8 minute read
RECRUITMENT
A Clear Vision
After 25 years in the hospitality industry, Stuart O’Connor knows what clients are looking for when they advertise for a GM, a chef or a KP. He also knows what candidates are after when they decide it’s time to move on from their role in a restaurant or hotel.
Last year, he decided to channel all that expertise into something new. In August 2019 he set up
Career Vision Recruiters, a dedicated hospitality recruitment agency in Naas and he’s about to open a second office in Limerick.
Stuart kicked off his career in hospitality in the old Berkeley Court hotel with the likes of Joe
Russell, Michael Vaughan and Barry O’Connor. It was their passion for the job that ignited his own interest in the sector and led to roles such as
General Manager of the Towey Group. His interest in recruitment came about by accident. “I fell into recruitment about four and a half years ago. I had gone for an interview for a GM role in the midlands and the agency ended up pitching recruitment to me instead. Initially, I was unsure as it wasn’t something I had any experience in but someone said to me, you’ve been involved in recruitment all your life. In the couple of years before that, I had probably interviewed a couple of hundred people. So I decided to go for it,” said Stuart.
After working in recruitment for a few years, he decided to venture out on his own and set up his own agency in Naas, Co Kildare. Before Covid hit, the agency was performing extremely well. “The first three months of this year were probably the best I’ve ever had in recruitment. For a new business we were steaming ahead and doing 14 or 15 placements a month. That’s basically unheard of at the start of the year, for any recruitment firm. We had plans to move to a second property in Limerick in April of this year, but obviously that was put on the backburner.
We’re now full steam ahead to open early next year.”
Clients return to Career Vision Recruiters because they’re looked after, says Stuart. “We understand their business. Everyone working here has a background in the industry. We aim to give both the client and candidate 100% and we’re completely honest with them at all times. We’re in this for the long haul; we’ve invested substantially in the company and we’re seeing growth even during Covid.” Only roles for live jobs are posted, says Stuart. “We don’t post roles just to increase our database. I’ve been in that position before where I’ve applied for a role and gone to an agency, only to be told at the end of the process that they have nothing for me at the moment and my CV will be filed. That really gets to me. A From hotel group GM to MD of Career Vision Recruiters, Stuart O’Connor chats to Hotel & Catering Review about his plans to open a second office and standing out from the recruitment crowd
candidate that applies for a role with us will receive the information, regardless of whether they’re suitable or not. You don’t get a sense of a person from their CV, they might have an amazing ‘can do’ attitude that could make them ideal for a role that they otherwise may not be suited to.”
With demand for its services increasing, Career Vision Recruiters will open its second office in Limerick in February 2021. “We’ve got four staff members here in the Naas office and we’ll start off with three in Limerick. We’ll be focusing on the Wild Atlantic Way and Munster in general; it’s an area of growth for us and I believe staycations will become more of a trend over the next couple of years.”
Stuart O’Connor, MD, Career Vision Recruiters
The Art of Irish Co ee
We’re renowned for Irish Co ee around the world but is it the most underutilised cocktail in Ireland?
What makes Irish Coffee so special and why is it still so popular today? A moment of pure indulgence at the end of a meal, something to share with a neighbour by an open fire or just a great way to celebrate winning a spot in the much-coveted snug.
The rise of modern cocktail culture has seen a number of iterations on how to make an Irish Coffee, but the foundations are always rooted in the right balance of coffee, sugar, Irish whiskey and finished with a layer of lightly whipped fresh cream. A lot of bartenders say the secret to its success is all in the preparation; having the coffee batched with sugar and using a protein shaker to mix the cream can make the process a lot simpler. With all the steps that goes into making an Irish Coffee, the crowning moment always comes down to the fine art of setting the cream afloat on the back of a spoon which inevitably leaves onlookers ordering one too.
There are many claims to the origins of the Irish Coffee but despite being a country that never let the truth get in the way of a good story, there always seems to be one version that rises to the top. That is the tale of one faithful night in 1943 when a Pan Am transatlantic flight scheduled for New York was grounded at the Flying Boat terminal in Foynes, just 35 miles from Shannon Airport.
After several hours of turbulence, the captain made the decision to land the plane. The shaken passengers were in for a turn of luck as O’Regan’s restaurant was still open and head chef Joe Sheridan was there to greet them with something warm to “calm the nerves”, a serving of coffee with Irish Whiskey and a generous helping of Irish cream on top.
The delighted passengers asked Joe if he had used Brazilian coffee to which he simply replied, “No, it was Irish coffee.”
Fame came a few years later for the muchloved Irish Coffee when it was sampled by Stanton Delaplane, a Pulitzer Prize-winning travel writer. Delaplane brought reports of the Irish Coffee back to his friend Jack Koeppler at the Buena Vista in San Francisco. They worked to recreate the Irish Coffee but could never get it quite right. In the pursuit of serving the perfect Irish Coffee, Koeppler made the decision to invite Sheridan to join his team at The Buena Vista in 1952 where he continued to work for the next 10 years. The beauty of this partnership now sees the Bunea Vista with sales of Irish Coffee in excess of 250,000 serves a year.
There are a lot of great places around the globe that you can enjoy house serves of Irish Coffee, one of the most famous being the Dead Rabbit in New York where their preferred bean of choice is a Sumatra coffee and they use demerara sugar syrup as a sweetener. London is the home of another Dead Rabbit inspired Irish Coffee serve; Swift in Soho was named Britain’s best bar in the GQ Food and Drink Awards in 2018 and a visit there would never be complete without sampling one of their finest! However, if you are looking to have the real authentic experience, then Dublin City is a great place to start, The Bankers Bar and Restaurant on Trinity Street is one of Ireland’s most iconic Irish Coffee venues. Despite these challenging times facing the hospitality industry, Alan Campbell has managed to keep this traditional Christmas serve alive by opening a successful takeaway hot serves menu. A brief stroll from The Bankers will bring you to The Hyatt Centric Hotel located
on Dean Street in The Liberties. This stunning hotel opened its doors in 2019 and has perfected its Irish Coffee experience by offering unique desert pairings created by chef Gavin O’Rourke in The Liberties Gate Bar & Restaurant.
Commenting on Irish Coffee, Ian Doogue from Hi-Spirits Ireland, said: “The importance of the Irish Coffee cannot be understated; it is a stepping stone into the Irish Whiskey category that appeals to a wider audience. When the flavours are well balanced it will make people become not just Irish Coffee converts, but true Irish Whiskey fans.”
To book your Paddy Irish Coffee Masterclass, contact Ian Doogue, Business Development Manager - Hotels, Restaurants & Catering on Iand@hi-spirits.ie
