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CHEF Patty McGuire

Patty McGuire loves food. That’s what has kept Sin é Irish Pub and Restaurant’s head chef in the kitchen for over 25 years. Like many teens in their first job, she worked as a waitress for several years. She loved the restaurant environment – especially the kitchen. “When I decided to attend culinary school, it wasn’t the craze it is now,” says McGuire. “I love what I do and can’t imagine working in any other profession!”

After graduating from the Florida Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida, McGuire worked at various restaurants throughout Palm Beach County. When she became a mother, McGuire looked for more flexibility and began working for local caterers. She says that side of the food service industry allowed her to spend more time raising her children without giving up the profession she loves.

In 1999, the McGuire family moved to Richmond, Virginia, where she began her own catering business. Her business grew over the next six years, however, some changes in her personal life forced her to consider a return to a more stable 9-to-5 type of job. Fortunately, Sin é Irish Pub and Restaurant in Shockoe Slip needed a head chef.

McGuire says every time she visited the pub as a patron, she thought how neat it might be to work in such a comfortable environment. When she heard about the opening, she didn’t hesitate to apply. In August of 2005, Chef McGuire became the head chef at the Shockoe Slip establishment. A new menu had already been in the works and was scheduled to be introduced at the end of 2005 so she concentrated her efforts on making sure all menu items were prepared from the freshest ingredients. She began creating daily specials, homemade soups, and homemade desserts that regular patrons raved about. McGuire created a Sunday Brunch menu just before Mother’s Day this year then got to work expanding the typical after-work appetizer fare to a “Comfort Hour” menu of delectable food items sure to whet your appetite!

The past year has been a busy one for Chef McGuire. “She has settled in and become a valuable part of our pub family,” says General Manager Bob McNulty. McGuire says she is proud to call her kitchen a “teaching kitchen” – they all learn from each other. She has encouraged four of her current assistants to continue their education at culinary school. Three are considering local programs and one is looking at Johnson & Wales University. “I am very proud of the growth they have all shown in the kitchen and I know they will all have successful careers as head chefs one day,” says McGuire. “It’s very gratifying to know I have helped them in making a huge decision in their lives.”

McGuire says she sometimes misses her catering business but feels she has found her niche at Sin é Irish Pub. “Not to be too hokey,” McNulty says, “But we definitely had the ‘luck of the Irish’ on our side when Patty applied for the job!”