Role: Executive Head Chef
Company: Almac
Track Record: You need to be passionate about food to be successful.
‘I feel that qualifications alone do not make a good chef and I’ve met plenty over the years who have it all on paper but in the kitchen, they fall at the first hurdle. To be successful, you need to be truly passionate about food and not be afraid to take a few culinary risks,’ says Dennis
What does your job entail?
I work for Sodexo, one of Northern Ireland’s largest food and facilities management providers.
I am currently based at Almac in Craigavon, which has a large, modern staff restaurant and a busy hospitality calendar.
Key focus areas for me are craft development, innovating and experimenting with new recipes, looking at the current food trends, achieving excellent levels of client and customer satisfaction through providing a creative and evolving food offer, food safety management and achieving Key Performance Indicators.
Is it 9-5?
Yes, it’s pretty much Monday to Friday office hours. With a young family it’s a major bonus not having to do restaurant hours or weekends and it was one of the key attractions for me.
How did you get into this line of work? Outline your career to date?
I’ve always had a passion for food and my mum would often find me in the kitchen as a teenager experimenting with ingredients.
At 14 I started washing dishes in a local restaurant and it was then that I knew I wanted to become a chef and resolved to learn from everyone around me.
After school, I went to London to develop my experience. On my return, I worked for several years in several ex citing and up-and-coming restaurants, including Cayenne, Bureau by the Lough, Balloo House and Daft Eddy’s, before joining Sodexo in 2007.
I then worked in several client locations around Belfast before moving to Almac almost two years ago.
Tell us about your qualifications/training.
Most of my skills and knowledge have been learnt through on-the-job training, spending time in the kitchen with other chefs and experimenting with dishes in my own style.
I have gained a wealth of experience from Derek Reilly — Sodexo’s craft development chef — and he supports and mentors me.
Sodexo is very committed to high standards of staff training and development, so I’ve successfully completed several NVQ and IOSH certificate programmes as well.
I feel that qualifications alone do not make a good chef and I’ve met plenty over the years who have it all on paper but in the kitchen, they fall at the first hurdle.
To be successful, you need to be truly passionate about food and not be afraid to take a few culinary risks.
What qualities are required for your job — personal and professional?
Creativity and the willingness to try something new are very important at tributes, followed by close attention to detail, a good knowledge of ingredients and the role they play within individual dishes.
Effective time management, the ability to think on your feet and a positive attitude towards problem-solving are also very important.
Working as part of a team is essential as no one operates in isolation and it’s only through effective teamwork that a kitchen can deliver quality food to customers.
What are the biggest challenges and rewards of your work?
I oversee the entire kitchen, so it re quires strong organisational and people management skills, and the ability to handle challenges on a daily basis.
It was a big change from previous roles, where I was mainly responsible for producing food.
I also enjoy assisting my team members in their own professional growth and development.
One of my most rewarding challenges is taking part in Sodexo’s annual Chef of the Year competition.
Regional finals are held throughout the UK and Ireland, with the winners attending the grand-final at Hotelympia in the UK — one of the biggest events in the culinary and hospitality calendar.
I won the Ireland final for the first time in 2012 and went on to win a silver medal in the grand-final.
It was the first time that a chef based on the island of Ireland has ever brought a medal home from this competition, so it was a major coup.
As part of my prize, I was taken to Italy for a culinary learning trip and got to dine at some top-rated Michelin Star restaurants.
It was a wonderful experience that made all the hard work worthwhile!
I won again in 2013 and my preparations have already begun for the grand-final at the end of April.
Last year, I became involved in the Future Chefs competition as a mentor and I accompanied my student to the UK finals, which was a fantastic experience.
I have subsequently become an Ambassador for Future Chefs in Northern Ireland.
Other professional highlights to date included cooking at the G8 summit and for Prince Charles and Camilla during their visit.
Working with Sodexo has definitely brought opportunities otherwise unavailable to me had I stayed in a restaurant.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
The gym helps me unwind and get rid of the stresses of the day!
Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.
I love tattoos, especially those with Japanese artwork, and I’m very lucky to have been tattooed by one of the best artists in the UK.
Who has inspired you most in your life?
Although I’ve never told her, my mum has always been a very strong influence.
Despite having to deal with the personal tragedy of the loss of two children, she remained strong and now that I’m a father, I realise how devastating it must have been.
I really admire her for her strength and courage.