From staging at US barbecue joints to competing in the prestigious TV competition and now owning his own restaurant, Mark O’Brien has come a long way since his days studying science at UCD…
Mark O’Brien on MasterChef: The Professionals. Photo: BBC/Shine TV
It was a pleasant surprise to see Dubliner Mark O’Brien (35) enter the kitchen on MasterChef: The Professionals on the BBC. Not only did he do well in the competition, filmed over 10 weeks last year and finally reaching screens this February, he was one of the cooks to make the final — and the only Irish finalist in the show’s history.
Judges Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti and Matt Tebbutt chose Gareth Baty as the winner, but by no means was O’Brien defeated by the loss. At the time of our conversation, he is finishing up as head chef at Willy’s in Margate, Kent, where he lives with his wife and their cat, Juniper. He is opening his own restaurant in the coming weeks. O’Brien, sunny and enthusiastic, speaks to me at home with Juniper regularly padding across his laptop. Cats don’t care about interviews, you see.