By Business & Finance 
Lorraine Heskin and Lorraine Byrne, owners of Gourmet Food Parlour
Gourmet Food Parlour managing director Lorraine Heskin takes the Business & Finance 60 second challenge.
Q. What was your first job? My first ever job was working in the accounts department of Roches Stores when I was in my teens Q. What would you regard as your greatest achievement to date?
Celebrating 10 years in business on July 28th with six restaurants and a catering and events department. It’s been unbelievable to reach this milestone and to look back on how far we have come in 10 years. Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? ‘Yesterday’s over and today is a new day’ is the best advice I have been given and it’s become my mantra. Even if you have had the best day yesterday, you need to begin each day on the same even footing to stay grounded and level and to never get too carried away. Q. If you could step into the shoes of one business person for the day, who would it be and why?
I would choose Richard Branson. I admire everything he has accomplished as an entrepreneur. The way he runs his business and the way he treats his staff is inspirational. Q. In three words or less, how do you define success?
Dedication, determination and hard work form the foundations for success in any field. Q. How do you motivate yourself and your staff?
It’s important to keep things exciting and new, to make sure that we as a team are motivated and moving forward. I love this business and I feel more energised now than I did even five years ago. Q. How do you relax?
It’s nice to spend time with my family and friends at weekends and I try to get home to Galway as often as is possible for a bit of R&R. Q. What’s your motto?
‘Do what you love everyday’. Q. What are your aspirations for the future of your business?
To continue to grow steadily for the next 10 years would be super. I would love to see the current team of 140 employees strive, flourish and grow with the brand.
It’s important to keep things exciting and new, to make sure that we as a team are motivated and moving forward
GOURMET GODDESS
Gourmet Food Parlour, the successful restaurant and catering group, recently celebrated its 10th year in business.
Established by Lorraine Heskin and Lorraine Byrne, the first Gourmet Food Parlour premises opened in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin in July 2006.
Gourmet Food Parlour own branches in Swords, Malahide and Dun Laoghaire, and run successful kitchen partnerships with House on Leeson St, and 37 Dawson St. Their hugely successful catering division works with several large corporations, providing catering to industry giants such as AIG, Google, Universal, Alltech and Special Olympics to name but a few.
