www.Kissmyblarneystones.com

Hi! My name is Greg(ory) O'Kane. Thank you for visiting my site.

Background on the name I took a trip to visit friends and family a while back. One day after a competetive round of golf while enjoying a couple of beers at the 19th hole my brother suggested, as he was paying off his newly aquired debt, that I Kiss his Blarney Stones', as if somehow I'd find that particularly offensive due to the fact that I was living in Ireland at the time. I found it so funny, that I registered the domain name and then tried and failed to sell a million T-shirts on St. Patricks Day. Now all I have left is the domain name which, as you can see, I've put to good use.

On this page you can veiw my interactive resume which presents my qualifications and certifications, as well as providing links to my projects, past and present and previous places of employment.

As well, you'll be able to peruse videos and articles related to me. So, please feel free to contact me if you wish to enquire about employing me for any of the services I can provide. You may view my photo gallery located at the bottom of the page. 

Email: Greg@Kissmyblarneystones.com * Phone: 858-848-4799 * Skype/greg.okane  

My Story I have considerable experience managing very busy establishments with an emphasis on providing niche cocktails, craft beers and quality food in a busy but casual environment. Among them was the Porterhouse Brewing Company in Dublin Ireland, The largest Irish owned brewery in Ireland, which operated 5 Pubs, including the second busiest in London, U.K.. I am pretty familiar with craft beers and was regularly sent to other destination on the European continent solely to learn about beer, food and customs. Some of the establishments where I managed also offered live entertainment too.(more on that later)
 
Early in my career, after completing college, I was hired to work at the Le Bel Age Hotel in Beverly Hills, part of the L'ermitage Hotel group.  It was during my time there that the foundation was laid leading to my success in implementing and maintaining high standards in food quality and service at all my subsequent places of employment. 

As well as having an F&B background, I am also a sports enthusiast who played and taught golf professionally. I have both a IPGA and USGTF certification.
 
I learned to play guitar at an early age and began playing in bands by my late teens. I've never had stars in my eyes but I found playing in front of people a lot of fun. My ability to play guitar and sing opened up great opportunities for me to tour and play hundreds of live concerts in various countries as well as record music. Music is my passion and is quite personal to me, so as long as I'm alive I will always be jammin on the side or kickin it with a band just for the sheer enjoyment of it.
   
The career path(s) I've chosen have afforded me the opportunity to live and travel extensively throughout Europe and parts of Asia. Being American, I found that people in other countries were more open to employing me because I offered something different. Those opportunities in turn allowed me learn new things and gather experiences I might not have had if I hadn't made the decision to go abroad. I consider myself fortunate for having those experiences. Not only did a learn a lot, but I have plenty of cool stories as well.
 
Qualifications & Certifications
(click on icons for details on Qualifications & Certifications)
Certified Golf Professional * Graduate Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management 
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Links 
Present Projects
 
www.NuFitPro.com 

 
Video and Article Links
(Click on Links)
 
 
Qualifications & Experience: 
 
Hotel, Restaurant & Bar
Positions held:  General Manager, Executive Chef, Restaurant Manager, Assistant Manager, Head Chef, Bartender, Chef, Consultant, Restaurant Owner.
Golf
Positions held: Country Club GM, Head Golf Professional, Teaching Assistant, Golf Shop Manager/Sales Assistant, Range Attendant and Tournament Professional in the U.S. Canada, Europe& Asia

Other Positions and Skills: Musician/Singer/Songwriter/Lead Guitarist with professional international touring & recording experience * Real Estate Property Inspector * Website Developer * Sales & Marketing * Photography * Computer Literate & Internet Savvy. Proficient with most Microsoft and some Adobe applications * Type 50 words a minute.


Personal Traits;
Independent Self Starter, Reliable/Dependable. Trustworthy, Patient, Punctual, Excellent communicator with experience teaching students as well as training and supervising staff.

