A taste for life... Aoife Noonan

This Dubliner cut her sweet teeth in Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud and now develops desserts for Dublin’s finest, but it’s not all-day gorging

What did your mother make you?

She used to bake from one single cookbook — this giant red book from the 80s with cake-batter splashes all over it. She’d rotate between three recipes: carrot cake, Victoria sponge and fruit cake.

What’s the meal you will always remember?

Restaurant Jan in Nice, France. The chef is South African, and fuses classic French with food from his native country. The flavours, concepts and execution were outstanding. I didn’t want the meal to end.

Your defining food experience was...

Working in Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud really opened my eyes to how amazing, flavourful and perfect food could be. Working to a certain standard, with discipline and consistency, allowed me to really push myself and learn. It really shaped my palate, how I work, and my thought process as a chef.

First dish you ever cooked?

It was probably in home-economics class — coconut buns that were rock hard and practically inedible.

What is your comfort food?

Cheese and more cheese. I could live on the stuff, and it would pretty much suffice for every meal of the day.

What is your hangover cure?

I crave the good stuff when I’m hungover and love lots of veg, even for breakfast — poached eggs with sourdough, bacon, avocado, lots of salad and lots of coffee.

What do you drink?

Gin or wine, depending on the occasion.

Worst meal ever?

A sea urchin mornay starter at a two-star Michelin restaurant in Barcelona. It was part of a tasting menu. Vile.

You can only eat three things for the rest of your life, what are they?

Comte; roast chicken; Ferrero Rocher.

Most appetising smell in the world?

When butter is added to a caramel and starts to sizzle — it smells unbelievable.

Favourite restaurant in Ireland?

I love Forest & Marcy in Dublin; Ciaran Sweeney is an amazing chef. Every time I go, I have a beautiful meal experience. Abroad? The Ledbury in London. Darren, Brett and the team are absolutely superb.

What’s your sweet treat?

I love a classic Victoria sponge with sweetened cream and gooey jam, along with a cup of tea. Can’t beat it.

Signature dish?

A dessert I developed for the Valrhona Patisserie Championship, which I went on to win. It’s comprised of different elements of chocolate and espresso, and is rich and decadent, but not overpowering. I also used tonka bean in it, which is an unusual, but interesting, addition.

Are you careful about what you eat?

Believe it or not, I don’t gorge on sweets all day! Being a pastry chef means I’m constantly developing, creating, and tasting all day. But I am conscious of what I eat, and I train in the gym four times a week. Eating well is so important, and contributes massively to a healthy lifestyle.

What’s your perfect family meal?

I love a big roast leg of lamb with cheesy cauliflower, crispy roasties and any other roast veg that’s in season.

Aoife is the executive pastry chef of the John Farrell restaurant empire, including 777, Super Miss Sue, Luna and The Butcher Grill. She is also a regular contributor to RTE’s ‘Today’ show

In conversation with Sophie White

“When butter is added to a caramel and starts to sizzle — it smells unbelievable”