‘I worked hard...and I've no intention of letting cancer beat me'

Sabrina Levis Morley jumped at the chance to go out on her own and open Gourmet Pantry in her home town in 2023. However, it was not without its challenges, and last year she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Still undergoing treatment, Sabrina tells EMMA CONNOLLY how the diagnosis changed her outlook on life.
‘I worked hard...and I've no intention of letting cancer beat me'

Sabrina back at work in July and celebrating two years since Gourmet Pantry opened in Carrigaline. 

Amid the whirlwind of motherhood, marriage, and managing a thriving business, 41-year-old Sabrina Levis Morley was dealt a life-altering blow: a diagnosis of breast cancer.

With two young children depending on her and a company she built from the ground up, she juggled chemotherapy, surgeries, school pick-ups and the day-to-day running of the business, refusing to allow her illness to define her.

In fact, two days after her diagnosis, Sabrina went on holiday with her family.

It says a lot about the businesswoman, who, even though she was completely shocked by the diagnosis, never once contemplated cancelling it and made sure the break was a fun and memorable one for her twin girls, where cancer wasn’t mentioned.

That same determination saw Sabrina return-to-work mid-treatment for a spell last Christmas – she’s the owner of Gourmet Pantry based in Kinsale, Riverstick and Carrigaline. She didn’t want to let her 100-plus customers down, people who had come to rely on her delivering their Christmas dinners and catering for the past few years.

And it’s the same trademark grit that has seen her return to the helm of her businesses full-time - despite needing further cancer treatment for the next year - because she doesn’t want to let her team of 30 down.

Sabrina with her daughters, Isabelle and Zara, at the opening of Gourmet Pantry in Carrigaline. 
Sabrina with her daughters, Isabelle and Zara, at the opening of Gourmet Pantry in Carrigaline. 

Sabrina, from Carrigaline and living in Passage West, has been working in the catering industry since 2002. She’s vastly experienced and was in fact the first person to open a gourmet deli in Cork back in 2008, and among the many success stories to her name is the fondly remembered Claypot Catering.

Fiercely ambitious and highly skilled, in partnership with Padraig O’Sullivan she developed a production kitchen in Riverstick where she ran a corporate catering service and made her own range of soups, pâtés, ready-meals etc, (which were awarded gold and two bronze at Blas na hÉireann in 2019) as well as running a busy deli in Kinsale.

“We really expanded during covid when the idea of ‘grab and go’ took off and people wanted restaurant-quality food to dine at home,” she said.

Further expansion was to follow.

In April, 2023, Michael, from Hassett’s Bakery in Carrigaline began talks to see if they were interested in taking over and bringing her winning formula to her home town.

“It was what I’d always wanted since I returned from Sydney back in 2008, so I jumped at the chance. It was then when I decided to buy out my business partner from the company and take the risk and went out on my own. We opened that July,” said Sabrina.

It was a time she’ll never forget, perhaps not for the right reasons.

“Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong,” she said. “I was putting out fires every day, juggling three locations, but I just had to keep going and in the middle of it, I suppose I got forgotten about, and so did my health.”

Around that time, Sabrina discovered a lump in her left breast, which she got checked and which fortunately was found to be benign.

“But then, last August, I found a lump in my right breast, during a self-check.

“I had breastfed my twin girls and I had been told this could happen so I didn’t get it checked immediately.

Sabrina after undergoing a double reconstructive mastectomy. 
Sabrina after undergoing a double reconstructive mastectomy. 

“When it continued to get bigger in September, I went to the breast clinic in the Bon Secours and the doctor told me straight out, just from looking at the mammogram, that I had breast cancer,” she said.

Putting it to one side for her family holiday, on return she was told she had a 7.5cm tumour and further investigations found it had spread to her lymph nodes and she embarked on five months of intense chemotherapy.

It was a lot to process, but Sabrina’s family and her business kept her going.

