Saturday with The Marker chef Gareth Mullins: "sitting down with friends and sharing a glass of wine is important to us"
I get up at around 7.30am and have a Nespresso. I try to catch up on a bit of administration work before I go into work at Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel.
I go in a little later on a Saturday than I do midweek when I leave the house at 5.30am. Midweek I'm in by 6am, I go to the gym and am down in the kitchen by 7.30am.
08.30
I'll drive down to the SuperValu in Swords to grab their sourdough bloomer and some fresh fruit and bacon so I can make breakfast for my wife and teenage children.
10.00
I'll head into work at around 9.30am or 10am to catch the end of the breakfast service. After that, we're getting ready for lunch.
I like to stay at work on Saturday evening for the restaurant service, I'll make sure that all the deliveries have come in as they were supposed to and that the team is organised and getting ready for service.
The breakfast team will be cleaning up and making sure everything is in order for Sunday morning which is very busy in the hotel. I'll also make sure that the team is all set for afternoon tea.
14.30
I have a bit of spare time in the afternoon and will go to the gym. I might run 5km, do some light weights, and have a sauna.
Then I'll shower and shave and be down in the kitchen by 6pm. That hour I have to myself really sets me up in a positive mindset to run a busy service.
It also shows the rest of my team, many of whom are younger than me, that being fit and active helps you think a bit clearer and make better decisions. I can't think of any negative sides to being fit and healthy.
I've always had an interest in sport to some degree but, at a certain point in my career, I gained a bit of weight and was working excessively.
I went to see a business coach who asked me to assess how I was spending my time. I had to identify something that I felt I was missing out on. That was physical fitness so I went to see personal trainer John Belton.
15.30
Saturday is the day I try to write my recipes and get more admin done.
It tends to be the day when I have a bit more time for myself as there are fewer corporate guests staying in the hotel and fewer meetings.
Food plays a huge part in my professional and personal life. I love to cook for family and friends.
The recipes I'm creating for SuperValu are very different to those I create at the hotel.
I'm very conscious of creating recipes that will suit busy lifestyles.
I am working with the food leadership team and the product selection team at SuperValu to make sure that I think they're choosing the right products for the stores.
Generally, Mondays are my day off from the The Marker and on Mondays I hone in on the other projects I'm working on including Euro-toque's Young Chef and Rising Star Pastry competitions.
16.45
I'll have a bite to eat in the staff restaurant.
17.00
We are across from the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre so obviously pre-theatre dining is a big thing for us. I'll be up in the restaurant kitchen from 5pm making sure the teams are ready for service. We serve until 10pm.
When I leave work very much depends on how busy things are or on whether we have an event on in the hotel.
We run four kitchens in the hotel so I'll also be keeping an eye on the bar service, room service and the rooftop bar and if there is banqueting taking place I will also be keeping my eye on that.
I will often go out of the kitchen to speak to our guests.
21.00
I'll generally be home by around 8pm or 9pm. I'll sit down with my wife with a nice glass of wine to discuss the week. Catching up with friends is something we love to do on a Saturday.
Fitness and eating well is a huge part of how we like to live but equally sitting down with friends on a Saturday night and sharing a glass of wine is important to us.
One of our friends is a great musician so it wouldn't be unusual for a bit of a singsong to take place.
24.00
When I go to bed I'll go straight to sleep but I'll probably wake up at around around 5.30am. On a Sunday I'll try to lie there for a while but my body clock is set to get up early.
Sundays for me are all about standing on the side of football pitches and having family over for a roast or a barbecue.
Gareth Mullins is executive head chef of Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel and the Forbes Street by Gareth Mullins restaurant at the hotel.
As a SuperValu food ambassador, Mullins recently helped to launch the retailer's The Difference is Real programme.
