Head Chef at Mount Charles assumes new position as Group Head of Food Innovation and Development
Trevor Conroy, former Head Chef at Mount Charles, has recently taken up a new position with the company as Group Head of Food Innovation and Development.
Trevor has been with the company since September 2019 and since then has progressed in his role and gained invaluable experience in the Catering industry with team Mount Charles.
Trevor now shares his thoughts and hopes for the future:
What was your previous job role in Mount Charles?
I was Head Chef and then Operations Development Manager.
When and why did you join the company?
I joined Mount Charles in September 2019. I saw the positive direction the company was going and was attracted to the family orientated atmosphere that comes with working with Mount Charles.
How long have you worked for Mount Charles?
I have worked with the company for three and a half beautiful years.
Can you talk a bit about your previous job experience and what roles you have held?
I have been involved in catering around food for nearly 20 years now. Once I gained my qualifications from Cathal Brugha Street the aim was to get out and soak in as much experience as possible. This has taken me to Australia and Scotland where I have worked for 9 years in total between the two countries.
When I returned I wanted to dip my toes into the operational side of the industry and worked my way into a management and an operational role. My passion for food is always there but having the valuable experience of both sides of the industry will help going forward in my career.
What do you like most about working at Mount Charles?
The family feel to the company. The freedom to express and the pathways to progress within the company.
Best Mount Charles workplace memory:
Working with the Maynooth University team to help them execute an excellent night for the annual Alumni event.
What does your new role involve?
Designing and costing menus, researching and producing food concepts and promotions, working with units to pinpoint and improve or maintain their standards and GP, composing general audits for catering sites within the business.
What is the most challenging aspect of your role?
The driving, as the new role involves taking on all the NI sites as well as the ROI sites. Being from Wicklow, some journeys can exceed 9 hours. Plenty of time to listen to some podcasts.
Favourite part of the role?
Meeting new Mount Charles team members. Prior to this I was solely based in ROI. I am enjoying putting faces to names and also seeing some of the variances in cuisine between NI and ROI.
Managing Director Barry Byrne commented: “We are extremely proud of Trevor Conroy who is an unbelievably talented Chef with many years of experience within the catering industry behind him. This was a well-deserved promotion for him. As a team, we pride ourselves on training and developing our staff. The role itself was a necessary response to the expansion of Mount Charles within NI and ROI as we begin to target new markets.”