![\"Anna](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/5023496_1_articleinlinemobile_ECHO_20FEATURES_20WoW_20BItes_20Anna_20Darling_20Hevers_2_Image_20Cred.jpeg\" "\\"Anna")
Anna says her new business will allow her to blend her front of house and back of house experience.\u00a0Picture: Joleen Cronin<\/p>\nAs the saying goes, we never forget how others make us feel. That\u2019s why, when we go out to dine, good service makes the difference between just a meal out and a memorable experience.<\/p>\n
This was a lesson learned early on by chef Anna Darling Hevers, who grew up in a house where dinner parties, a love of hosting, and her parents\u2019 ease at welcoming people into their home with good food were the foundation for a life-long love of hospitality.<\/p>\n
For the past two years, Anna has been a familiar face to anyone who has enjoyed dinner at Goldie, Cork\u2019s pioneering whole catch fish restaurant on Oliver Plunkett Street, working alongside chef-patron Aishling Moore.<\/p>\n
But now, Anna is getting ready to work her last service in the acclaimed restaurant, taking all she has learned forward into her new venture, Anna Darling Dining.<\/p>\n
Cork-born and bred, Anna\u2019s earliest memories were of adventurous family meals inspired by her grandfather\u2019s interest in travel, with tastes of faraway places at home on the family dinner table.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy grandparents were very influential,\u201d says Anna. \u201cMy grandad travelled quite a lot, which was rare in those days, and that trickled down to my mom. I grew up eating international foods, and she cooked a lot of Italian food as well.<\/p>\n
\n \u201cMom was a dietitian and always had an interest in food, particularly baking and cooking for friends and family. Dinner parties were quite common in our house. I have such fond memories of coming down the stairs after being sent to bed an hour before because I could smell the food!\n <\/p>\n
\u201cI loved a dish mom used to make – monkfish with a simple cream and pepper sauce. It was gorgeous!\u201d<\/p>\n
Cooking was one aspect, but the conviviality of the table was also part of Anna\u2019s family tradition.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always set the table for dinner, every night. It was an experience of having dinner, the importance of sitting around the table, and having a conversation. Such good memories: I couldn\u2019t ask for better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna says her new business will allow her to blend her front of house and back of house experience.\u00a0Picture: Joleen Cronin<\/p>\n
Hospitality had captured Anna\u2019s heart and she remembers how, as kids, she and her cousin would set up a \u2018fake restaurant\u2019 inviting family members to come and dine. Anna played chef in the kitchen, and her cousin ran food to their guests waiting in the living room.<\/p>\n
Torn between an interest in food and a love of hosting, after school, Anna left Cork to study Hospitality Management at Shannon College with plans to pursue a career in hospitality.<\/p>\n
\u201c[The course] covered different departments – food and beverage, kitchen, front of house, even accounts. It was a full cover of what you would do in a hotel. It was a great experience. I knew this was something I wanted to do, and it ticked all the boxes for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of the course, Anna was sent on placement to The Grove in Hertfordshire, UK. Intended as a focus on just front-of-house service, her curiosity about kitchen work got the better of her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved how [the kitchen] looked and wanted to see what it was like because I hadn\u2019t had any experience in kitchens by this point. It really sparked my interest in food generally. I was always excited about it,\u201d says Anna. \u201cI loved going out to eat and loved the banter in kitchens, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
The flame was lit, and from there Anna came back to Ireland, taking up another internship, this time at the then newly reopened Adare Manor, working in the pastry kitchen part-time for a year.<\/p>\n
Gaining in confidence, Anna went on to challenge herself further by entering cooking competitions, creating, cooking and presenting dishes to a panel of judges in under 30 minutes. With success there, for her final year in college, Anna elected to focus on culinary arts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I graduated from Shannon College, I got a scholarship for Leadership and Entrepreneurship from the competitions I did, my involvement in food and the college. I used it towards my experience in Le Cordon Bleu in London.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here, Anna undertook the culinary school\u2019s most prestigious programme of study, the Grand Dipl\u00f4me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was amazing. A nine-month course going between pastry and cuisine with three days a week on each class. An average day could be six to nine hours with a two-hour lecture, then a two-hour class, maybe another demonstration, maybe an evening workshop with an expert in cheese or a local producer talking about their products. \u201cIt was classical French cuisine, and it covered everything to do with cooking.\u201d<\/p>\n
After completing her time at Le Cordon Bleu, Anna stayed in London for a year to gain more experience in kitchens, including at the world-famous Ottolenghi, in their bakery.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved working at Ottolenghi,\u201d says Anna. \u201cIt was inspiring working there; really positive, everyone was always in great form. It was just a really nice atmosphere to work in, but I knew I wouldn\u2019t be living away from Ireland forever. I don\u2019t know how anyone can really!<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to come back for Irish ingredients, producers, and getting back into the scene here.<\/p>\n
\u201cBritish produce was amazing, but I knew it didn\u2019t have a tap on Irish produce.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile at Le Cordon Bleu, I\u2019d take any opportunity to tell people about Irish produce,\u201d says Anna.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne day we were making black pudding, and I was off on a tangent talking about black pudding in Ireland!\u201d<\/p>\n
