Declan Gaffney

Age: 46

Place of birth: County Roscommon.

Where you live: East 19th in Manhattan.

Name of Company you work for: Pete’s Tavern

City you work in: New York.

Profession: Restaurateur

Why I chose this career: I washed pots in a hotel in Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim when I was 17. My first night working, as I looked around in awe at the hustle and bustle of a busy kitchen, at the banter between chefs and floor staff, I had a smile on my face because I realized this crazy hospitality business would be my chosen career.

Status: Married.

Family: Amy.

The proudest moment of my career: Becoming affiliated with Pete’s Tavern, the oldest original bar in New York City.

Biography: Declan was born on June 2nd, 1966 in County Roscommon. He started in the hotel business in the County Hotel in Carrick-on-Shannon. He moved on to the Grand Hotel, Malahide, County Dublin. In March of 1987, he moved to New York and worked briefly at a catering hall on Long Island and for O’Lunneys on west 44th street and on 2nd Avenue. He started working at Pete’s Tavern in 1987 and has been there ever since!