“I actually used the time to develop a new click-and-collect catering service for our Kinsale and Carrigaline store. I had to stay busy, positive and focus on what was in my control and what I could add value to,” she said.

That’s despite twice ending up in critical care having contracted pneumonia.

Her husband Paul, who she’s been with for 25 years, has been a great support to the business, and her parents still help out in Carrigaline when needed.

Sabrina remained good friends with her former business partner and he offered his time and stepped in to support her while she was having her surgery.

She is very much loved and respected in the business.

“Because I had systemised the business, and defined the recipes and production, so much of that was possible – my main concern was making sure there was enough money every week to pay everyone and keep the show going.

“The main thing for me was to keep strong, to be positive at home for our twin girls Isabelle and Zara, for Paul, and for the business I had worked so hard to build up since 2016 and taking the chance on going out on my own.

“I had everything to fight for, to leave a legacy for my girls and a business to be proud of.”

Sabrina never once felt angry.

“I was in survival mode really. I felt I had to be positive. When I finished chemo in January, I had a double reconstructive mastectomy followed by 15 sessions of radiotherapy and I was beginning to feel that I could start to see a light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.

“Unfortunately, when I met the oncologist he told me that the tumour had only partially responded to chemo so right now I’m having treatment every three weeks for the next year and will have to continue with different types of medication for the next five years.”

Understandably, Sabrina has good days and bad days.

“There are side- effects to the medication including tiredness and nausea, and some days I’m wiped out, but it’s part of my life now,” she admits.

Again, she talks about her family, her staff who are like family, and how they drive her on.

“I love what I do, hospitality means everything to me, I don’t see it as a job, I love training my team and seeing them develop as stronger, more confident people as the years go by.

“When I started out back in 2002 there weren’t that many females in senior management roles in hospitality and I wanted to change that dynamic.

“I want people to see that there’s opportunities in the industry, with a work/life balance, and that it’s a career, not just a job, that all my staff are heard, respected and valued. It’s a really powerful thing to know that you’re mentoring people and can really add value to their lives in so many ways, I want my staff to really enjoy what they do and thrive in the environment, when staff leave the company I want them to have learned a lot about the industry and encourage them to follow their dreams,” she said.

Having said that, this past year has been one of her hardest in business.

Sabrina on holidays with her husband Paul and daughters Isabelle and Zara earlier this month.  
Sabrina on holidays with her husband Paul and daughters Isabelle and Zara earlier this month.  

“Everything has gone up in price, wages, food, rates, utilities, VAT; margins are extremely tight. It’s really a case of survival of the fittest at the moment in the hospitality industry – some weeks you’ll break even and some weeks you won’t quite get there,” she said.

Not that Sabrina ever feels like quitting.

“I’m very positive, you have to keep looking at the business to see where you can make changes to add value and great service to the customer, but it can be hard for women who are juggling work, family and households and we have to support each other.

“If I can do it, I’d like others to know they can too. I’m not going to pack this in, I love what I do, I love looking after people, that passion for food and hospitality will always be in me, the excitement and opportunities in business, it’s what keeps me going and drives me on.”

Not surprisingly, she has further ambitions: her next dream would be to open a ‘grab and go’ deli in Cork Airport selling her famous sambos, wraps and salads, local artisan produce, but for now it’s about taking every day as it comes.

“I want to cram as much into every day as I can and get as much out of life as I can.

“Life is for living, you have to enjoy what you do every day and surround yourself with people that you love and that add value to your life.

“My diagnosis did change my outlook on life and I no longer put things on the long finger.

“I don’t want to have any regrets in life, and enjoy every day that comes. I love travelling and experiencing new countries and cultures.

“It’s about celebrating the small moments with family and friends, enjoying good food and music in our garden. I love bringing everyone together, seeing them laugh, enjoying themselves and building great memories to have for many years.

“I worked hard, I followed my dream, and I’ve no intention of letting cancer beat me.”

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