyone else!!!!
Just thinking of my next menu so pretty busy at moment 😂 as you can read!!!

What does the future and food hold?

We have gone through several stages of evolution of food by now and well a good question to ask now while people gain knowledge of food and sourcing is, I suppose what way is it heading? Humans have depleted the Amazon, cutting down the rain forrests to plant soya to feed agricultural animals to feed humans, which is so counter productive but it does keep the trillionaires at the top. We have no idea in this country of what’s going on in the rest of the world. The rain forrests in Indonesia have been devastated to plant corn so we can eat chilli Doritos. Africa is hardly the garden of the planet considering most of the land is scorched. America according to Netflix is a drug infested turbulent spot to be in what with all the drug inc. tv shows etc etc. They’ll do good at some point but at the moment their a bit preoccupied with presidents, poverty and the filthy rich. China has without question the highest rate of pollution in the world. So that leaves the middle East, Russia and Europe. From a distance too it looks like good aul Vlad in Russia is trying his best to do what’s right to protect his interests which he clearly knows are his people because let’s face it if war does come, he’ll want a few of the boyz to stand by him. All that being said he has ramped up honey production by spending and hiring his bee keepers to do so and apparently the country wants to be completely eco friendly by 2022. The middle East are working on a concept called eco cities where before when cities were built it was with cars as transport in mind. Now they build cities without roads because the cities are built on top of underground commuter systems. Narrow streets mean not so much sunlight which actually makes it easier for plants to have a chance to grow.

That leaves us with Europe, which at the moment seems stuck. Extremely caught up by financial dept and seems to me still working on an identity what with Brexit and the divides. The big thing that has happened for our industry in Europe at the moment is chefs ARE in demand. A lesson we should take a look at because if it keeps getting worse then your food gets worse. Your food will be bought by governments and accountants and well that didn’t go so well for Indonesia now did it.

Chefs are not passionate about money at the start but by the time government’s are finished with them it’s all they can think of. Chefs are passionate about food, local food because chefs are guess what, from places too. Chefs love to be creative, chefs love to inspire and chefs love to get rewards that are anything but money to get the message from us that we are really very satisfied with what they have produced for us as aposed to well I suppose we just have to accept it because it’s the government. We just need to believe in the chefs we have when it comes to our food. You don’t go to the opticians when you need a new washing machine so why go to a politician when we want to buy or grow food. The message is simple, we all have chefs in our town, so maybe we should talk to them more about how to live better, healthier, more satisfied lives and them let them shine the light on the direction food on our small floating globe is heading.

Tradition versus new trends
As chefs that we are , no matter from where in the world one thing should join us together and is the love of food , seasons , produce & joy of sharing with our customers or friends or family gatherings…… no matter the situation is all about what we eat.
Nobody can argue that technology is having a massive effect on our lives somethings are positive and others are really worrying
Why tradition is important?
Well obviously is our dna , our memories from our parents passed on by their parents , how we eat , when do we eat …..and recipes passed on from generations and this is the worrying part about technology….. has made us lazy ….. we are losing our taste buds and are not passed on to our kids,we google recipes, we buy anything in a supermarket wherever it comes from just because is handy and affordable…… we have become lazy!!!!!
It’s just too easy
Who suffers ?
Everyone !!!! That shortcuts are taking just to make money for big companies …. it’s all about money!!
Our bodies have become intolerant to so many things because we are trying to make food so safe that there is no bacteria whatsoever that our bodies can react and learn to deal with it …. and our inmune systems are weak….. apart from amount of shit that we are using to preserve food for lasting longer, look shinier, grow faster……
No doubt the are good things from technology, lots of it too……
Media, internet , Connection with people, sharing opinions or blogs, …. kitchen equipment, accessories, cooking methods, chefs techniques……lots of it!!!!
So for that you have to admire people that actually care and do something about it , and you support them and put your words into actions, that’s one of the things that I see in this group people that do care and do their part and I like it!!!
We as chefs admire chefs creativity and blend of ingredients, techniques and talent …… from escoffier first innovative chef to Ferran adria , a person that change our point of view about food and open a limitless book of creation
My last reflection is that what would I prefer a roasted pepper on a wooden barbecue…. the smell , the memories, how my mum told me to peel them and preserve them ….
Ducks tongue cooked for 40 hours , low temperature, foam , air, deconstruction……
A mass produce apple tarte with “custard “ from lidl to put and example…..
Just a little reflection on a fine summer morning!!!!

