A TV Slot And A Book Called Full On Irish

Some TV careers start with an audition. Kevin Dundon's started at home. A travel show came to film at Dunbrody House, and the producers asked him to present a cooking segment^[1].

He was a natural. The segment became a regular slot^[1]. Before long, he was one of the best-known chefs on Irish television.

On Screen

The list of shows grew. He cooked on The Afternoon Show on RTÉ One, Saturday Kitchen on BBC One and Great Food Live on UKTV^[2]. He took part in Guerrilla Gourmet and Heat^[2][3].

The camera also took him abroad. He appeared on Canadian television, on ESPN and on CBS's The Saturday Early Show^[2].

Full On Irish

In 2006 he published a book: Full on Irish: Contemporary Creative Cooking^[2]. Its title said it all. Irish ingredients, cooked in a modern, confident way. It became one of his best-known books^[3].

More followed. By 2012 he had written three books^[1]. His recipes also appeared in the Sunday Tribune and in the Irish Independent's Weekend magazine^[2].

Help In Hard Times

Television did more than make him famous. He told The Irish Times that his TV work helped Dunbrody adapt during the recession^[1].

It was a lesson in how a modern chef works. The kitchen, the cookery school, the books and the TV slots all fed each other^[1][2].

A Familiar Face

Hospitality eNews summed up his profile in a few words: a high media profile built on cookery shows, from Guerrilla Gourmet to RTÉ's Today show^[3]. He also cooked for the late Queen Elizabeth and for both an Irish and a US president, a list few chefs can match^[3].

Today his website sells online cookery courses under his own name, a modern way of teaching the same recipes to people who cannot travel to Wexford^[2].

From one unplanned segment on a travel show, Kevin Dundon had become a household name, and Dunbrody had a famous chef at its stove^[1][3].