WHEN DID YOU FIRST GET INTO COOKING, AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU? Basically my mother’s cooking; licking the spoon from the pavlova mix and watching her. And then, back in high school, we had home economics class before lunch so I thought it was a good idea to get a free... View Article
WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? Born in Paisley, Scotland and grew up in Magherafelt moving to Belfast at 18. WHEN DID YOU FIRST GET INTO COOKING AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU? I got into cooking from a young age at home but professionally at 18. I... View Article
WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND RAISED? Born in Co Tyrone, in Donaghmore. Also where I grew up WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE FOODIE EXPERIENCE? Cooking alongside Alain Passard. WHERE WAS YOUR FIRST JOB? Peeling potatoes in local fish and chip shop. ASIDE FROM YOUR CURRENT ROLE, WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE... View Article
YOU’VE SPENT 30 YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY, WHAT HAVE BEEN THE MOST NOTEWORTHY CHANGES ALONG THE WAY? Our industry has been in the midst of radical change for the last couple of years. As we have seen peace our tourism has started a journey of its own for the greater... View Article
“I just love cooking, it’s my passion,” says Katie Burns. “I just enjoy it, and I love trying new stuff out.” Katie is head chef at Town Sq on Botanic Avenue, the former Crescent Townhouse owned by Wine Inns which was taken over by businessman Peter Ringland in 2015. In... View Article
Marty Black is one of the lucky people who knew what he wanted to do in life when he was just a teenager. At just 15 years old, he started working part-time in The Other Place in south Belfast and it was there that he decided he wanted to train... View Article
Franck Brétéché, chef/owner of Mange Tout Deli in Downpatrick, talks to Sam Butler Frenchman Franck Brétéché has developed a successful career as a popular chef and owner of the award-winning Mange Tout café/deli in Downpatrick. However, Franck once had his sights set on a career in professional football and was... View Article
As with many of the chefs gracing HRNI’s pages, Jason Bowen acquired his love of cooking from his family and studied at Belfast Met’s Millfield campus but from there his backstory diverges. Hailing from Vancouver Island, the Canadian may be familiar to many in Northern Ireland for another reason; he arrived here to finish his ice hockey... View Article
With his chef mother passing on her expertise from the get-go, it was a quick and easy route into the trade for Stuart Archibald. “I started work in a delicatessen on the Cregagh Road for a wee while and then it closed down and I went to college,” says Stuart.... View Article
The joinery trade’s loss has been our gain with, in a coincidence mirroring the May profile, an oversubscribed joinery course at Fermanagh College of Further Education (now South West College) turning our featured chef to chefing. “I took up the catering course instead,” says Kevin Watson, head chef at... View Article
