When students consider a career in tourism and hospitality, culinary arts are a popular choice. It’s dynamic, fun and always requires steady teamwork which is exhilarating. All courses have a hands-on approach, and students’ progress into the industry with invaluable experience. You can find courses in Culinary Arts here.

We spoke to a Pastry Chef and a Chef/Director about their experience and how they found themselves in their current roles. Each had slightly different paths within the industry showcasing opportunity and options for all.

Hear from professionals on their path and what they love about their job:

Fiona Keyes is a Chef/Director for Dublin Food and Wine Luxury Catering & Events, studied a BA in Culinary Arts in TU Dublin and is currently aiming to obtain a Master’s in Hospitality in TU Dublin.

The most influential career decision was to study to obtain my bachelor’s degree in culinary arts. It offered me the opportunity to access the most influential people and opportunities in the industry. This degree really was a big key for me to unlock a door to my future. It is of course not necessary to obtain a degree to be successful in hospitality but for me I really felt it gave me the foundation I needed to build my career.

Fiona has many achievements but one she notes is;

Starting my own business, this is something that I had always dreamed of and now to be finally be able to say I am a business owner fills me with uncomprehensible pride

Fiona was selected to take part in the Taste the Atlantic Young Chefs programme ran by BIM and Chef Network – a competitive programme for just five lucky chefs each year.  

Read more about Fiona and her experience with our Career Chats.

Stephen Cronin is a Pastry Chef at Cush, Midleton and studied Culinary Arts in MTU. He says of his time there;

This course gave an insight into numerous aspects of the food and hospitality sector from modules like product development to event management.

Stephen credits many influences along his path, from the chef who gave him his first job at 15 years old, to the lecturer and boss who entered him into the Knorr student Chef of the year during his time in college where he celebrated a bronze medal win and, like Fiona, was selected to take part in the Taste the Atlantic Young Chef Ambassador programme.

One of the highlights of my career again must be the Taste the Atlantic Young Chef Ambassador programme. We had great craic along the way too and a good few of us still stay in contact and would reach out should we be passing through each other's place of residence.

Applications can be submitted for Taste the Atlantic until 28th April 2025: https://www.chefnetwork.ie/taste-the-atlantic-young-chef.html

Read more about Stephen and his experience with our Career Chats.

Eoghan O'Flynn is Head Chef in The Cove restaurant in Fota Island.

The biggest and most consequential decision I’ve made in my career was to start waiting tables in a local restaurant. It was this job that gave me my first window into the professional kitchen and sparked my curiosity for professional cooking.

When asked what he really likes about his job, Eoghan said; 

I really like everything about my job, I love kitchens, I love the people and I love the food, everyday is a new day, there's always something changing or evolving and getting to be a part of the constant push forward as a leader in the kitchen is inspiring.

Read more about Eoghan and his experience with our Career Chats.

Other Career Insights you can experience are:

Jeroen Hoppenbrouwer - Chef de Partie

Patrick Philips - Chef de Partie

Mark Moriarty - Crowned Best Young Chef in the World

 

To find out more about tourism careers, check out TourismCareers.ie