LIVE Magazine Issue #253 February 24, 2017

LIVEMAGAZINE.TV
exclusive
by Juli Ragsdale
MEET CHEF STUART O’KEEFFE
Celebrity Chef, Television Personality, and Cookbook Author
Juli: Hi Stuart. You have been coming to Palm Springs for a while, but
I first met you at a Visiting Nurses Association gala couple of years
ago. It is great to talk with you again. I am curious, how did you discover
a desire to chef?
Stuart: I learned very early that to feed means to love. Being a child
in my mother’s kitchen was a pretty spectacular gift; it was there that I
learned what it meant to put your heart into your cooking. Despite being
a full-time business owner, she still made it a point to create meals
using the freshest ingredients available. The example she set taught me
that cooking from the heart was a creative outlet as well as an effective
way to care for others. She was patient and allowed me to help her as
best I could. By the time I was seven years of age I had become a right
handy sous-chef. Around eleven, I was able to find my way into my aunt’s
kitchen as well, where my cooking instruction expanded. I would often
abandon my homework in favor of helping her bake lavish pastries and
pies and was always fascinated with the way ingredients would come
together when used with care and enthusiasm.
JR: What became the path to a professional career?
Stuart O’Keeffe
products. The experience of speaking in front of groups of thousands
gave me a new type of confidence in my abilities and a renewed enthusiasm
for sharing my passion.
JR: How did you come to work with the Food Network?
SO: During my time with Tupperware, I was chosen to star alongside
other talented chefs in a new reality show for Food Network, Private
Chefs of Beverly Hills. It was designed to give a glimpse into our experiences
with some of the most demanding clients in LA. I loved the show
because it actually was real. I had been cooking for this clientele for a
couple of years. I had gone through many things that held entertainment
value. I was able to be myself, present my food to some very discerning
palates, and share it with the rest of the world. I also made some pretty
great friends and pushed myself to cook elegantly and act gracefully under
some heavy pressure. No one wants to lose it when the camera is on!
JR: But then you went back to Ireland?
www.palmdesertfoodandwine.com
SO: Yes, after gaining success in the US, I finally had the chance to
SO: My avid fascination lead to a BA in Culinary Arts from the Dublin
Institute of Technology. There, my natural interest, joy and intrinsic
abilities merged with a classical, formal education. Being in close proximity
to France and its abundance of culinary history and influence, as well
as traveling extensively throughout Europe while in school, enriched this
experience. I spent four months in a small restaurant outside Bordeaux
working and training in the preparation of classic, high-end French cuisine.
I spent time in Dublin, furthering my experience with the hearty,
robust ingredients that make up Irish fare. Traveling and cooking in various
cultures not only expanded my skill set, it taught me the single most
important rule to cooking: using fresh, local, top-quality ingredients is the
secret to producing good food.
JR: So true. How did you make it to the US to become a celebrity tv
chef?
SO: I moved to America to expand my career and was lucky enough to
be met with opportunity after opportunity. Napa Valley was my first stop
and it was there that I was introduced to the American love for food and
wine. The culinary philosophy in Napa is simple but astounding: simplicity
is key, and if you respect your ingredients and allow them to maintain
their natural flavors and textures, you can literally be the conduit through
which people experience the land itself. There is a respect and understanding
of terroir there that I hadn’t experienced previously and I was
charmed to find out that it not only influenced the wine making there but
also the culinary culture.
Leaving Napa was difficult, but I had begun to shape a picture of what
I wanted my future to look like, and that included sharing the love I had
for cooking. My mom passed it to me, my education enhanced it, and I
was ready to lavish it on others. However, the thought of being a formal
educator didn’t feel right- I wanted to reach lots of people in an approachable
way. So, this scruffy Irish boy decided to move to Los Angeles and
pursue a career in television.
JR: I guess that was a big change!?
SO: In the beginning, living in LA wasn’t easy. I knew no one. But eventually
I made my way into a restaurant kitchen and began cooking. I had
to work more than one job to get by but was eventually given opportunities
to work large Hollywood parties such as Oscar events for InStyle,
Vanity Fair and Elton John. I made as many connections as I could and
picked up as many jobs as I could handle. Eventually, I met a manager
who was willing to take me on and help me figure out the whole process
of going on auditions, making a name for myself and building a career.
After lots of auditions, I was asked by Tupperware to be their spokesperson
in the US and Canada. My two years with the company were
incredible. I was privileged to travel around the country offering advice on
healthful cooking as well as ideas for getting the most out of Tupperware
go home and show the Irish audience how and what I like to cook. I went
home and started the show,Stuart’s Kitchen. It really was a full circle moment
for me. Although I’ve gotten to travel extensively and meet amazing
people, Ireland is my heart’s home and I couldn’t wait to connect with
people there through the show.
JR: You also had an opportunity to return and shoot Home Made Simple
on OWN, Oprah’s network?
SO: Yes, along with host Paige Davis, I got in the kitchen to show families
how to make cooking and eating simple, hearty but healthy.
JR: Thanks so much for your time. We look forward to seeing you at the
Palm Desert Food & Wine TM !
For tickets and more info on Stuart’s schedule at the event, check the
web site: www.PalmDesertFood&Wine.com