SEAN DEMPSEY:I CAME HERE for a month in 1970 to help Mr Fitzpatrick get started and stayed ever since. My days vary depending on the flow of business, but at busy times I could be here seven days a week. We do a lot of functions.
I like to be in by 7.30am. I live in Cabinteely, a five-minute drive away. If it’s nice I’ll walk in. First up in the morning I’ll get the keys to my office and then walk the floor, checking out the various restaurants.
I’ll check the grill bar first because it will have been open after I left the night before. I’ll check the passover book to see if any issues have arisen.
I’ll scan the breakfast too to see if anything is needed. Breakfast is the most important meal in any hotel because it’s the one guests will remember.
When I get back to the office I’ll check the list of functions due that day and look for any changes. We have separate kitchens for banqueting and between them they might be catering for 450 people.
Once I’m happy with everything I’ll start the purchasing. It’s vital to have suppliers you can trust and I have very good ones, some of them have been with me since day one.
Then I’ll check the fridges and, when the rest of the team start to come in, discuss menus and get ready for lunch. They could be in any time from 7am to 10am, depending on how busy the day is.
The chefs do the buffet service and, when there’s a function on, I’ll always be behind the hot plate myself. People like to see the chef.
Very often we parade into a room if there’s a function such as a wedding, and do some of the cooking in front of people, because it gives a bit of atmosphere.
I have a team of 14 chefs and commis chefs. I do give out a little but never for its own sake, only because keeping standards up is important. As soon as I’ve said something, it’s forgotten.
The key to running a successful kitchen is to have a system – it is your bible and you have to stick to it.
After lunch we start prepping for the next day, not cooking but trimming beef and that. What you want is to be an hour ahead of your schedule because things can go wrong, numbers can change for example, and you need that extra time to sort it out rather than panic.
If it’s quiet I’ll be out by 7.30 or 8pm, but if it’s busy it could be 10pm. When I’m at home I’ll walk or garden, but I don’t cook – my wife doesn’t let me.
- Sean Dempsey is head chef at Fitzpatrick Castle hotel Killiney, Co Dublin
- In conversation with Sandra O'Connell