Dream Kitchen After Hellish Chef

Irish Voice News

Dream Kitchen After Hellish Chef

November 15, 2007

By April Drew

ON Wednesday, November 14, the entire population of Westhampton Beach, Long Island will be glued to their television sets to see their favorite Irish bar and restaurant appear on one of Fox’s most entertaining prime time reality shows, Kitchen Nightmares.

Finn McCool’s, run by Buddy Walsh and family, will appear on the show made famous by world renowned chef Gordon Ramsay.

Before the show aired this week, Walsh spoke to the Irish Voice about his establishment, the show, having one of the world’s best chefs working with him for a week and what he learned from the whole process.

Finn McCool’s is a family run business with an Irish bar and restaurant. Walsh runs the establishment along with his two sons and daughter-in-law. Jason, 27 runs the bar, Brian, 31, is in charge of all the cooking, and Jason’s wife Melissa is the front of house boss.

Brian was a big fan of Ramsay’s Fox show Hell’s Kitchen, the summertime reality series where Ramsay works with 10 chefs and by process of elimination chooses one to run a fancy five star restaurant somewhere in the U.S.

Knowing the potential his son Brian had in the kitchen, Buddy decided it would do his son the world of good to learn from the best, so he signed him up for Hell’s Kitchen. After successfully making his way through several interviews, Brian didn’t make the final cut.

Little did he know however that a year later he would still get an opportunity to work with one of the worlds leading chefs.

“Brian has attended culinary school in Long Island and worked as a chef for 15 years, but he said he learned more in one week from Ramsay than he ever did from anyone else in his career,” said Buddy.

When Brian didn’t get a place on Hell’s Kitchen, Walsh got a call from casting agents Debbie and Lisa Ganz. They told him about Ramsay’s new show, Kitchen Nightmares, and asked the family to participate in it.

“We said, why not!” recalls Walsh.

At the end of February this year, Fox camera crews set up in Finn McCool’s and taping began.

Although Ramsay came in on day one with guns blazing, the usually acerbic British chef was an out and out gentleman, says Buddy. “He is three things — he is brilliant, a perfectionist and very high energy. When you put these three things together the end result is fantastic,” he added.

Ramsay, who is known for flying off the handle easily, was a great asset to Finn McCool’s, according to Buddy. “He taught us so much in one week. He threw my younger son in the kitchen and told him to start cooking. This really opened up Jason’s eyes to see how much pressure Brian was under when the place is full.”

Buddy, whose parents were born in Carrigart, Co. Donegal, said because they were willing to listen and learn from the top chef he treated them like a million dollars.

“It’s when you become a slacker he doesn’t want to talk to you. Then his nasty side comes out,” he said.

Nearing the end of the week, Kitchen Nightmares producers had a surprise in store for the Walsh family. “It was about 10:30 p.m. on the Wednesday night and the bar was packed. The producer arrived and told us we needed to leave. I said no way, the bar was slammed and I wasn’t going anywhere,” he said.

It wasn’t long before a piece of paper was produced with Buddy Walsh’s signature on it.

“She (the producer) asked me was that my signature and when I said yes she told me to hit the road and to take the rest of my family with me,” Buddy recalled.

Not knowing what was going on, Buddy and the gang left Finn McCool’s and on the way out met a team of nail bangers with tool belts. The next morning Finn McCool’s was transformed into a new, homely bar and restaurant, and the Walsh family is delighted.

By the end of the week Ramsay transformed Finn McCool’s into an outstanding restaurant with a new and extensive menu.

“Before the show all we had was pub food, now we serve fresh seafood as well as a range of different things,” said Buddy.

Like any Irish Catholic family, admits Buddy, they fight like cats and dogs, but Ramsay gave them the tools to work better together. That, coupled with a combination of a classy new menu and the warm homely décor, business has improved 35% and that is before the show has even aired.

No doubt, after Kitchen Nightmares airs, the 48 seats at Finn McCool’s 48 will be booked for some time to come.

Kitchen Nightmares season 2 is now casting. Producers are looking for restaurants that are having problems and need Ramsay’s help to turn them into an overnight success. If interested, email Twinsworld1@aol.com

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