This Much I Know: I'd like to leave some mark of my creativity behind

Chef Eunice Power: "It might sound frivolous but I think you really should live life while you're young. Also, start a pension young if you're self-employed"

Sat, 01 May, 2021 - 08:00

Martha Brennan

I'm from Dungarvan and live there now. I grew up with my parents, two sisters, and a brother. I lost my dad three weeks ago, we're all just getting accustomed to life without him. My dad was a dairy farmer and absolutely loved everything about farming. Besides his family, the land was the love of his life. His cows, his horses, the weather. He loved being outside and he was so wise and knowledgeable. He was a brilliant man.

My parents were married for 53 years, which is longer than I've been alive. My mum was a home economics teacher and she also had a HDip in elocution. When she got married back in the 1960s you weren't allowed to work because of the marriage ban. So, I was really influenced when I was small by her. She was a wonderful cook and she's just a lovely, warm, person. I think that's what directed me towards the career path I took. After I spread my wings and travelled, I came back to Dungarvan and I married a dairy farmer myself. I have three boys, Micheál, Jerome, and Kieran.

I'm really excited to guest host Today. When you're cooking on the television it's one thing, it's kind of about you and what you're doing. Whereas on the other side, it's really about the guests and I love talking to people. I love food, it really ignites my imagination, but I absolutely love people. I'm always fascinated by them. When you're in our business, people come from every angle. You've got the team you work with and the customers on the other side.

I've had as much interaction with customers in the last couple of years with my restaurant AndChips as I had in the 20 years of my career before that. When you're catering and in the kitchen you're behind the scenes, so I'm really enjoying chatting and having a bit of banter with people and meeting people from all places and being in the middle of it all in Dungarvan.

I've had loads of challenges in my life but there was a time where there were a lot of ongoing challenges when my kids were small and I was trying to build a business. They were literally in high chairs and I was cooking in the kitchen. It's really hard to get people who want to work in the hospitality business so you end up having to do a lot of work yourself. That time went on for about 12 years and I think that was just a very physically and mentally challenging time.

My proudest achievement was catering a dinner in the 3 Arena about four years ago for 2,400 people. It was such a big deal to pull that together and there was such a build-up. It came together like an orchestra, it was just amazing, and it was such a huge relief for me. Weeks later — when the anxiety and adrenaline left my body — I really realised what a huge achievement it really was.

I'm a calm person. I go with the flow and I take the ups and the downs in equal measure. I don't see problems where other people see problems as well. I always think there's a way to get around everything. I'm quite steady, I'm also lively and energetic, but at the end of the day I think I'm a problem solver. In my business life and my personal life, I tend not to panic but to find solutions.

Eunice Power: The greatest advice I've ever been given is "the least said, the soonest mended".

The person I turn to most is my mother. She's fabulous. You always feel better after having spoken to her. She's the best company in the world. My husband, Edmund, is a real rock as well. We're like yin and yang. I'm probably more outgoing and louder whereas he's really solid and quieter. We've been married for 24 years this year.

The greatest advice I've ever been given is "the least said, the soonest mended". With everything, my kids, at work, I try not to be reactionary to things. That's something I had to learn though because I have kind of an impulsive nature. I think that's good advice for everybody.

I took myself maybe too seriously when I was younger. I worked too hard instead of having more fun before getting tied up with responsibilities. It might sound frivolous but I think you really should live life while you're young. Also, start a pension young if you're self-employed. As soon as you can spell the word.

People surprise me, the nice things they do and the goodness in them, especially since my dad died. People have been writing beautiful letters and so forth and it's really pleasantly surprised me.

How much I like swimming in the sea also really surprises me, I never thought I'd like it and I went twice today.

I would hope my family would remember me for being a warm person. In my professional life, I'd like to leave some mark of my creativity behind — and to be remembered for having really good chips.