Chef Connection
Neil Doherty started at an early age. He was just a lad of 14, working in the gardens of Belleek Castle in the farming community of Ballina, County Mayo in the Republic of Ireland, when the head chef came out looking for a kitchen helper. Once ensconced in the castle’s kitchen, he knew he’d found a second home. One could say that Doherty was picked garden-fresh … and dropped into what would become his delicious career.
He had already developed an astute appreciation for the artistry of cuisine. He was initially inspired by his mother’s prowess in making farm-fresh jams and preserves. And her love of such exotic cuisines as Indian, Indonesian and other Asian fare, helped to develop his adventurous palate. But when it came time to pursue his education, cooking took a momentary back seat to architecture — until he was awarded a full scholarship at London and City Guilds, Galway Regional Technical College. Armed with an associate degree in the culinary arts and his early experience at Belleek Castle, he progressed rapidly through Ireland’s culinary world as sous chef at the Aberdeen Arms Hotel in Lahinch (County Clare) and as head chef at Paddy Burke’s in Clarenbridge (County Galway) before he hopped the pond, applied for his green card and began making his flavorful mark stateside.
He started in the banquet kitchen at the Waldorf in New York City, but soon moved on to become the head chef at the Fin & Claw Restaurant in Washington Township, northern New Jersey. But the west beckoned and he headed to Houston where he served as head chef at Achille’s on Memorial. Then he made the leap to hospitality food service. From 1986 to 1991, Doherty worked as Executive Chef at the Adam’s Mark in Houston. After a couple of years back east in Massachusetts where he worked in sales and product development with Berkshire Beef/Boston Fish, a USDA facility with more than 500 customers, and ran “Events by Neil,” specializing in high-end galas and weddings on the side, he returned to the world of hospitality. After completing the Food & Beverage Short Course at the Conrad Hilton College of Hotel Management and the Advanced Presentation course at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley, he spent seven years at the Doubletree Hotel at Post Oak in Houston as Executive Chef/Regional Chef.
Since 1999, however, he’s been all Sysco — first as Corporate Executive Chef and Culinary Training Director and most recently as Director of Business Review.
Chef Neil’s approach to cuisine is, as he describes it, a combination of “uber-creativity,” and highly regimented organization. His kitchens are super-professional and super-clean. He believes fervently that if the basics are firm and well-defined, then culinary artistry can soar. He loves new and exotic flavors, but insists that each dish have a foundation upon which flavors can build. He is also a great believer in the concept of team.
To Chef Neil, the kitchen is theater and the activity within it is always dramatic. He refers the Hyatt mantra about never entering a kitchen through the back door.
No, he says, make your entrance through the stage door.
To find out Chef Neil’s favorite comfort food and try out his favorite recipes, visit www.syscotabletop.com to learn more.
