Meet the larger than life chef behind the menus at Cork's newest Mexican restaurant

Chef to the stars Todd Hall is bringing a taste of Mexico Leeside, writes John Daly

That hackneyed phrase — ‘larger than life’ — doesn’t aptly describe the colourful personality that is Todd Hall, chef to the stars and man with a backstory straight from the movies. Currently in Cork to design and fine- tune menus and operating systems for latest addition to the city’s restaurant scene — Tequila Jack’s at City Quarter on Lapp’s Quay — he gives me a sampling of his rich and varied life over margaritas and tacos at this quayside eatery dedicated to the best of Mexican cuisine.

In a career arc that’s taken him from child prodigy to internationally renowned chef, two-time James Beard award winner, and caterer of choice for Hollywood and Silicon Valley’s top movers and shakers, Todd is an individual who’s speared life with his Sabatier fork and sliced off a prime cut of exceptional talent mixed with personal and professional tragedy. Over the past 30 years, this dynamic individual has lived the American Dream — from the teenage kid who blagged his way into a top-class kitchen mentorship under a god of American cuisine to the 55-year-old who today casually shoots the breeze with clients like Julianne Moore, Ron Howard and Reese Witherspoon. But it wasn’t an easy career journey, with frequent stops on the dark side.