Get to Know the Tapas Hero: Chef Seamus Mullen

Chef Seamus Mullen helped introduce tapas to New York City, wrote a successful cookbook, and is a regular on the culinary shows and cutthroat kitchen competitions. But he didn't always know he'd find his passion behind the stove. Here, how Mullen found his way in the competitive culinary world and what's next for a chef who's (almost) done it all. 

As chef and owner of the famed Tertulia, Mullen is synonyous with the Spanish dining scene in New York City. That's due in part to this high school Spanish teacher. Though he described himself as a terrible student, Mullen had a talent for speaking Spanish. His teacher encouraged him to go to Spain, where Mullen lived with a host family with a mom who liked to cook. Aware that he shared her passion for food, she encouraged him to try things he’d never eaten before (like squid and octopus), and something clicked.

After graduating college (during which he spent more time in Spain) with a degree in Spanish literature, he set out to become a chef, though in a nontraditional way. “I enrolled in culinary school for about a week," said Mullen. "Then I realized I kind of already knew this stuff.”

Knowing he needed formal training, Mullen decided to apprentice in Europe. But the question remained: France or Spain? At the time, the culinary scene in Spain was growing, becoming a forward-thinking food mecca for the culinary world. Also, he spoke Spanish. Decision made.

After several years working in top kitchens in Spain, Mullen returned to New York and saw a gap in the city's dining scene: where were the authentic tapas restaurants Mullen knew so well? In 2006, he opened Boqueria to much acclaim, and New York’s love affair with tapas took off.

Next, Mullen opens his first restaurant… [pagebreak]

In 2010, Mullen left Boqueria to start his first solo restaurant, Tertulia. “It was difficult to leave something behind that I loved dearly and helped create,” Mullen said. But he recognized the opportunity to build a new restaurant that felt personal to him. “I wanted a neighborhood restaurant where people could come in two to three times a week and have a different experience.”  Ever focused on quality products, Mullen said, “I wanted a convivial, product-driven place.”

Tertulia is based on the cider houses, called sidrerias, of Asturias in northern Spain. And the word tertulia in Spanish refers to a tradition of organized conversations around a table. While studying in Spain, Mullen had a weekly tertulia with about literature, where he talked about the writings of Cervantes and Gabriel García Marquez. Mullen wanted Tertulia to recreate that experience in New York. 

But life as a chef wasn't always easy. After opening Boqueria, Mullen began suffering unexplained and agonizing pain. He was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the joints and causes painful swelling. Though Mullen tried to manage his chronic pain for years, it was a difficult time. “I was struggling to balance a career and at the same time dealing with a body that was literally falling apart," Mullen said.

Today, Mullen rides his bike six days a week and is training for an endurance race. He credits diet and exercise for reversing his symptoms. He explained, “I started incorporating really good food into my diet, which has had a tremendous impact on how I feel. I went from suffering every day to feeling great.”

Mullen even wrote his cookbook, Hero Food: How Cooking with Delicious Things Can Make Us Feel Better, to showcase the health benefits of good ingredients. He also helps counsel others suffering from chronic inflammatory diseases to make significant changes in their diets. His eating for health theory is simple: “Put garbage in, get garbage out. Put good stuff in, get better results.”

Next, what the future holds for Mullen… [pagebreak]

After learning to manage his health, the chef focused once again on his culinary career. Mullen’s celebrity status grew when he competed on the Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef.” His competitive streak kicked in and Mullen committed. “I grew up an athlete," said Mullen. "This was the first time I thought of food as sport. It’s very different from cooking in a restaurant.”

But the experience was daunting and Mullen pushed himself past his physical limits – he collapsed on the last episode and underwent spinal surgery a few days later.    

These days, Mullen assumes the role of judge (on shows including “Chopped” and “Beat Bobby Flay”) rather than competitor. “They’re really doing what you see on TV,” he said. “It’s really, really hard. Those days of my life are done.”

Now, it's all about keeping it simple, in cooking and beyond, and looking forward.

In late 2013, Mullen opened El Colmado in New York’s Gotham West Market. With El Colmado’s success, he’s venturing to England. In September 2014, he plans to open a larger restaurant in the new Mondrian Hotel in London’s South Bank. He declined to share the name but said the food will be broadly based on Mediterranean cuisine. As always, he said, “the emphasis will be on farm-to-table and seasonal cooking.”