Donal Skehan's Bio

Donal Skehan is an Irish singer, television personality/presenter, food writer/cook and photographer. Born in Dublin, Ireland (June 3, 1986), Skehan grew up surrounded and inspired by a family of passionate food lovers who have worked in the food industry for over 60 years, so cooking and eating hearty home-cooked food has always been a way of life for him. Throughout his cookbooks and TV series, Skehan’s recipes are accessible, inspiring and encouraging for the everyday home cook.

 

In his early career Skehan was involved in the music industry with his band Industry, which scored two Irish No. 1 hits. Skehan got his start in the world of food in 2007 when he created a food blog (of food adventures and recipes inspired by them) called Good Mood Food. Due to the success of the blog, Skehan was offered a book deal, which coincided with his first television series. Skehan is now one of Ireland’s most-popular food personalities. His television career has seen him learning the secrets of Italian cookery from 13 incredible nonnas on Fox International’s Grandma’s Boy, judging some of the U.K.’s finest young cooks on BBC’s Junior MasterChef and using his Swedish-language skills presenting Sweden’s biggest food show, Mitt Kok. Skehan’s incredibly popular YouTube channel has been snapped up by Jamie Oliver’s FoodTube Network, and with 3 weekly videos, over 3 million views and 180,000 subscribers worldwide, it has become one of his most-successful platforms to date. Apart from food, Skehan is an accomplished food photographer and shoots high-end images for publishing houses in the U.K.

 

After making many television appearances and giving live demonstrations at social events and shows, Skehan was featured in his own weekly food program, Kitchen Hero, on RTÉ One. The show was launched on May 16, 2011, and a second series and a Christmas special aired in 2012. UKTV network Good Food began airing the show in April 2012.

 

In 2011 Skehan published his second book, also titled Kitchen Hero, based on the television series.

 

In 2012 Skehan became a co-presenter and judge on Junior MasterChef on the BBC, appearing alongside John Torode.

 

Skehan as a self-taught cook has been building his food portfolio for the last seven years. His latest venture, the Food Network UK series Follow Donal, will see him travel the world in search of good food, beginning with Vietnam. An episode from this series presents Donal as he explores Vietnam’s capital city, Hanoi, as well as showing you how to cook up some Vietnamese-inspired dishes at home.

 

Skehan’s career has continued to grow: He is the author of five cookbooks and has accumulated more than 2.5 million fans on YouTube, and now the Irish cook has released his series Follow Donal.

Most Popular Recipes

All Recipes by Donal Skehan

Bahn Mi Sandwiches with Pork, Pickled Vegetables and Herbs

Beet Gravlax with Crispbreads and Pickled Cucumbers

Vietnamese Crispy Chicken Salad

Treacle Beef Short Ribs with Cheesy Polenta

Sticky Banana and Sesame Coconut Pancakes

Vietnamese Coffee and Condensed Milk Panna Cotta

Herby Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)

Vietnamese Fresh Prawn Summer Rolls

Butterscotch Vodka Pudding

Vietnamese Caramel Salmon with Sticky Rice