Im all for the fine weather & the business it brings the excitement the craic for the guest & the production of management of people. We in our business are the willing we are the purveyor of food & drink & the creators of peoples experience. We are dedicated hard working and consistant to our trade. Our experience in hospitality will not be found on any certification from a college or school. We think on our feet we forward plan & are always fore-armed for any eventualities. We are given a blank canvas of the business and we create a new picture everyday. No day or night is the same no moment is the same nobody is the same. We are skilled to adapt and react and deliver. We are the Willing. We are Dedicated. We are a Unique highly skilled individuals. I pay my respects to All in Our industry who go to work do their job to the best of their ability To ensure Our guests enjoy the experience of Hospitality at the highest standards there are. #atyourservice 👤

How it looks to me that our food system changes.

Having been in this industry now for 26 years I have watched food go through 4 different changes in Ireland. Being in the scene as companies like pallas foods or la rousse were only being setup at the time I have had the pleasure of watching food on our island make several moves.

The first that I got to witness was the traditional stage as tourists flooded our green isle for things like Irish stew, bacon and cabbage and some of the best fish this world has to offer. The fish itself has taken a turn like no other. I remember as a child going with our father to the river to do a spot of fishing on a lazy Sunday morning. From the mouth of the river we could see the wild Salmon as they would make their climb up the river to the old nests where they would drop their eggs. Catching the salmon jumping up out of the water would have been a common thing as I grew up but now you could spend 3 days out by the river and never see a single one.

The next piece of growth in the Irish food scene. As owners started to come into plenty of money and the food scene took off into 2 areas. Gourmet and bulk. Bulk started taking place in towns with plenty of beds to fill. An example of that would be your Clifdens, Westport, Killarney etc. Where the bus tour companies moved in, serving anything but Irish food. They may have called it Irish stew but I’m about 98% sure that if your going to make Irish stew you could at least use Irish beef or lamb and well I reckon that 90% of all Irish stews at the time were made with beef which in my mind is the desecration of our culture by our own caused by figures on a screen. At the time of this taking place chef’s had no say, they were given figures and weren’t told do the best you can with that, they were told that’s what you have, this is what I want you to make now hop to it.

Our resilient chefs, this is where the fight back happens and food take a change for the right and the introduction of social media. Now I want you to sit back while you read the next part because some of you may think that’s a load of waffle but here we go. “The god complex” As we listen to idiots talk about figures, the truth comes out about food and what the people with the calculator have done. Devastating food, history, passion, belief and skill and then we the passionate have to listen to idiots with calculators talk about the shortage of chefs and wonder why. It’s actually pathetic to think that they will abuse a person to within an inch and then wonder why nobody wants to be a chef. DUE TO THE INCREASED VOLUMES OF SHIT THAT CHEFS HAVE TO PUT UP WITH, THE TABLE WILL TURN.

Where are we at now, well let’s talk about our own patch. 3 of the gangsters opened a restaurant with the food system in their minds. The best of Kerry on a plate I heard get passed around. Food is now changing and chefs are been proven that a god complex is fitting as for humans to survive we need to eat. The distance we are willing to go is fantastic. Allowing grown men to chop up your planet without a care in the world (No pun intended). In the mean time I watch our cluster, I’ll start with our Gangster Sid Sheehan who opened a school called nourish by nature, chef Noel create a gardening company to serve food that has grown with your plate in mind. Serving food that tastes the way it should. Marcus Eidner a mushroom foraging expert. Paul Cotter does his coastal and woodland foraging most days so as he may serve up the best he can find. The result is there is no calculator men here. Just people that are passionate about the next stage of the evolution of food.

The message I would like you to get is simple, protect your kids, raise your awareness and try not to give into the quick fix because the quick fix generally falls short of health and safety. Remember folks, man created the calculator, god created the planet….