Read More
Bernard O'Shea: 5 things I learned after watching the Adare Manor wedding go viral on TikTok
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
18-07-2025
- Irish Times
Two perfect wines for lazy evenings at the barbecue
In the hope that the sun will shine this weekend, I feature a rosé and a barbecue wine , both on promotion in SuperValu at the moment. Provence rosé has become hugely popular over the last few years. Pale in colour and light in alcohol, with refreshing fruits, it is the ideal summer wine, either by itself or with mixed salads. Argentina is known for producing powerful Malbec, but some of its wines are a little lighter with a seductive mix of sweet dark fruits and a refreshing acidity. The one below certainly falls into that category. Bendel Cuvée Caroline Rosé, Côtes de Provence 13%, €12 Red cherries and redcurrants with a crisp finish. Drink poolside or with seafood – or both. SuperValu READ MORE Trivento Private reserve Malbec 2023, Uco Valley, Argentina 13%, €12 (down from €15.99) Masses of rich dark fruit, dark chocolate and spice with rounded tannins on the finish. Perfect with posh barbecued red meats or roast Mediterranean vegetables. Supervalu
RTÉ News
21-06-2025
- RTÉ News
Kevin Penrose now thriving in the GAA world and beyond after coming out as gay
Kevin Penrose (29) is a content creator, a footballer and an openly gay man. He plays for his childhood club Aghyaran in Tyrone, despite now living in Meath. When asked why he doesn't make his life easier and transfer somewhere nearby, Penrose stated: "It keeps me in the loop with everyone back home. I always get the question would I not just transfer to a club down near here, and I'm just like 'no I can't do it'". Speaking at the launch of SuperValu's new limited edition Pride themed Bag for Life, he continued: "I feel like I owe it to myself, my younger self to see it through now for the next coupe of years till retirement. The lads on the team, these are the people I grew up with." When he dropped out of sport after moving abroad for university he lost connection with his club but now that he's back, he's landed on his feet. "You walk into that changing room or on to that pitch with your head held high and you know that you're walking into a group of lads who fully support you for yourself," he added. "I need to stand out here, to fit in to be liked" Penrose grew up playing football, but struggled during his teenage years with his identity and sexuality. Without a role model to look up to he became confused and anxious blaming football for these negative thoughts. "Growing up for myself, I didn't have a role model who I saw myself in within that GAA culture and community and I think that's the reason I didn't know how to navigate that time in my life." The environment in the changing rooms and on the pitch led Penrose to think that he couldn't be himself "I need to stand out here, to fit in to be liked," he remarked. "You hear the words being thrown around the changing room or on the pitch and it sort of makes you go back into yourself and for me it could be, in the corridor or the changing room thinking okay I can't act this way or talk about this or I have to get involved in this 'banter' per say to fit in." Penrose's conflicting thoughts lead to a mental block on the pitch and resulted in him feeling he couldn't reach his potential. When the opportunity to travel arose he took it so he could escape the feelings he was having on the pitch. "I associated Gaelic football and that environment with how I was feeling at that time, of being scared, not wanting to come out, just a build-up of thoughts in my mind of everything that could go wrong." He soon realised however, the anxious confusing thoughts he was having was nothing to do with Gaelic football and everything to do with who he was deep down. "I began realising that Gaelic football wasn't the problem; it was myself and coming to terms with the fact I was gay." Three years ago when Penrose came out to his family and friends he was nervous about what his teammates would think. Those fears were soon set aside when Tyrone county player Ronan McNamee (below) reached out to him. "To have a senior county player come and have those talks with you, it's encouraging, it's setting an example if your ally and advocate is Ronan McNamee. You're off to a great start. He's willing to take up that role and have that difficult conversation that someone mightn't have the confidence to do - having him nudge me slightly after a few conversations, just reassuring me that no one is going to judge me, that I'm very welcome here makes coming back to football that bit easier." Since his return, Penrose has noticed a culture shift amongst his team-mates, coaches and support staff. "Everyone's just there to play football," is now the positive summation. The environment is one where he can embrace who he truly is and instead of worry about what others think of him, he's able to put all all his focus into the sport, where he's found the love again and he's making a real impact. Another place he's making a real impact is as a role model and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community within the GAA. Penrose has been open about his own experience growing up in the GAA as a closeted gay teenager. "Talking about it so openly and freely can really inspire and encourage other people even if it's somebody struggling with their sexuality, or if it's a football manager really wanting to get involved but not knowing how, you know it's going to help a lot of people I think." When asked about how the GAA can become a better ally to the community, he stated: "It comes back to ourselves within the changing rooms, the managers, the backroom, the volunteers. I think it starts with that and then that's the ripple effect to show if one club can do it why can't every other club do it for everyone else." He encourages people to be curious, educate themselves and spread awareness. "Use the resources online, BelongTo has so much information on there on allyship, on how to have a normal conversation, it doesn't have to be about being gay, just how's it going and that lays the ground work to have those deeper meaningful conversations down the line. "Being open and transparent, if someone says something unintentional in the corridor without knowing its harmful, I need to be comfortable enough to call them out."
