“
They were a great bunch of people,” Sean says, “
and I enjoyed the work. But it wasn’t enough. I love a challenge, and I didn’t feel that I was being pushed enough.”
Part of Sean’s role was to clean the kitchens and, as he spent more and more time working alongside the team there, he started chatting to the chefs and catering manager, Ronan Croke.
When an opportunity arose shortly afterwards to apply for the role of catering assistant, Sean applied and got the job. In his new role, Sean experienced the “front of house” side of the catering industry. He mastered everything from food service, to foam art on the top of a flat white.
But the catering team could see that Sean could do much, much more. “
We had an agency chef at the time,” Sean says, “
and I melted his head with all of my questions about food and food preparation! In the end, they started giving me little jobs to do. Nothing too complicated, just prepping salads, or chopping veg.”
A few months later, when new head chef, Damian, joined the team, Sean’s career opportunities really opened up. Damian pushed Sean to apply when the role of commis chef came up in his kitchen, giving him the confidence to go for the job. And, once again, he was successful.
He hasn’t regretted his decision for an instant.
“
I was always happy to come to work,” Sean says. “
But now I am thriving! I bounce out of the door in the morning, which is no mean feat with a newborn baby at home!”
Sean’s progress is in no small part due to the continued mentorship of Damian, who spends three or four hours a week with Sean, outside service hours, helping him build his skills and knowledge. Most recently, the focus has been on desserts, and they have cooked up lemon meringue pies and cheesecakes together to add to the daily menu.
