A Belfast chef has described the hard work, dedication and sacrifices it takes to work in some of the UK and Ireland's top restaurants.
When Niall Duffy started working in the kitchen of Newcastle's Burrendale Hotel he never imagined that in a few years he would be working in Michelin star restaurants, but after quickly developing a passion for the trade he was determined to keep pushing his boundaries to establish himself within the industry.
This has seen him go onto work in highly respected restaurants such as The Merchant Hotel, Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud - Dublin's first restaurant with two Michelin stars - The Ritz Hotel and the three Michelin star Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London.
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Speaking to Belfast Live, Niall described how he got his start as a chef saying: "After completing my A-Levels I felt that third level education just wasn't for me and started trying out a few different jobs but nothing ever sparked my interest.
"I had always enjoyed cooking and a friend of mine was the head chef at the Burrendale Hotel who gave me the opportunity to work there and while I was quite nervous at first I soon settled and quickly developed a passion for the job.
"After progressing in the hotel I wanted to challenge myself further and an opportunity came up to work at The Merchant Hotel, which was only beginning to develop its reputation at the time, and it became a great place to develop my skills as the head chef there, Johnny Leake, had a lot of time for young chefs who were willing to put the effort in.
"It was a big step up going to The Merchant as the focus was on providing a really high quality product and some dishes could contain up to 15 different components while, at the previous hotel we were doing a high volume of meals where we could have 200 covers a service. Both kitchens were intense to work in, but I think I thrived in that environment and enjoy pushing myself to be the best that I can be."
After working his way up to junior sous chef in The Merchant Hotel, Niall wanted to challenge himself once again and took on a role at the two Michelin star Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin, even dropping back down to commi chef in order to get the position.
He said: "Going to Dublin was another step up again, but it was a challenge that I was eager to take on because I knew that it would be a great development opportunity for my career.
"It was a very very tough kitchen to work in but I think that I thought it was going to be tougher than it actually was, and it was by no means easy and a very worthwhile experience. Then after about six weeks they began to see that I was there to take things seriously and not going to disappear when things get difficult, which can be an issue in the industry.
"Going in I knew that I could cook technically, but I didn't really know what they did about food. I would have been of the opinion that the more you put on the plate the better it is, while they showed me that the produce is paramount over everything else and you just need to be able to employ the correct techniques to do that produce justice."
After 18 months in Dublin, Niall moved to London and began working at the three Michelin star Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London, with his first shift being a huge eye-opener for him.
He said: "I was asked to come in for my first shift at around 8am and when I was arriving I expected to see others arriving with me and was wondering what was going on. Then when I got inside and saw one chef with sweat pouring off of him and pots bubbling away I knew they had been there for hours.
"Working 18 hours shifts five days a week was standard and some chefs would even come in on days off in order to make sure they were fully prepared for the next shift. They also expected chefs to maintain a high standard at all times, your whites and trousers needed to be immaculate and you had to be well groomed at all times.
"While it was exhausting work, I loved my time there and it was fantastic to be able to work with such dedicated chefs.
"Gordon himself was never actually working in the kitchen, as he is such a busy man, but he would pop in on occasion to speak with everyone and he was always very upbeat, helpful and supportive, the opposite of what you might see on television.
"Eventually it got to a point though where I wanted to move on again and return home to Belfast and try something new."
Niall also highlighted the dedication that is required from chefs looking to work at the highest level and some of the issues that the industry faces.
He said: "In some ways working as a chef can seem quite glamorous to people who aren't quite aware of everything that it entails and if you want to succeed you need to work very hard. It is not all about plating pretty dishes and cooking what you like and sometimes you are going to have to deck scrub the walk-ins.
"I have seen people walk out in the middle of a trial shift when they realise it just isn't for them and at some of the higher end restaurants you might get people only wanted to do a few weeks so they can put it on their CV. If you want to do well it is vital that you take your role seriously and if you do that your are more likely to be helped along the way because you are at least showing others that you are trying.
"Although, while some restaurants complain about not being able to get good stuff, they often don't do themselves any favours. When I got to London, despite my experience, there were many roles that I applied for that I didn't even get a response from and I feel the industry needs to do more to address this because even if you have filled a role, you could be missing out on a great chef down the line by ignoring an application."
Niall is currently the co-owner of Monad which opened at the end of last year on the Belmont Road and has the aim of bringing high quality meals to the people of East Belfast in a relaxed and casual environment.
He said: "Things have been going well here on the Belmont Road and it has been great moving into a role where I am overseeing things, but it's being in the kitchen is what I am passionate about and still lead every service and we have a great team here who are determined to customers a fantastic experience.
"I have always enjoyed creating good food for people, it is the reason why I do this, and now having complete control over our menu and what we are cooking, it is everything that I have been working toward up until now and I hope to continue building on this in the years to come."
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