Sofie Rooney of Chimac shares her life in food, from her earliest memories to her favourite flavours and culinary inspirations.
Sofie Rooney is the co-founder at Chimac, who produce a range of restaurant-quality Korean-inspired sauces, selling to 12 countries and over 550 retailers.
Inspired by a profound love for Korean fried chicken discovered in Seoul in 2016, Sofie and her husband Garett became obsessed, frying chicken day and night in our small galley kitchen in Dublin 8 before opening an eatery of their own. Here she shares her life in food.
What are your earliest memories of food?
I’ve got so many memories baking with my mum and both of my grandmothers. My love of refined sugar and chocolate started young! I used to daydream that my bed was a giant Mars bar and even to this day am shocked that not everyone else did so. Growing up we were allowed a small treat after dinner most nights, a single serve chocolate bar that only served to whet my appetite. A big moment of realisation hit me when I was around six or seven: If I baked a cake or some cookies, there was no defined portion or serving as such, and I could then consume far more chocolate than I was technically allowed to, plus the raw dough or batter. My love of baking was born.
How would you describe your relationship with food?
When it comes to sugar I am truly, utterly addicted. Outside of this, I’ve always been quite picky, with a long list of things I don’t like. In school I would never eat sandwiches as I didn’t like them. I remember my mum making me vegetarian sushi which I loved but everyone else in my class thought was absolutely bonkers. I think probably in Ireland in the ’90s it was rather unusual. My parents always introduced me to lots of interesting world food flavours from a young age, and to this day I still love exploring culture through food.
What was the first meal you learned to cook?
My grandmother used to have a hand written recipe book filled with recipes that she’d collected. Every time I visited Roscommon we would make a chocolate cake together and she would always let me lick the bowl.
How did food become your career?
My first proper job was in the kitchen of Pizza Hut where I was low-key bullied and locked in the walk-in fridge by my not so kind co-workers. Despite a summer of hating everything and never really mastering the ability to make good pizza, there was something I loved about hospitality.
I continued to work in a range of roles, from kitchen porter through to serving customers in a range of restaurants. My now husband Garret worked as a chef in Tribeca when I first met him and we ended up working together in Bunsen. Despite some fiery arguments working together as 22-year-olds, it did not put us off on future endeavours.
When I finished my Masters in marketing I worked in corporate roles in Ireland and the US but found working in an office environment didn’t really ever feel right, and I always craved that buzz you get from hospitality.
A trip to Korea was the tipping point for myself and Garret. From the very first bite of the crispy, crunchy Korean fried chicken we became absolutely obsessed and somehow found the confidence within ourselves to quit our jobs and focus solely on opening our own restaurant.
What’s your go-to breakfast?
Quick and easy: Overnight oats with FemFuelz Cookies & Cream protein and nut butter.
If you’re impressing friends and family at a dinner party, what are you serving up?
Much as I love cooking, my husband Garret is a chef and is far, far better than I am, so these days I leave it to him. He’s used to working with a kitchen porter so I take on the role of kitchen assistant and dish washer. I’ll bake a dessert. My favourite thing to cook despite not being fancy or impressive to look at is some kind of chocolate chip cookies, served warm with ice-cream.
Who is your culinary inspiration?
I have got to say living and working with a chef is amazing. Garret thinks in an entirely different way than I do. While I love cook books, he never follows recipes, much preferring to explore flavours and cook through his senses. We’re polar opposites, I love rules and structure so it is inspiring to be around someone who comes from such a different perspective.
What would your last meal on earth be?
An Omakase sushi experience served with many, many vodka martinis
What’s your go-to comfort food?
Fried chicken from Chimac every time. I’ll get the Hella Hot nugs with bacon cheese fries.
What’s the go-to quick meal you cook when you’re tired and hungry?
I’m big on tinned fish. A high quality tin of tuna is something special. A quick and easy meal is a tin of Spanish or Portuguese tuna, some olives, capers and pasta. Ready in ten minutes, which is all I usually have for a meal!
