Some chefs are born not made, and this is true for Philip Gleeson, Executive Head Chef of Killashee Hotel
Ahead of Taste of Kildare Hotel and Restaurant Times chats with award-winning chef Philip Gleeson, who is helming Killashee Hotel’s exciting food and beverage offerings as Executive Head Chef.
Some chefs are born not made, and this is true for Philip Gleeson, Executive Head Chef of Killashee Hotel in Kildare and winner of Executive Head Chef of the Year 2025 at the Irish Hospitality Institute (IHI) Hospitality Management Awards (HMAs). Philip tells us he knew early on hospitality was for him.
“I was lucky,” he says. “Before my Leaving Cert I knew I wanted to work in the industry, while the rest of my class seemed to not know what they were going to do.” Philip, originally from Clondalkin in Dublin, says hospitality runs in the family: “Many people on my Mam’s side were involved in hospitality in restaurants in Dublin and one of her uncles was Head Chef at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, and my grandmother was also a chef.”
Philip knew early on hospitality was for him.
Philip says he immediately wanted to experience working in the industry, so, like many established chefs in Ireland, chose the DIT (now Technological University Dublin) Cathal Brugha Street day release option. “I studied as I worked my way through different hotels in Dublin,” he says. One of these hotels was The Morrison, where Philip would go on to meet his now wife, also a hospitality veteran. Next, adventure was on the cards: he went to work in Australia in the early 2000s, and after several years, came back to work in Limerick. “I swapped the Gold Coast for Limerick,” he says with a laugh.
Following that came an opportunity to work in Killashee Hotel, the four-star luxury hotel and spa on the outskirts of Naas, Co. Kildare. Philip says the prospect excited him. “I knew the property and liked it. I got married there and had one of my children christened there too.” He joined the team and has now been at Killashee for over a decade. Four years ago, the ownership changed to FBD Hotels & Resorts, and Philip says this transformed the property.
“I’ve been very lucky with the owners,” he says. “The hotel needed an investment and what FBD has brought has been phenomenal. Their vision has been great. How FBD does business here is also different. Our main business used to be weddings, but now we’ve reached a place where we’re not reliant on any one area. FBD’s strategy focused on diversifying, so if there’s a wedding on, for example, it doesn’t affect our restaurants or leisure guests. Then we have The Reserve just across the road, a fabulous nine-bed country retreat. This diversification is a smart approach; if you’re reliant on just one area and there’s a blip, it could be catastrophic.”
It’s a large busy operation
Killashee’s dining offerings have also been heavily invested in, and Philip tells us they are thriving. It’s a large, busy operation: “There are about 26 chefs with me, as well as the kitchen porters, who we couldn’t get on without,” he says. The Pippin Tree restaurant, overlooking the hotel’s Fountain Gardens, offers fine dining, while the Oak and Anvil restaurant offers inventive and classic dishes in a relaxed environment. There is also a concept café, Wild Cherry, focusing on fresh, wholesome food and coffee to eat in or take away, and the Larkspur Lounge, a comfy lounge to enjoy coffee, a light breakfast or afternoon tea. The team also cater for events and parties, like communions and birthdays, and an outdoor BBQ option is available.
“I’ve learned people are willing to pay for high quality,” Philip says. “Quality equals value for money. Consistency is also key; it’s crucial that each time someone visits us, the quality they get is the same. There are also huge expectations now across the board. People can go on Instagram and see what chefs are doing all over the world, so they expect something special from a hotel like Killashee. Then tourists want to try something different than they can get at home, so incorporating that into our menus is another challenge. It’s also important to customers that our food is local and seasonal.
Guests want to know if we are supporting Irish, so we do our best to use products from local farmers and suppliers. Again, there is a challenge there, for example at Christmastime guests would want strawberries, but we do try to keep things local as we can. We try to showcase local cheese; Dawn Farms is our main beef supplier; and our lamb is from a factory across the road. We also link in with several farmers regularly to see what’s on offer, so we can buy local instead of importing wherever possible. On-site, we have our own herb garden, and we planted apple trees last year. We also have our own beehives and use the honey in our desserts.”
Showcased annually at the Taste of Kildare Festival
Kildare is well regarded for the quality of both its produce and hospitality offerings, and this is showcased annually at the Taste of Kildare Festival. This year’s event is taking place on the 15th and 16th of August at Naas Racecourse and Killashee Hotel is taking part again. “The focus will be on the Oak and Anvil, a local haunt and real bread and butter for the hotel,” says Philip. “We do great local business and have a lot of support from people in and around Naas. It’s one of those places people can gather for family events like communions and christenings or a great lunch or dinner, so we thought Taste of Kildare would be a fantastic opportunity to showcase it. We’ll have an Oak and Anvil food truck serving one of our signature burgers as well as a flatbread with Kildare beef and a small tent with a beer tap serving Bell Tower IPA, a local beer brewed by the Kildare Brewing Co.”
This will be Philip’s second year representing Killashee Hotel at the festival; last year he created a local duck dish for the Saturday demonstrations, and for this outing he’s hoping to demo a seafood dish featuring John Dory with seasonal local veg, caviar and ginger. “The festival is a fantastic way to showcase local food and suppliers, and a great opportunity for me to discover new suppliers and see what other chefs are doing with local produce.” We ask him if there’s any rivalry among the chefs at the festival and he’s quick to assure us if there is any, it’s the friendly kind. “It’s great craic,” he says. “I’d know some of the chefs so it’s good to have a laugh with them during the festival.”
The industry is very different now
We ask Philip if the archetype of the chef working all hours in a difficult environment still rings true and he tells us those days are gone. When he started out, split shifts were the norm, but now there’s a focus on work/life balance. “The industry is very different now. Chefs want 40 hours a week and to be able to book weekends off, but Monday to Wednesday in the summer could be as busy as a Saturday, so it is easier to accommodate that. Here, we try to give two days off together to give people a good break and not contact any staff when they’re off so they’re recharged when they return. Killashee has a great culture in that respect. It’s a great place to work. The proof is there in that many past staff have got in touch asking to come back, and there are a lot of long-term staff here too.”
Despite Philip’s career being forged at a time when a weekend off was a luxury, he says he regrets nothing. “Years ago, I would have missed out on a lot because I was dedicated to what I was doing,” he tells us. “It was worth it though and I had a great time. I’ve travelled the world and never had a problem getting work, everyone needs to eat. It’s also great fun, no two days are ever the same. Hospitality is a phenomenal industry.”
Taste of Kildare: 15 – 16 August
Brought to you by Into Kildare with support from Kildare County Council, Taste of Kildare takes place on 15 and 16 August at Naas Racecourse. Tickets are priced from €15, while children under 10 go free. To book tickets, visit www.tasteofkildare.ie.
