Celebrity chef Mark Moriarty has told how his wife is the ‘real boss’ in their relationship
The flame-haired cook married to Gráinne Quinn in September 2022 at Cloughjordan House in Tipperary after meeting in 2013.
Mark has often described Gráinne as his constant support and ‘ultimate sounding board’ throughout his culinary rise, from his early days winning the San Pellegrino World Young Chef title in 2015 to launching his hit RTÉ cooking shows and debut cookbooks.
Mark Moriarty and his wife Grainne Quinn. Pic: Mark Moriarty/Instagram
Speaking about his home life, Mark said Gráinne was the ‘real boss’ in their home.
He said: ‘We’ve always been a good team and at the end of the day, it’s always family first. I love food and I am very passionate about it, but I’m not obsessed with it so I always make sure that even if I get home at 11.30pm, I will do one of the night feeds.
‘That’s why the studio is closed at the weekend and the staff who work their asses off also get that time with their family and friends.
‘Of course, it’s my name over the door and in two or three years, well hopefully be as busy as we are now, and we will appreciate that we had the b*lls to start up a hospitality business that doesn’t open on Saturday or Sunday.
Mark Moriarty and his wife Grainne Quinn. Pic: Mark Moriarty/Instagram
‘So, when my kids get older, I can be there on the Saturday morning for them. I made the decision to set up the business now so that when that time comes, I’ll be there for my children.’
But he said fans won’t ever see his kids on his social media anytime soon.
Mark Moriarty’s wife Grainne Quinn. Pic: Mark Moriarty/Instagram
‘I absolutely hate social media, but I must engage with it for the business I’m in. It’s so much wasted time and faff and it’s not reality. I think the sooner we move away from it the better, but I can’t see that happening any time soon,’ he told the RTE Guide.
Mark told how he hopes to retire when he’s 50 after he suffered from burnout and was hospitalised when he was 20 years old.
‘I just thought that if you work harder than any else, you’d be more successful. But you need to be very strategic in your plan so that the hours you are working are moving you forward and not just burning you out.
Mark Moriarty pictured in the Where Trust Takes Root, designed by Scott D. Renwick and sponsored by Marks Spencer. Pic: Tom Honan
‘In a way, I was lucky that it happened to me at 20, when my family (his mother and father worked as mental health professionals, his sister is a mental health nurse) were able to help me, saying: “Mark it’s great to have a strong work ethic but don’t be a busy fool.”
‘What happened back then has informed so much of my career since and that’s why I have this restaurant that’s a little bit different and why I also have so many business strands.
‘So no matter how hard I work during the week, I still have time for family and friends and my sports at the weekend,’ he added.