AnneMarie completed the Ballymaloe 12 Week Certificate Course in 2013 and explains why she chose to do the course and what she is doing now.
My cooking career started at a young age in my mothers kitchen where my little hands were an advantage when she wanted to make 36 dozen mince pies at Christmas. It's safe to say I have never eaten a minced pie, not one!!!
My love of food has definitely come from my home, with my mother having a keen interested in food and a great flair for something 'different'! She was always asking questions, pulling out recipes and getting us to taste new things.
My decision to go to Ballymaloe was an impromptu one and developed rapidly into the best decision I ever made.
I had spent eight years working as an Operations Manager in a small company and was desperately in need of a change. Cooking all the time and reading recipes books for pleasure so it seemed like the next option. I did not have a plan for what I was going to do when I finished the course and just through myself into every aspect of it with unbridled enthusiasm!
Ultimately, I was going to learn to cook, whether I worked in a professional kitchen or not, I was going to have to feed myself every day for the rest of my life so I might as well learn how to do it right.
To say to loved my time in Ballymaloe does not do it justice. That place holds a corner of my heart and memories forever. It was the hardest three months with long days and daunting exams but worth ever minute and more. I have worked so hard since I left to carve out a career in the catering industry that I would be happy with. I carefully chose the places I worked so that they mirrored my same ethos about food that was instilled by my mother and reinforced in Ballymaloe. I have worked with various other Ballymaloe trained chefs and the common ground is invaluable.
Places that I have worked would be The Happy Pear, The Little Strand, Clogherhead, Moy House & The Cliffs of Moher Retreat. I am currently work in Cloughjordan House & Cookery School and the owner is Ballymaloe trained also. We function as a cookery school for the Winter months and a wedding venue for the summer. It is a varied, interesting and challenging role and the people I work with are amazing in their love and imagination when it comes to food.
I have also started a separate venture called The Nutrition Kitchen. We offer the unique pairing of a Nutritional Therapist and a Chef in one evening cookery classes which are proving very popular.