Irish Examiner
13-06-2025
- Irish Examiner
Saturday with The Marker chef Gareth Mullins: "sitting down with friends and sharing a glass of wine is important to us"
07.00 I get up at around 7.30am and have a Nespresso. I try to catch up on a bit of administration work before I go into work at Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel. I go in a little later on a Saturday than I do midweek when I leave the house at 5.30am. Midweek I'm in by 6am, I go to the gym and am down in the kitchen by 7.30am. 08.30 I'll drive down to the SuperValu in Swords to grab their sourdough bloomer and some fresh fruit and bacon so I can make breakfast for my wife and teenage children. 10.00 I'll head into work at around 9.30am or 10am to catch the end of the breakfast service. After that, we're getting ready for lunch. I like to stay at work on Saturday evening for the restaurant service, I'll make sure that all the deliveries have come in as they were supposed to and that the team is organised and getting ready for service. The breakfast team will be cleaning up and making sure everything is in order for Sunday morning which is very busy in the hotel. I'll also make sure that the team is all set for afternoon tea. 14.30 I have a bit of spare time in the afternoon and will go to the gym. I might run 5km, do some light weights, and have a sauna. Then I'll shower and shave and be down in the kitchen by 6pm. That hour I have to myself really sets me up in a positive mindset to run a busy service. It also shows the rest of my team, many of whom are younger than me, that being fit and active helps you think a bit clearer and make better decisions. I can't think of any negative sides to being fit and healthy. I've always had an interest in sport to some degree but, at a certain point in my career, I gained a bit of weight and was working excessively. I went to see a business coach who asked me to assess how I was spending my time. I had to identify something that I felt I was missing out on. That was physical fitness so I went to see personal trainer John Belton. 15.30 Saturday is the day I try to write my recipes and get more admin done. It tends to be the day when I have a bit more time for myself as there are fewer corporate guests staying in the hotel and fewer meetings. Food plays a huge part in my professional and personal life. I love to cook for family and friends. The recipes I'm creating for SuperValu are very different to those I create at the hotel. I'm very conscious of creating recipes that will suit busy lifestyles. I am working with the food leadership team and the product selection team at SuperValu to make sure that I think they're choosing the right products for the stores. Generally, Mondays are my day off from the The Marker and on Mondays I hone in on the other projects I'm working on including Euro-toque's Young Chef and Rising Star Pastry competitions. 16.45 I'll have a bite to eat in the staff restaurant. 17.00 We are across from the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre so obviously pre-theatre dining is a big thing for us. I'll be up in the restaurant kitchen from 5pm making sure the teams are ready for service. We serve until 10pm. When I leave work very much depends on how busy things are or on whether we have an event on in the hotel. We run four kitchens in the hotel so I'll also be keeping an eye on the bar service, room service and the rooftop bar and if there is banqueting taking place I will also be keeping my eye on that. I will often go out of the kitchen to speak to our guests. 21.00 I'll generally be home by around 8pm or 9pm. I'll sit down with my wife with a nice glass of wine to discuss the week. Catching up with friends is something we love to do on a Saturday. Fitness and eating well is a huge part of how we like to live but equally sitting down with friends on a Saturday night and sharing a glass of wine is important to us. One of our friends is a great musician so it wouldn't be unusual for a bit of a singsong to take place. 24.00 When I go to bed I'll go straight to sleep but I'll probably wake up at around around 5.30am. On a Sunday I'll try to lie there for a while but my body clock is set to get up early. Sundays for me are all about standing on the side of football pitches and having family over for a roast or a barbecue. Gareth Mullins is executive head chef of Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel and the Forbes Street by Gareth Mullins restaurant at the hotel. As a SuperValu food ambassador, Mullins recently helped to launch the retailer's The Difference is Real programme. Read More Bernard O'Shea: 5 things I learned after watching the Adare Manor wedding go viral on TikTok
