As a young chef, I competed and judged in many international competitions and was the Irish representative for World skills. This experience after catering college instilled an ambition in me which has led to a successful career around the globe. My first experience of working in a 2 Michelin star restaurant was at Midsummer house working with one of the best chefs in the UK, Daniel Clifford. This set me up to move back to Belfast to join Danni Barry's team in Dean's Eipic where we gained the first Michelin star in Belfast. Wanting to expand my knowledge on French cuisine I spent a year in burgundy and followed this up with a move to the Italian dolomites to add to my repertoire. The biggest change to my cooking philosophy came from a move to Canada. The light style of Japanese cooking and the large Filipino influence here was a huge contrast from my European education. Moving back to Ireland to work in Hara I brought with me everything I had learnt and paired it with great Irish produce to create modern Irish cuisine.

Working in kitchens around the globe has meant that I have picked up a breadth of different culinary styles and influences. My style of cooking is inspired by the irish terroir focusing on simplicity and letting the quality shine through.

Having competed and judged internationally I know the high standards expected of both competitor and judge.