This week, we spoke with Graeme Campbell, Head Chef at the wonderful Celtic Ross Hotel, Cork. We found out his favourite dishes, how he knows how much food to make and what he does to relax.
“I joined the Celtic Ross Hotel six months ago, along with a whole new management team, which is very exciting. The last six months has been especially motivating, as I have been allowed freedom to tear up what has gone before and start afresh, with new menus and new concepts. I believe 2015 is going to be a great year for the Celtic Ross Hotel and our guests.”
“Growing up, I’m not sure if I knew that I wanted to be a chef. I grew up around hotels as my mother was an accountant in a beautiful country house hotel called Pittodrie House in the north east of Scotland. Most children I knew got packed off to their grandparents for the summer; instead I had a beautiful hotel with fantastic estate lands as a playground. I have such happy memories in and around the hotel environment; I suppose it felt perfectly natural to stay in that sector.”
“I enjoy meeting with the bride and groom prior to the wedding to taste the various wedding dishes and decide on the menu. I will cook what the couple want for their day. It is their special day, and as long as they enjoy what I prepare for them and I meet my very high expectations of myself, I am satisfied. I get great fulfillment from my work if I know that everything has gone well, but on the other hand I suffer the fate of a perfectionist, and I get annoyed with myself at the slightest mistake (which rarely happens!).”
“Estimating the amount of vegetables to be prepared for an event is down to experience. Most experienced chefs’ can estimate the quantity of vegetables for large functions to as close as 10 to 15 portions. The interesting night is when it goes the other way and we have a little bit of running around the kitchen to get organized. Life would be boring if you got it right every time.”
“My favourite starter to prepare would be Pastille of slow cooked Confit of Chicken flavoured with Coriander, Chilli & Lime, with Red Cabbage Slaw, or Assiette of West Cork Seafood, Prawns, Crabmeat, Smoked Salmon & Pickled Mussels. A great favourite with our Bride & Groom as a main is our 12 hour slow cooked Caherbeg Pork Belly, Boulangère Potato & Cider Sauce.”
“Seafood is a very popular choice, and we get our fish landed fresh from the sea every day at the ports of Union Hall, Baltimore and Schull. I might suggest to a bride & groom our Seared Fillet of Hake topped with a Soft Herb Crumb, Chorizo & Parmesan Mash, Shrimp & Dill Velouté. But of course it is important to leave some space for our desserts!”
“We host between 10 and 250 guests here at the Celtic Ross Hotel. I love to do both! I enjoy the pressure of organizing functions for 400 guests. But with my fine dining background, I really take pleasure from the smaller events as well, as it gives me and my team a chance to concentrate on more intricate food, and show off our skill levels.”
“Preparation starts a week in advance when the weekly function sheets are discussed in our operations meeting. From then, it’s a case of pre ordering food from suppliers to arrive on certain days. The day before a wedding is the busiest, as that is the day a lot of the hard prep work is accomplished. On the day of a wedding we will be finishing dishes off. A kitchen always works 24 hrs in advance, so that if anything goes wrong, which of course never happens, you have time to fix any issues that may arise.”
“For a wedding that sits down at 6pm, my team would arrive about 10.30am. The day would go as follows: Team meeting, where staff is delegated to their various stations. If we had a function for 200, the 3rd chef would work the canapés, starters, soup, sorbet, mains and vegetables. 2nd chef would work on canapés, starters, soup and sorbet. Our pastry chef would look after cookies and biscuits which are for guests on arrival, and the making of bread and desserts. As Head Chef I would generally prep and portion all mains and veg and make all sauces and garnish. For us the function generally starts about 4pm when we would start sending out canapés; starters would go about 6pm, and desserts would be gone by 8.30pm, depending on the timing of speeches. At this stage, we would clean down the kitchen, and organize the food for the evening. Generally we would be finished by 9.30pm.”
“The role of a chef entails working longer hours than most. As a chef I can’t leave a job until tomorrow, tasks must be completed to schedule or the next day will be horrible. The majority of chefs don’t see the long hours as a chore. I see working 45-55hrs a week as necessary for me to make sure the product is at its best for our guests. It can be great when you get a quiet week, but a quiet week is still notching up about 40 hrs. The bizarre thing is that most chefs’ believe working a 40hr week as being part-time!”
“When I am not in the kitchen at the Celtic Ross Hotel I am with the most important people in my life, my wife Kathleen (who is the most understanding and beautiful women in the world) and my two children, Lauren 4 ½ and Grace 1 ½. All work stress just disappears when I come home and get hugs and kisses from Lauren and Grace. Going for a walk or doing anything with my family is how I like to spend my time.”
It sounds like Graeme has the best stress relief ever, with his beautiful family. Thank you so much to Graeme for taking the time to chat with us. This entire post has made us so hungry! To find out more about the fabulous Celtic Ross Hotel contact their Wedding Coordinator Teresa on (023) 8848722 or email weddings@celticross.com.
