Ryan O'Sullivan has cooking in his blood. His father and his great-grandfather were chefs, and he grew up watching cooking competitions on TV and admiring chef Gordon Ramsay. His career came full circle when he appeared on Season 22 of Ramsay. hell's kitchen But we won everything. Originally from Ireland, O'Sullivan currently lives in Palm Beach Gardens, where he is the executive chef of Solstice, a modern Italian restaurant. Mirasol Country Club. PBI We caught up with O'Sullivan to discuss his experience on the show and more.
PBI: What is your earliest memory of cooking?
O'Sullivan: My first memory of cooking was when I was probably 7 or 8 years old. I lived in the countryside in Cork city, so I often went fishing and hunting. We caught fish and his father taught us how to cut and fillet the fish. It's very simple, all you need is garlic, butter and fish. There were rainbow trout near our house. The insight that I could catch something, take it home, clean it, and cook it was what made me fall in love with cooking. It's not a joke.
What was the most difficult thing about cooking? Hell's Kitchen?
You probably won't be able to taste the last dish. I wish I had more time, but I never got to taste the final product. I don't think any of the dishes we made were like anything we'd ever made before. It was quite difficult to plate the food and not be able to taste if the seasoning was right and if the spices were right. Well, you tasted every aspect of it, but it didn't come together as a whole.
Do you think you'll use the lessons you learned from this show in the future?
I learned a different way to treat people in the kitchen, be kinder, and be a better leader. Leadership is definitely something I took away. I've been running the kitchen since before I joined the company, and I'm still running the same kitchen, and I've seen everyone there grow by leaps and bounds in the last two years because of the changes I've made as a leader. .
What are some of the signature dishes you were able to showcase on the show?
I remember the cooking from episode 1. It was roasted veal tenderloin with heirloom carrot puree, rosemary demi-glace, and roasted Tokyo turnips with salsa verde. The theme is “Meat and 2 types of vegetables” [which is] This is what many people around Ireland grew up eating. We always had some kind of protein, two types of vegetables, and a sauce. Veal tenderloin is a beautiful cut that I first had when I came to America, but it's also an inexpensive cut because it's not big enough for restaurants. It's something you usually have at home. Also, I would like to introduce some of my favorite seasonal vegetables. I wanted to highlight what my childhood dinner was like.
What are the staple ingredients you always have at home?
Kerrygold Butter, No. 1. Butter plays a huge role in a chef's life and Kerrygold is my go-to butter or fat. Good quality olive oil is always on hand. I like to use Colavita cold pressed olive oil. [And] As much as I make pasta, I eat a lot of pasta here.