Executive Chef Shawn O'Brien
Some of Chef Shawn O’Brien’s earliest memories involve standing on a stepstool, wearing an oversized apron and tiptoeing as he mixed cookie batter in a bowl alongside his mom and grandmother. These early memories instilled a love for food and cooking that would later decide his career path.
Fast forward years down the line and Shawn found himself in college as an accounting major but his heart was elsewhere. He realized cooking was what truly made him happy, so why not make a living out of it? He quickly enrolled at the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute and into their Cordon Bleu program. Three months later he began his journey with the Cameron Mitchell family at Mitchell’s Fish Market in Pittsburg where something just felt “right.”
Since then, Shawn has had his hand in many of the company’s pots, heading to Columbus, Ohio to work at the original concept for Ocean Prime, Mitchell’s Ocean Club and being part of the team that rebuilt it into what we now know as Ocean Prime. Later on, Shawn became a lead trainer/supervisor in Scottsdale and finally landed in Orlando where he is now the Executive Chef.
One of his proudest moments in the Ocean Prime kitchen was when he prepared dinner for 100 or so members of the Florida Restaurant Lodge Association. The guests, which included former restaurant general managers and executives, were so impressed by their meal that they asked him to come meet them at the end of the evening. They presented him with a plaque to commemorate “one of the best experiences they had had in Florida.”
When he is not working, Shawn loves playing sports—especially a relaxing round of golf. His favorite dish to prepare at home is Mexican fajitas—and ranch dressing is something you will always find in his fridge.
As for the time he spends in the kitchen at Ocean Prime, Shawn says, “I don’t even call this work, I love being here. I am doing exactly what I want do with my life and that is very rewarding.”
Executive Chef Shawn O'Brien
Some of Chef Shawn O’Brien’s earliest memories involve standing on a stepstool, wearing an oversized apron and tiptoeing as he mixed cookie batter in a bowl alongside his mom and grandmother. These early memories instilled a love for food and cooking that would later decide his career path.
Fast forward years down the line and Shawn found himself in college as an accounting major but his heart was elsewhere. He realized cooking was what truly made him happy, so why not make a living out of it? He quickly enrolled at the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute and into their Cordon Bleu program. Three months later he began his journey with the Cameron Mitchell family at Mitchell’s Fish Market in Pittsburg where something just felt “right.”
Since then, Shawn has had his hand in many of the company’s pots, heading to Columbus, Ohio to work at the original concept for Ocean Prime, Mitchell’s Ocean Club and being part of the team that rebuilt it into what we now know as Ocean Prime. Later on, Shawn became a lead trainer/supervisor in Scottsdale and finally landed in Orlando where he is now the Executive Chef.
One of his proudest moments in the Ocean Prime kitchen was when he prepared dinner for 100 or so members of the Florida Restaurant Lodge Association. The guests, which included former restaurant general managers and executives, were so impressed by their meal that they asked him to come meet them at the end of the evening. They presented him with a plaque to commemorate “one of the best experiences they had had in Florida.”
When he is not working, Shawn loves playing sports—especially a relaxing round of golf. His favorite dish to prepare at home is Mexican fajitas—and ranch dressing is something you will always find in his fridge.
As for the time he spends in the kitchen at Ocean Prime, Shawn says, “I don’t even call this work, I love being here. I am doing exactly what I want do with my life and that is very rewarding.”