Coming back to Ireland, Anna wasn\u2019t sure whether she should work in Cork or elsewhere. Her family had dined in Goldie a few times, and her brother encouraged her to hand in her CV there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorking at Goldie has shaped me in many ways,\u201d says Anna. \u201cI better understand why we should cook the way that we do, and the importance of sourcing produce from people we know here in Cork because we have some of the best in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way we cook in Goldie is a more sustainable approach. It\u2019s so important, I\u2019ve learned a lot from that, and I will be taking it forward in whatever I do next.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Anna, what is next is her newly launched business, Anna Darling Dining, offering private dining experiences with bespoke menus created for small to medium sized events.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the culmination of all Anna\u2019s experiences so far, and a perfect blend of her dual passions for cookery and hosting.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been in the pipeline for a long time,\u201d says Anna. \u201cI\u2019ve always had an interest in doing this, it was just a matter of when.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love cooking for a group of people, whether it\u2019s for two or 16 or 20. It\u2019s a special thing to be a part of if you\u2019re cooking for a celebration, a birthday or even just a gathering of friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about bringing the luxury of a restaurant straight into your home, and I enjoy getting to know the people I\u2019m cooking for and crafting a menu to their own preferences.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s also a way I can blend front of house and back of house together, which I still really enjoy. I\u2019m really excited to see where it goes!\u201d<\/p>\n
While inviting a private chef into your home to cater dinners is not unusual in a place like London, it\u2019s still a novelty here in Ireland, says Anna.<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt is a luxury to have someone come to your house and cook for you. In London, it was a popular thing to do – there were so many private chefs around – whereas it\u2019s only getting going now in Ireland.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cThere are quite a lot of tourists coming to stay in Airbnbs looking for people to do catering in their homes. It\u2019s something I\u2019ve always seen myself doing, right from the get-go. It was just a matter of getting there, getting experience in different places, and learn about produce in the way that I have.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Anna](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/5023499_1_articleinlinemobile_ECHO_20FEATURES_20WoW_20BItes_20Anna_20Darling_20Hevers_6_Image_20Cred.jpeg\" "\\"Anna")
Anna said that with a small group, there is plenty of room to be creative.\u00a0Picture: Joleen Cronin<\/p>\n
Already, Anna is learning her customers aren\u2019t always looking for the typical home chef experience, and that with small groups there is plenty of room to be creative in crafting those all-important memorable moments.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very intimate. I did an event recently for a group of women who wanted to learn how the dishes were being made, so in between each course I did a demonstration. I loved it. That\u2019s the direction I would like it to go, but at this stage I am open to pretty much anything!\u201d<\/p>\n
The bespoke nature of what Anna offers means she can tailor every menu to the needs, wants and vibes of the group, event, or celebration.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll get a gauge of what you\u2019re looking for and what kind of style of food you like,\u201d says Anna. \u201cFrom that, I\u2019ll write up the menu and then we can work together on it. Recently, I\u2019ve had a few requests for hen party-style gathering, so for those I\u2019ll be leaning into my Ottolenghi-style of food: sharing platters, picky bits, but just really good food, and putting great local producers on the menu to spark little conversations around the table as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all about providing that level of luxury to someone and give the experience of really good food and quality ingredients, but this is just the start of it,\u201d says Anna. \u201cI know this is what I want to do for the foreseeable. I don\u2019t see myself doing anything else but this, and I think this is what I\u2019ll get ultimate satisfaction from.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna\u2019s advice for others hoping to carve a path out for themselves in food and hospitality?<\/p>\n
\u201cThrow yourself in the deep end,\u201d says Anna. \u201cGo into the kitchen and see if you enjoy it because if you have an interest in it, you probably will enjoy it. You\u2019ll meet some great mentors along the way and get experiences that you won\u2019t get in any other job. Just go out, do it, and give it your best shot!\u201d<\/p>\n
Happily, Anna\u2019s order book is already starting to fill up for a busy summer ahead – a big confidence boost for any new business.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just excited, genuinely. Not nervous as such – yet, but I feel ready. It\u2019s been a long time coming!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the saying goes, we never forget how others make us feel. That\u2019s why, when we go out…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":378121,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[58299,93,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-378120","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-dr-michelle-o","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=378120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/378121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=378120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=378120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=378120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}