What is one food or flavour you cannot stand?
I don’t eat fruit and am well aware that it’s not normal. It’s something about the texture that freaks me out. Outside of lemons and limes in drinks I manage to escape fruit entirely and am still alive and well.
Hangover cure?
Fried chicken from Chimac with an extra side of pickles (or maybe two).
Sweet or savoury?
Sweet but salty.
Fine dining or pub grub?
Pub grub. Casual dining done right is the very best.
Favourite restaurant in Ireland?
Hang Dai.
Best coffee in Ireland?
One Kinda Folk.
What are your thoughts on the Irish foodie scene?
It’s an exciting time for Irish food, the market has completely changed and evolved over the last twenty years and we’re so proud to be part of it. Many spots in Dublin can hold their own against London or New York easily and it’s great to see Irish food getting recognition globally. While we have a rich heritage of amazing local produce, culturally I think we’re all very open to new ideas and flavours. Ireland lacks the pressure of adhering to rigid culinary rules, which naturally breeds innovation.
What’s your favourite thing about cooking?
It’s therapeutic. It’s time to disconnect from technology, to be creative. I always find baking such a great opportunity to think problems over.
What does food — sitting down to a meal with friends, mindfully preparing a meal, nourishment, etc — mean to you?
It’s everything. It’s an expression of love, care and affection for good times and bad. Friends are sometimes intimidated to cook for Garret and I, but it’s always a treat. It’s not always how good a particular dish even tastes that matters the most, it’s the care and effort that is put in that matters the most.
Food for thought — Is there room for improvement within the Irish food/restaurant/hospitality scene?
The current economic climate and cost of living crisis is a killer for the Irish hospitality industry. The barrier to entry is higher than ever and so is the risk of failure. For those considering opening a hospitality business, the long list of recent closures must certainly be off-putting, which is a challenge when we need to be cultivating innovation and creativity.
It’s a really difficult time for everyone, consumers and business owners alike. For context, when we opened Chimac in 2019 our free-range chicken burger cost €8.50. Today it’s €15.50 and we’re still nowhere near the margin we had in 2019. Ingredients have increased by 100%, 200% and 300%. We’re trying our best to maintain an accessible price point for consumers, but to be able to deliver a quality product with the increased costs across all areas of the business is very difficult.
A pressure to cut costs in food businesses will inevitably deliver reduced quality, short-cuts and operators opting to use pre-made frozen foods. Margins that were already small are diminishing by the day, so many feel like there is no other option.
The last two years have seen closures of some amazing spots which is just heartbreaking. Without major change the fear would be that only larger organisations who can expand enough to achieve economies of scale will survive. Ireland is known
globally for hospitality. It’s part of our culture and key to why tourists love visiting Ireland so much. The industry needs to be nurtured otherwise we will be left with vacant units and international chains replacing independently owned businesses.
Chef’s kiss — Tell us about one standout foodie experience you’ve had recently.
I visited Host for my birthday and as always it was 10/10. It’s such a warm, welcoming environment where service is clearly considered as much as the food that’s served. I’ve never had anything but an amazing experience here and you can see why it’s busy 24/7.
Compliments to the chef — Now’s your chance to sing the praises of a talented chef, beloved restaurant or particularly talented foodie family member.
It’s got to be my dear husband Garret, who is my partner in crime and my personal chef that cooks tirelessly and indulges my every food whim
Secret ingredient — What, in your estimation, makes the perfect dining experience?
For me it’s not just about the food you eat, it’s the way you feel when you’re eating it and true hospitality is at the heart of that. Thinking back about an amazing food experience, you might not remember the ingredients or details about the dish but you remember the way you felt in that moment. Great hospitality delivered by people who care makes you feel special and cared for. It creates an opportunity for the pressures of modern life to fall away so you can just enjoy the moment.
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