Resume  (click on links to view) 

January 2010 to Present Pine Hills Lodge, Julian, California
Bartender/Chef
Popular wedding venue and weekend destination. Part time position, very lucrative.  One of the better gigs I've had. I get along with the owners very well and we have a lot of fun.Duties include bartending, end of day procedure using Aloha POS and locking up. On occasion, I will be asked to cook Sunday and holiday themed brunches.
Kitchen Manager
Consultant for 2 unit restaurant company. Contracted for 1 year to implement required changes. Overseeing the establishment of SafeServe and HACCP protocols, streamlining and standardizing the ordering process, streamlining and standardizing food preparation, establishing higher standards of 'from scratch cooking'.
March 2009 to January 2010: Nations Realty, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Field Agent
Independent contractor for Real Estate Company. Internet based position, where my duties included; obtaining tasks from company website (5 to 30 a day), route planning, visit & inspect properties, take photographs of properties, label all photographs with attached property comment sheet to send to agents within the company assigned to that property. Liaise with representatives of financial institutions, law offices, other real estate companies along with property owners & occupants.

March 2008 to January 2010:  Winston Trails Golf Club, Lake Worth, Florida
General Manager/Head Chef
Responsible for entire clubhouse operation, including the restaurant, patio bar, turn house & beverage cart and the large banquet facility which could cater to 300 people. Responsibilities included sales, marketing and coordinating 200+ annual functions, including weddings, parties and golf related outtings. Further responsibilites included; staff hiring, training and supervision, menu creation, cooking, maintaining appropriate F & B stock levels, Programming POS system, P & L margins and end of day.
 
March 2005 to Jan 2008: 241 Pizza, Greystones, Co. Wicklow, Ireland
Owner/Operator  
After operating out of the kitchens of the Porterhouse Brewing Company, I moved operations to a unit located in a shopping mall where the anchor tenant was a multi-national supermarket chain. Three months after moving in, an approached was made by the anchor tenant with a view to selling my lease, which would allow them to redevelop the entire complex.. After a couple of month of tense negotiations,we agreed an offer that I could not refuse.
 
Head Chef/Asst. Manager
Employed as Chef, 1992. Left after one year to pursue my golf interests in the U.S. Maintained personal contact with directors throughout my absence. Re-employed on a part time basis in 2003 and assumed head Chef responsibilites in 2005. I Achieved great success in food production and exceeded company standards of quality control & prompt output. Food sales increased during my tenure from previous years while labor costs decreased, exceeding the expectations of the company directors. As a direct result of my success in the Kitchen, I was promoted to Assistant Manager of all departments including bar, nightclub, restaurant & hotel. The new responsibilities included hiring, scheduling and supervision of all staff, end of day and banking. Simultaneous to my job at the Porterhouse, as part of our agreement, I was allowed to launch my concept, "241 Pizza" from the Porterhouse kitchens. I was able to perform my duties and grow within the company while also running my business to a level that required me to eventually resign my position within the company and move it out of the Porterhouse so it was able to grow.
 
July 2001 to Dec 2007  Greystones Driving Range, Greystones, Ireland
Manager/Golf Professional
Manager of a 30 bay driving range. Duties included running the day to day business, giving golf lessons using the latest video technology,running clinics & beginner group classes, sale of merchandise, club fitting and repair service. During this time I was a member of the faculty at Cabinteely Adult Education Centre in Dublin, where I held two 1-hour golf instruction classes per week for beginning adults. I still give lessons to many of my clients via the internet through my online golf academy,www.golffor99cent.com

March 2000 to July 2001: Sutton Castle Hotel, Sutton, Co. Dublin, Ireland
(Jameson Whiskey Family Mansion)
Head Chef
Manager of the day to day operations of three kitchens. The Hotel was a very popular venue for weddings dueto the panoramic views the hotel offered over Dublin Bay and the Wicklow mountains beyond. On occasion up to four functions would run simultaneously catering for as many as 500 people.

April 1996 to January 2000: Newcastle Golf Club & Clarington Golf Centre, Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada
Resident Golf Professional
Public golf facility. As the golf season in Canada is somewhat shorter than other places, I spent the winter months in California or Florida playing on professional Golf Tours.I still give lessons to many of my clients via the internetthrough my online golf academy www.golffor99cent.com

January 1992-January 1994: North Palm Beach Country Club, North Palm Beach, Fla.
Executive Chef

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