Our Chef

Fred Cordonnier
The third generation of a family of bakers and pastry chefs, Fred takes his cooking philosophy from his French gourmet heritage. As a young man he followed the traditional route to learn his craft, completing a three-year apprenticeship under a pastry /chocolate master before taking his first job in a Michelin-starred restaurant on the French Riviera. From there Fred moved to London and continued to gain experience, working with some of the best-known pastry chefs of the time. Following two years with Raymond Blanc at the two Michelin-stared Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Fred arrived in Ireland. He spent nine years at Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud the only two Michelin-stared restaurant in Ireland. Following that he worked at the U2-owned Clarence Hotel, before opening a small restaurant in partnership with the owner of the Brown Bear in County Kildare. The restaurant was named ‘new comer of the year’ in 2010 and won many great reviews.

Fred places great emphasis on finding the very finest ingredient and says ‘the chef is not the star, the produce is and it must be treated respectfully’. He sources as much produce as possible from local artisan suppliers and is delighted to have the walled garden at Ballyfin as a resource in which he oversees the growing of many of the herbs, salads and vegetables for the table.

Fred can meet with guests individually to discuss favourite foods, Irish recipes, or particular ingredients so that Ballyfin can accommodate guests’ preferences. With a maximum of twenty-nine guests able to stay at Ballyfin, this approach comes close to having your own private chef.

In 2011 Ballyfin won the prestigous Food & Wine Magazine Best Style award for our Restaurant.