I’ve always loved cooking from a very young age; I would help my grandmother in the kitchen, preparing the family dinners. I would often have done the BBQ for our family of 7 people. In California, you would BBQ all year round and at least 3 or 4 times a month. When I moved to Northern Ireland in 2000, I took a job at the Culloden, 3 days after I arrived here and except for a few odd years, I have been with Hastings ever since.

My goal is for the guests to have a “wow” moment when the food is set down in front of them. Nothing makes me happier in my work than a customer who can’t wait to tell their friends how much they enjoyed their meal. It’s that happy smile when you know you’re about to eat something delicious. That’s my goal.

Hastings has become my extended family; I suppose the best thing about working for them over these years are the personal relationships I’ve formed with so many people. Being a chef for so many years hasn’t afforded me a great opportunity to meet a lot of people outside of the work environment. I often make the joke that 90% of the phone numbers in my phone are Hastings-related.

I want guests to know how much of myself I put into this job, how much of my personality is in the food on the plate. How happy I am when they are happy, and how disappointed I feel when I don’t meet their expectations. My approach to food is if you put good ingredients, good effort, and your heart into the food, only good can come out of that.