If you’ve ever maligned Irish food as bland or boring, Chef Declan Horgan is about to give you a wake-up call with a three-course meal for St. Patrick’s Day that’s as flavorful as his personality.  

“People describe me as an Irish pirate or the guy from Peaky Blinders,” Horgan shares on a phone call with Fine Dining Lovers. 

Chef Horgan began his career as a pastry chef in the 1990s at the former Berkeley Court Hotel, one of the UK’s original five-star hotels. From there, he worked his way up the line to executive chef and splashed onto the U.S. culinary scene in 2015 with consecutive on-air appearances to gain celebrity chef status—first on Guy Fieri's Guy's Grocery Games then on Season 19 of Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, where to this day, fans still say he was robbed of a first-place title and continue to petition for his second chance.

Horgan doesn’t seem caught up in this narrative though, as he’s settled in his new home of Virginia, keeping his hands in many different projects in the culinary world, both behind the scenes as a culinary advisor for Winmar, a territory sales manager with US Foods, a seller of Timber Stoves, and representative for the inKind app, developing guest-facing opportunities that assist in raising capital for restaurants. One of the most exciting projects in the works is a fish-and-chips joint that will make the classic Irish pub dish of fried fish and wedged French fries deliverable. 

“My recipe for the batter for the fish is a bit of a secret but it stays crispier longer, so it’s suited for delivery platforms,” says Horgan of the forthcoming concept that will open in Virginia in a space the size of a subway car that’s designed for to-go orders. This project is one of the ways that Horgan continues to showcase his region’s cuisine in a different light, just like his traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal. Despite corned beef and cabbage being a customary stateside favorite around the annual celebration that commemorates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, Horgan says it’s not all that traditional across the pond.

“We never really ate corned beef and cabbage back in the day,” he recalls, explaining it’s a misconception, as when England and France were at war, the Irish sold corned beef to both sides. “In Ireland, we made bacon and cabbage because the corned beef wasn’t given to us, so we made do with the bacon.” That’s why you’ll find Horgan serving up Sugar Pit Bacon for St. Patrick’s Day as a nod to the days of bacon and cabbage—his riff includes layers of flavor with sweet, savory, and fresh herbs. 

“It’s the perfect plate of grub for the weather at that time of year in Ireland,” he shares, adding that it’s also nostalgic, “because me ma made it for me on and off over the years growing up at home.” Horgan also shares his recipe for Irish bread pudding with Jameson caramel whiskey sauce—one of the first recipes that earned him acclaim as a pastry chef at the Berkeley Court Hotel. “This recipe should be illegal it is so good,” he shares.