'I don’t think I could be happier elsewhere': From Egypt to Cork for city restaurant boss

Grabbing a tasty bite at Luigi Malones before the Christmas panto at the Opera House has been a treat for many Corkonians, young and old.

The manager of the Emmet Place restaurant for 23 years, Morad Gharib, loves its place in the city’s culture.

“The moment you open the wooden heavy door with a golden handle, you enter Cork’s secret haven,” says Morad of Luigi’s.

Many celebrations have taken place here.

“With chairs that remember so many celebrations, birthdays, anniversaries, and engagements, Luigi’s is a family place enjoyed by generations,” says Morad.

Second eldest of eight children, he is from Alexandria, Egypt’s second largest city.

Why did he leave his home on the edge of the Nile for the Rebel County?

“I wanted to come to a country where I could speak the English language that I learned in secondary school.” says Morad.

“I was never a shy person. I helped out my parents in their DIY business. Interacting with people suited me.”

The maritime world suited him too, and both Cork and Alexandria are port cities.

“My dad and my grandad both had strong ties with the commercial side of shipping. My grandad was a very skilful sailor on ships with no engines, using the sails and the wind to navigate in the early 1900s. I worked as well as an engineer aboard ship. The engine work allowed me to use my brain. There was a crew of between 12 and 15 people.”

While Morad had sea legs, he preferred being on land.

“I wasn’t that keen on the working environment,” he says. “The time on land was limited. All the time at sea became isolating and depressing.

“When we’d move out of port, I would see the lights fade and I felt a pull on my heart.

“During my second contract an incident happened on rough seas when we lost 30 or 40 containers and things became pretty dangerous,” adds Morad.

Seafaring was not for Morad any longer. He says: “I made my mind up to work on diesel engines on land, not sea.”

And then he decided that he would pursue other horizons.

“I was good at English. I was first in the class at English. I decided to travel to where I could speak English and where I knew nobody. I sought out a new culture.”

What about new conditions away from the Mediterranean sun?

Morad laughs.

“I tell my mother there are so many showers in Ireland! When I worked in the Red Sea near Jordan and Saudi Arabia, the temperatures on deck could reach 43 to 44 degrees. I am no fan of heat.”

Why did he choose the island of Ireland to come to, to live and work here?

“I thought the USA was too big,” says Morad. “I looked at an atlas with my friend. We looked at the index, the languages, and the flags. We applied to the Irish embassy in Dublin for our visas.”

The pair were good to go.

“First, we worked in a meat factory in Co. Offaly,” says Morad.

What was that like?

“It was OK,” says Morad. “And it gave us time to settle.”

He headed to Dublin and climbed the ladder in the hospitality world, starting on the lower rungs in Luigi Malones Dublin.

“I was young and naïve,” says Morad. “I began working in the kitchen washing dishes, as well as working as a kitchen porter.”

The boss was impressed with him.

“He said I was too clean, too polished, to be washing up in the kitchen!” says Morad.

“I always had my white t-shirt freshly washed and ironed. My white hat and my apron were spotless. My boss asked me if I’d like to train as a commis chef. And could I start at 5pm that same evening!”

Morad’s life was sailing along nicely.

“I married a girl from back home who went to school with my sister. Our family like living in the beauty of East Cork. The kids love playing GAA!”

When the Luigi Malone franchise opened in Cork in late 2000, Morad was one of three managers who were employed in the restaurant.

“By now I was a manager in the Dublin branch of Luigi Malones’, says Morad.

He didn’t miss washing up.

“I was only three weeks washing up!” says Morad laughing.

“I was asked to come to Cork to work here three times by my boss. He knew I was reliable.”

Did he know then that Cork was the ‘real capital’ of Ireland?

“I did not know that,” admits Morad, now happily ensconced in the real capital.

“When I first came to Cork, I would go to Dublin every midweek when I was off. That became less and less.”

He found his feet in Cork and business in Luigi Malones took off.

“A number of Cork restaurants like Scoozi’s and Luigi Malones took off and were very busy from the start,” says Morad.

He is now a true Corkonian.

“When we went on holidays to New Jersey for three weeks, I was keen to return back to Cork earlier!”

Morad and his family have the best of all worlds here.

“It is a dream to have Cork Airport just up the road. The city has all you want and the coast is nearby.”

Old habits die hard though

“I gravitate towards the sea,” says Morad. “I love the sea. I am emotionally attached to it.”

He is attached to the Cork humour too.

“There is nothing like it anywhere!” says Morad.

Apart from welcoming both young and old, Morad has welcomed some famous names who came to dine in Luigi Malones.

“Pat Shortt, members of Westlife, all came here to dine before their shows in the Opera House,” says Morad. “Tommy Fleming always comes every time.”

Does Morad get much free time?

“Unless I am sick, I always find something useful to do when I am off,” he says. “I get up, wash my car, wash the windows, tidy the shed, paint the skirting board in the bathroom….”

Enough already!

Morad is a Christmas person and a people person.

“I love the Christmas atmosphere,” he says. “I get into the swing of things.”

Morad is a happy person.

“I don’t think I could be happier elsewhere,” he says. “I love Cork people and I have respect for them. I love the culture and I like the laid- back attitude.

“Life is too short not to enjoy it. Irish people are so positive, and they have reason to support Palestine.

“I see myself as 100% Irish. And I could be no prouder.”