1 Michelin Star Chefs: Andy McFadden, executive chef, Glovers Alley

Andy McFadden is the executive head chef at Glovers Alley in Dublin's Fitzwilliam Hotel

Once the youngest chef to head up a Michelin-starred restaurant in London, Tallaght-born Andy McFadden has had a star ever since he was first a head chef.

Biography

After looking up to the iconic chefs of his era - Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and the likes - Andy decided he wanted to be one.

His uncle, also a chef, found him a kitchen porter job at Luttrellstown Castle, following which he was offered a role in celebrity chef Neven MacGuire's kitchen.

He went on to study Professional Cookery at the Institute of Technology Tallaght, during which time he worked at L'Ecrivain and then in The Nuremore Hotel under head chef Raymond McArdle. 

After graduating (top of his class), the chef moved to London to work under Shane Osborn at Pied à Terre.

He went to the Netherlands for a while to hone his craft at Sergio Herman's now three Michelin-starred Oud Sluis, but soon returned to the UK to take over as head chef at Pied à Terre's sister restaurant, l'Autre Pied. He retained its star before moving back to Pied à Terre as the executive chef.

He spent 11 years in total within the restaurant group, first becoming a director, then a shareholder - the financial rewards of which meant that he had funds to invest in the Glovers Alley renovation when the opportunity arose to take over the Fitzwilliam Hotel restaurant in 2017.

Glovers Alley

Previously home to Thornton’s Restaurant on the second floor of the hotel, with a view on Dublin’s St Stephen’s Green, Glovers Alley was named after the alleyway adjacent to the building, where glove makers used to sell their wares.

When Andy joined, he put in part of the €1.3m (£1.09 million) needed for renovations, the results of which, according to The Irish Times, "are spectacular." 

The front of house features green leather and pink velvet upholstery, walnut panelling, a mirrored ceiling and matt marble tables, creating "a refined atmosphere that is relaxed, too."

The restaurant was awarded a star in the Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland 2022.

The food

Andy's food, according to the Michelin Guide, is "characterised by boldness" in flavours and textures, testifying to the chef's experience with "creative, modern dishes which are skillfully prepared and artfully presented."

Working closely with Irish farmers and producers, the team seeks to create an elegant and refined experience revolving around provenance and seasonality.

Animals are brought in whole and broken down in-house - lambs, pigs, deer, goat, game and poultry - all but beef, which is handled by the restaurant's supplier. 

Guests can choose an à la carte menu alongside a lunch, dinner, vegetarian and vegan tasting menus.  Dishes include Kilmore Quay crab with kohlrabi, ponzu and thyme; Dublin Bay prawns with lardo, morels and wild garlic and Comeragh mountain lamb with black curry and "ratatouille."