Grain & Grill Team

Our Grain & Grill Bar and Restaurants are truly brought to life by our brilliant team. Each team member helps to create the warm and satisfying experience in a relaxed environment that Grain & Grill presents. Our chefs are encouraged to express themselves and showcase their locality and creativity in their menus and seasonal dishes. Our bar staff are also encouraged to express themselves in their cocktails and premium drinks and our serving staff are relaxed and friendly and nothing is too much trouble.

Our staff are proud to work in the Grain & Grill and share our passion for excellence in service, and dedication to the customer. Below are a select few of our wonderfully talented staff that make the Grain & Grill the perfect place to be.

Darina Brennan – Group Executive Chef

Darina Brennan brings with her 20 years of experience, which included opening four 200+ seater restaurants for the Luigi Malone group along with opening and establishing the very successful Fire Restaurant and venue at the Mansion House Dublin. Over the years Darina has cooked for many celebrities including Rihanna, John Hurt, Ralph Fiennes, Sean Penn, Danny DeVito, U2, and the Irish Rugby, soccer and Olympic teams to name a few.

Darina has appeared regularly on television and her recipes have been featured in every major Irish food publication. Darina has a number of awards including being shortlisted for Best Event Caterer 2015 (Event Industry Awards), shortlisted for Best Chef, Best Restaurant 2013 (R.A.I. Awards), and Business Person of the Year 2010 (Galas).

She brings a passion and drive for supporting small Irish artisan producers and this in turn allows these suppliers to play a part within Ireland’s largest hotel group. She has built long-standing relationships with all of the farmers and small producers that she purchases her ingredients from and constantly travels the length and breath of Ireland to find new ones.

Darina takes the time to carefully select quality meat, fish and produce to ensure that your dish isn’t just another simple meal, but rather an experience. Darina believes in training and mentoring the younger staff in her teams and bringing creativity and passion to her menu development for our hotels.

Adam Curley- Maldron Hotel Belfast City

Adam is an award-winning head chef who enjoys cooking inside and outside of work.  Cooking from an early age, Adam was taught by his mother showing him and his siblings how to cook so they could fend for themselves when they left home.  Adam adores the thriving city that is Belfast and all of the places to eat but he also really enjoys being part of the competition so he is always introducing new food to his menu.

If he is not cooking at work, he is taking a bit more time and cooking for his wife and daughters who love his very secret and very specific Bolognese recipe (his daughter’s favourite meal).  Entertaining and cooking Sunday roast for all the family is also a joy of Adam’s if he is not out trying new restaurants in Belfast.

If you met Adam abroad expect to find him in San Sebastian enjoying tapas in the Pintxos bars or Italy too eating Tiramisu until the sun goes down.  Seasonality is important to Adam when it comes to creating menus, colourful light ingredients in the summer and hearty earthy meals in the winter.  However, don’t give him fish and chips of any sort, as a young chef he prepared so many for customers he has had his fill!

Adam can also boast cooking for the cast of Game of Thrones and even has a picture holding one of their Emmy award statues and Hollywood actor John Cusack.

Gyorgy Szinai- Maldron Hotel Shandon Cork City

Gyorgy is one of our valued chefs working with the team in Maldron Hotel Shandon, Cork City.  This hotel can be found tucked away on John Redmond Street and it is where you will find Gyorgy’s beautiful homemade Tiramisu amongst other delicious treats and beautiful tasting meals.

Fresh ingredients from the garden in spring and summer are Gyorgy’s favourites to add to meals and to him food means creating something happy. Food then is always associated with happiness and this is why Gyorgy became a chef. Gyorgy is Hungarian and remembers sticking to the kitchen as a child and cooking with his mother, learning from the best!

Starting the day, the right way is top of the list for Gyorgy and this is why his favourite meal of the day is breakfast but he loves to indulge as well.  If you asked Gyorgy for his favourite cheat food it would be pizza with all the toppings, but this can be healthy too!  He prefers to eat at home but also supporting small local restaurants and businesses is important to him.  He is passionate about simple food with Spanish or Italian flavours. However, if he only had to eat one meal for the rest of his life it would be a rib eye steak with sweet potato puree, and make it rare!

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