Photo Courtesy of The Country Club at Mirasol
Chef Ryan O’Sullivan’s journey unfolds like a screenplay — born into a family of chefs in Cork, Ireland, he embraced culinary life early on, fishing and hunting with his father and learning to cook at his side. Eschewing cartoons for cooking shows, as a child he idolized celebrity chefs, especially a successful, fiery Scot by the name of Gordon Ramsay.
From fast casual to fine dining, O’Sullivan, 32, honed his craft in Ireland before relocating to South Florida and ultimately overseeing operations at Solstice, the elegant fine dining restaurant at The Country Club at Mirasol in Palm Beach Gardens. He was approached to audition for “Hell’s Kitchen,” the popular reality cooking show hosted by Ramsay, via his Instagram account, and as they say, the rest is history.
“My only goal was to cook something that Chef Ramsay would like and to not go home after the first round,” he reflects. O’Sullivan remained in the competition until the end, ultimately winning, in what he describes as a grueling yet enlightening experience.
Opting out of the winner’s opportunity to work at Ramsay’s Las Vegas restaurant, O’Sullivan is back at Solstice. He has no intention of leaving Palm Beach Gardens — he and his wife Jennifer, who is from Wellington, have roots here, although he might be interested in doing more TV cheffing at some point. Recently, he was invited to cook at the Cork on a Fork Fest, a food festival held in his hometown this past August.
“That was probably the most challenging meal I’ve ever prepared,” offers O’Sullivan, who has cooked for luminaries like Barack Obama, Bill Murray, Oscar De La Hoya and, of course, Gordon Ramsay. “My friends and family helped sell out the dinner quickly, and they are not an easy crowd,” he laughs.
Next on his agenda? A month at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London, a three-star Michelin establishment.
“To cook in one of the world’s top-rated restaurants, owned by my idol, is the pinnacle for me,” O’Sullivan proclaims. “I’m heading into the belly of the beast, ready to be a sponge.”