Keelan Higgs
Keelan Higgs is a chef and TU Dublin alum, and the co-owner and head chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant Variety Jones in Dublin. His passion for cooking began at a young age, inspired by his father and early kitchen experiences in Greystones. After studying Culinary Arts at TU Dublin, internships in Ireland and Italy played a key role in shaping his craft. Today, Keelan is celebrated for his skill, creativity, and the bold vision behind one of Dublin’s most acclaimed dining destinations.
My dad, I suppose. He was a very good cook and used to run restaurants when I was a kid, so I was always kind of in and around it—standing beside him in the kitchen, trying to get involved, stirring a pot, washing dishes, anything like that. That definitely set me on the path. Ironically, he also told me never to become a chef.
I was working in kitchens around Greystones, County Wicklow. I got my first job at 13, which seems mad now. But I got used to having my own money, and I liked the work. After finishing secondary school, I wasn’t sure what to do, so I joined a local kitchen that was doing some great stuff—homemade breads and all that.
Money, mainly. I was broke. I got grants, but I was commuting from Greystones every day, sometimes a two-and-a-half or three-hour round trip depending on the DART. I’d have to choose between a ticket or lunch. I remember times where I’d travel all the way in, spend money, and then find out a lecture was cancelled. That was rough.
I had already worked in kitchens, so I had a bit of freedom and experience. But I probably had a chip on my shoulder. I thought I knew more than I did. I wasn’t great with authority and didn’t engage much socially because I had to rush back home and was always skint. I think a lot of students today are facing similar things—it’s hard to afford living in Dublin.
Some aspects, yes. But the biggest benefit I got from college was the internships. In second year, I was sent to Gibbos, that place taught me things I still use today. Then in third year, I went to a two-star restaurant in Italy, arranged by the college. My original placement fell through, but the college helped fix that.
I ended up staying with Luciano Tona and his family in Parma—no one spoke English, and my Italian was pretty bad! I was learning with a dictionary in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. Eventually, he arranged for me to go to a two-star restaurant on the other side of Italy. Navigating that alone, in a different language, was a huge learning curve.
The internships gave me real experience, exposure to different levels of the industry, and helped shape who I am as a chef. I did learn a lot in class too, but the internships -- that was where I grew the most.