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Late last year, Eoghan O’Flynn stepped into the role of Head Chef at The Cove restaurant in Fota Island Resort. Known for his passion for local produce, Eoghan has brought a fresh approach to the restaurant’s tasting menus, and has introduced two new produce-led, seasonal menus.
A motivated, ambitious and dynamic young chef who has worked for several years in a variety of kitchens, ranging from casual bars and grills to Michelin stars, Eoghan has extensive Irish and international experience. He began his career in 2016 at the Titanic Restaurant in Cobh and has since worked at well-known establishments like Hayfield Manor, Liss Ard Estate, Bastion Restaurant, and two-star Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons.
At the moment my culinary inspiration is a chef from England, Adam Byatt. I have watched all of his videos online and I think the way he represents himself in his food and the way he approaches cooking is very impressive. Everything he cooks is absolutely mouthwatering and it’s always kept simple and concise, it’s truly inspiring straight up cooking.
A burger with all the trimmings and sides from Five Guys. I’m sorry it’s not fancier but this is one of my fondest food memories.
Burgers. I think there is nothing more plainly enjoyable than a really good burger with beautiful fresh pickles, nice cheese, homemade burger sauce and salad leaves. It’s fast, it’s cheap and it is delicious every time.
Fried eggs, avocado and hot sauce on some crispy toast. Again it’s quick, it’s relatively nutritious, it’s low stress and you always know what to expect. There’s very little that can go wrong and I think when you’re already tired and hungry nothing quite amplifies these feelings like an unenjoyable meal.
Goat’s cheese. I cannot for the life of me understand the appeal.
Has to be a takeaway, with plenty of chips and extra sauces and loads of fizzy drinks.
The pace. I really enjoy the ebb and flow of professional kitchens, I like that every single day I have an absolute goal I’ve set out to achieve and throughout the day I’m steadily ramping up to the grand finale. Once it’s all said and done and I’m cleaning down, I’ve accomplished something, my customers are happy and my goal has been met. I think it’s easy to find personal rewards and gratification in that and it makes every day feel new and exciting.
It is love. Nearly everything any of us have ever eaten was cooked for us because somebody loved us and wanted us to be fed and nourished or because somebody really loved the food and wanted us to really enjoy it, and I think that’s really lovely. It’s such an intimate and important part of our lives that sometimes we give up to do other things or go places, which I think is a real shame.
Of course, everything can always be better and move forward, but the Irish hospitality scene as we know it is in its early stages. Right now we’re in a boom where new and exciting ventures seem to be happening every day, and for the most part its feels good, but I’m sure in a few years we’ll look back and see ways we could’ve done better, reacted faster or evolved quicker but this is the game we play.
My partner, son and I recently drove to a park and got beautiful fish and chips nearby. We sat and dished everything out on our paper bags and shared really fresh, crispy fish and lovely fluffy chips in the cool fresh air and it was perfect.
Massive shoutout to my friend Kyle Lynch, who’s also from Cork who recently got promoted to Head Chef of the one Michelin star Ormer, in Mayfair, I was lucky enough to spend a couple of weeks with him and his Executive Head Chef Sofian Msetfi and the food there was truly excellent, full of immense skill and fine technique, beautifully cooked and seasoned and presented just as well as it tasted, excellent food.
Simple, elegant food, locally sourced, cooked and seasoned well, presented by well-informed and passionate waiters, and served alongside complimentary wines — I think that’s really it!