Firsts & Lasts with... Jess Murphy, Co-Founder of Kai
Firsts & Lasts
It is said that the two most important moments in a restaurant are the moment you walk in the door – the hello – and the moment you leave, the last bite you take, the last person you speak to – the end/goodbye. But so much of our life is shaped by first and lasts, so here we profile amazing women of the industry, talking about some of their first and last moments...
New Zealand-born chef Jess Murphy has lived in Ireland since 2003 and has been based in Galway since 2005, where she opened her award-winning restaurant Kai with her Irish-born husband, Dave Murphy, in 2011. The winner of Ireland’s Best Chef 2018 at the Irish Restaurant Awards last year, Jessica is also currently the Blas na hÉireann Producers’ Champion 2019, as selected annually by Blas na hÉireann producers all around the country, and is a regular Irish Times recipe columnist where she constantly puts Irish produce front and centre. Kai also won a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2019, for the second year in a row.
First kiss: The back of my hand because practice makes perfect!
First cocktail ordered on a night out: Negroni.
First food poisoning: Lobster from my friend’s Mum.
First job in hospitality: Kitchen porter at Rocks Bar & Grill New Zealand which is long closed now.
First thing you do to unwind after work: Come home, put on pyjamas, shower and either watch Netflix or watch other people’s lives on Instagram.
First thing you do in the middle of a hellish service: We have a code word - Barbara Streisand. We take a deep breath and say it when it all gets too much!
First thing you do when you wake up: Make coffee.
First thing you do when you plan a holiday: Look how long the flight is. I’m a nervous passenger!
Last thing you bought at an off license: Four bottles of Kinnegar Rust Bucket.
Last three favourite places you ate in:
OX Belfast
Little Fox in Ennistymon, Co.Clare
Café Rua, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
Last song you listened to: Rich Girl – Hall & Oates.
Last podcast you listened to and what did you take away from it: I don't really listen to podcasts. I prefer to listen to music.
Last glass of wine you really enjoyed and where? Glass of Barbera red in Piedmonte.
Last day off and what did you do: I can’t remember!!
Last time you exercised: Yesterday, because I always walk the dogs.
Last review you read and agreed with: Catherine Cleary’s review of the Little Fox in Ennistymon, Co. Clare. Just the way she described the place – it was perfect.