Award-winning chef Graham Herterich on his life in food

A native of Athy, Co. Kildare, Graham Herterich grew up living above his family’s pork butcher shop. He developed his love affair with baking as a young child while learning to cook at his granny’s side and continued his training in Culinary Arts at Waterford Institute of Technology. His early career included stints at well-known restaurants and hotels such as Kilkee Castle, Marlfield House, Mount Juliet, Chapter One, Peacock Alley and The Commons. Graham briefly left the industry to spend two years as part of the Carmelite community before returning to it at age 21, ultimately founding The Cupcake Bloke in 2012 and opening his first retail store, The Bakery, in Rialto, Dublin, in 2018.

Graham, a winner of several Blas na hÉireann Awards and Chef Ireland Awards, is passionate about flavour and quality while bringing an element of fun to his food. He is well-known for creating tasty recipes with both conventional and unusual flavour combinations, using traditional Irish recipes as inspiration. His second book, Cook: Traditional Irish cooking with Modern Twists, was released earlier this year, and his first book, Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists, was published in September 2022.

Here, Graham shares his life in food…

What’s your go-to breakfast?

I have to be honest I will rarely pass up Eggs Benedict if they are on the menu. On a day-to-day basis, you can’t beat a bowl of porridge,

If you’re impressing friends and family at a dinner party, what are you serving up?

I always keep it simple. I don’t think you can show much more love for family and friends than serving up a simple roast with all the trimmings.

Who is your culinary inspiration?

The women who inspired me to bake and cook growing up were my grannies, my mum, auntie Mary and all the other women who showed love in their baking.

What would your last meal on earth be?

I’ve given this a lot of thought in the past. The starter of a classic prawn cocktail, the main of roast chicken and all the trimmings, and dessert would be my mum’s pavlova.

Best coffee in Ireland?

I would have to say Clement & Pekoe on South William Street.

Go-to beverage accompaniment?

I like a chilled glass of Riesling.

What are your thoughts on the Irish foodie scene?

I think the food scene is thriving in Ireland and I am so happy to see many more cultures and nationalities being represented, such as Bahay for Philippine-inspired food and Alistair ‘JD’ Jeje for his blend of Caribbean and West African.

Compliments to the chef — Now’s your chance to sing the praises of a talented chef, beloved restaurant or particularly talented foodie family member.

I kind of always have this Top 10 imaginary list of chefs in my head that always keeps changing, currently, there are four women in my top five they are Jess Murphy (Kai), Graine O’Keefe (Mae), Melissa McCabe (Feast) and Aishling Moore (Goldie).

Secret ingredient — What, in your estimation, makes the perfect dining experience?

Irish sea salt, Irish dairy (butter, cheese and cream), Irish meat, and Irish hospitality.