Pathways: David Galvin, head chef, Austin Heath Retirement Village

The head chef at Inspired Villages’ Austin Heath Retirement Village in Warwick explains to Katherine Price how he finds a work-life balance

 

What was your first job?

 

Glass collecting and carrying plates at a local pub in Coventry called the Old Mill. It was my first introduction to how busy a pub could actually be. I was like a rabbit in the headlights for the first few weeks!

 

Did you do an apprenticeship in hospitality?

 

I was one of the first chefs enrolled into a chef apprenticeship programme while working at Alveston Manor, part of Macdonald Hotels. Although I was working and living in Stratford-upon-Avon, because it was a Scottish-based company, they packed us off to Motherwell College near Glasgow a few weeks at a time to fast-track us all through our NVQs.

 

What initially attracted you to working in hospitality?

 

The buzz was a big draw for me, and it has been ever since. There’s something about the feeling you get when it’s manically busy but somehow you still have control over everything. I saw chefs doing that and from then I was hooked. Something that stays with me is the masses of roasts we used to do on a Sunday – we had to keep the same standard right up to the last plate.

 

Who was your first mentor or role model in hospitality?

 

My chef-lecturer Gordon Leitch at Motherwell College, I was an apprentice there in around 2005. He was a fantastic chef with a wealth of knowledge and a great teacher. He really knew the industry and had some great connections to some brilliant people in the industry in Scotland.

 

How did you decide on your career direction?

 

A big influence on me was my brother Chris. We’re twins and both ended up being chefs – he started slightly before me. He now lives with his wife and family in Australia, but he’s always been there on the end of the phone, early in the morning or late at night after service. We compare stories on the industry, good and bad, talking about different dishes and flavour combinations or techniques. I think that’s always spurred me on over the years.

 

Could you talk me through the steps in your career in hospitality to where you are now?

 

After college I worked as a sous chef in a lovely little boutique hotel, the King’s Arms in Woodstock. After that I worked for some big pub chains like Brunning & Price.

 

I then decided to get away from the UK for a while and worked a season abroad in Portugal as a chef aboard a river cruise ship. We had a really small team, but we had lots of time to relax and see parts of the country between shifts. I’ve since used some influences from Portuguese cuisine into some of my dishes. Octopus braised in red wine is a particular favourite of mine.

 

I then found my current job as head chef at Leamington Spa-based retirement village Austin Heath, which is operated by Inspired Villages. From the outside, people assume we’re a care home, but we couldn’t be further from that. We’re about healthy independent living for older people, and our villages are integrated into the local communities. The restaurant is open to the public, not just residents, and stepping foot into the restaurant for the first time will change anyone’s mind straight away retirement living.

 

Compared to traditional hospitality roles I’ve held, I have a much better work-life balance here, which is quite unusual in this industry. The hours allow me the chance to cook for my partner in the evening and get outside to walk our dog.

 

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced working in hospitality?

 

The staffing crisis is the hardest one I’ve had to deal with. There’s not a single answer to fix it but attracting the next wave of staff will play a big part.

 

Do you have any regrets or things you wish you'd done differently?

 

I perhaps would’ve liked to have travelled more and seen some different cuisines around the world. I’ve always secretly wondered if I could cut the mustard in Japan or Scandinavia.

 

What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry?

 

Go out and eat as much as possible. Social media is a great tool but nothing quite comes close to tasting a dish and taking in the atmosphere. It doesn’t have to be super high-end, just a two-course lunch with a mate on your day off somewhere half-decent.

 

Would you recommend a career in hospitality to your friends and family?

 

You’ll absolutely know if hospitality is for you. It’s a vast industry, you can do anything with it and work across the world. There’s nothing like the buzz it gives you! I’d recommend it to anyone.