Clean Cut Meals co-founders Micheál Dyer and Conor McCallion share their life in food, from their earliest memories to their favourite flavours and culinary inspirations.
Micheál Dyer and Conor McCallion met through a shared passion for food, health, and fitness, and founded Clean Cut Meals in Galway in 2015 after spotting a clear gap in the Irish market for food that delivers on both taste and nutrition.
Micheál trained as a chef, beginning his cooking career at age ten before working in kitchens across Galway, London, and San Francisco, while Conor’s background in hospitality management and fitness helped shape the brand’s focus on convenience, quality, and customer experience.
Clean Cut Meals is an Irish meals company that delivers convenient, high-protein meals that never compromise on taste. Since 2015, the brand has grown into a seasonally-inspired range that covers every meal occasion, from breakfast to dinner, with protein-packed ready-made meals, soups, yogurt pots, pancakes, sandwiches, wraps, and protein pots. Clean Cut Meals is available exclusively in selected SuperValu and Centra stores nationwide.
What are your earliest memories of food?
Conor: Big family dinners at home, Sunday roasts, and the smell of fresh bread and my Mum’s curry in the kitchen. Food was always a big social thing growing up.
How would you describe your relationship with food?
Micheál: It’s definitely a love/love relationship. I fell in love with food from a very early age. I can remember being in the kitchen cooking from around seven or eight years old, largely thanks to the influence of my parents, who encouraged me to get involved very young. It was something that came naturally to me, and from early on I realised it was something I genuinely loved and was really good at. What I love most about food is the way it brings people together and makes people happy. For me, cooking is one of the main ways I show appreciation for people. Whether it’s cooking for family, friends, or customers, there’s something really rewarding about seeing people enjoy something you’ve created. Food has always been about more than eating to me. It’s about connection, memories, and making people feel good.
What was the first meal you learned to cook?
Conor: Chicken pasta. Very basic, probably overloaded with sauce and cheese, but at the time I thought I had mastered cooking.
How did working with food become your career?
Micheál: Food became my career when I started working in a local bakery in Oughterard at the age of 13. But my interest in cooking started long before that. I have really fond memories of cooking at home from the age of eight or nine, making simple things like omelettes for breakfast and spending as much time as I could in the kitchen. From there, it naturally grew into a career. I went from bakeries to pizzerias, then into fine dining and fast casual concepts, so I’ve been lucky enough to experience a lot of different sides of the food industry. I also went on to study Culinary Arts in GMIT, which gave me a great foundation and helped turn something I loved into a real profession. Every role taught me something different and helped shape the way I look at food today.
What’s your go-to breakfast?
Micheál: My go-to breakfast is definitely chilli fried eggs with smashed avocado on sourdough toast and some homemade tomato salsa. It’s simple, fresh, full of flavour, and probably the kind of breakfast I could eat every single day without getting tired of it.
If you’re impressing friends and family at a dinner party, what are you serving up?
Micheál: I’d probably be serving a full three course meal. I love cooking at home and entertaining friends and family. I’m lucky to have a kitchen at home that I absolutely love, and it’s definitely one of my happy places. For me, cooking for people is how I show appreciation, so having everyone around the table enjoying food together is something I really enjoy. For the main course, it would almost certainly be some kind of meat dish because that’s what I love cooking most. Slow cooked meats, grilled cuts, big bold flavours, proper comforting food done really well. That’s usually my style when I’m cooking for people at home.
Who is your culinary inspiration?
Conor: I wouldn’t say I have one specific chef or person. I’m more interested in brands, food trends, and concepts that make quality food more accessible while still tasting great.
What would your last meal on earth be?
Micheál: My death row meal, as I like to call it, is a tough one. It would either be a full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings—turkey, ham, roast potatoes, stuffing, the whole lot—because there’s something nostalgic and comforting about it. Or it could just be a really good pizza. I absolutely love pizza. It’s one thing I eat every single week without fail, and I don’t think I’d ever get tired of it.
What’s your go-to comfort food?
Micheál: That’s a tough one, but I’d probably have to say creamy mashed potato or an indulgent mac’n’cheese bake. There’s something really comforting about a proper creamy mash done well. Simple food done right is hard to beat, and sometimes the most comforting dishes are the most basic ones.
What’s the go-to quick meal you cook when you’re tired and hungry?
Conor: Eggs on toast or a chicken wrap with whatever’s in the fridge.
What is one food or flavour you cannot stand?
Conor: Blue cheese. I’ve tried to like it a few times and just can’t get there.
Hangover cure?
Conor: Breakfast roll, sparkling water, electrolytes, and a walk to try and convince yourself you’re sorting your life out.
Sweet or savoury?
Conor: Savoury all day.
Fine dining or pub grub?
Conor: A really good pub with great food and music is hard to beat, but I appreciate both when they’re done well.
Favourite restaurant in Ireland?
Micheál: I have to give a shout out to my good friend Alice Jary and say Rúibín on the docks in Galway. If you haven’t been, definitely check it out. They’re doing some really great things there. The menu is incredibly innovative, constantly changing with the seasons, and it really showcases how strong and exciting the Irish food scene is right now.
Best coffee in Ireland?
Conor: Súil Eile and AITIUIL in Barna, Galway are definitely up there for me.
What are your thoughts on the Irish foodie scene?
Micheál: I think the Irish food scene is in a really good place right now. The progress we’ve made over the last five years in terms of innovation, creativity, and the influence of different flavours and cultures has been unbelievable to watch. There’s a real openness now to trying new things, and chefs and restaurants across Ireland are pushing standards higher all the time. We’ve incredible local produce here as well, which gives people such a strong foundation to work from. Honestly, I think the food scene in Ireland is absolutely booming at the moment, and it’s become one of the best countries to get genuinely great food.
What’s your favourite thing about cooking?
Micheál: My favourite thing about cooking is the innovation and creativity that comes with it. I love finding new recipes and trying new ideas, but rarely following something exactly as it’s written. I enjoy changing things, adding ingredients, taking things away, and putting my own spin on dishes to make them feel personal. That’s what I love most about cooking, the freedom to express yourself and your passion through food. No two people cook the exact same way, and I think that individuality is what makes food so interesting.
What does food — sitting down to a meal with friends, mindfully preparing a meal, nourishment, etc — mean to you?
Conor: Food is connection more than anything. Some of the best conversations and memories happen around a table.
Food for thought — What are some areas for improvement within the Irish food/restaurant/hospitality scene?
Conor: There’s still room for healthier grab-and-go options and more support for independent restaurants. Costs are extremely challenging across the industry right now.
Chef’s kiss — Tell us about one standout foodie experience you’ve had recently.
Conor: A tasting menu in the west of Ireland that focused entirely on local Irish ingredients. Nothing overcomplicated — just unreal produce cooked properly.
Compliments to the chef — Now’s your chance to sing the praises of a talented chef, beloved restaurant, or particularly talented foodie family member.
Conor: The standard of independent restaurants in Galway at the moment is brilliant. Places like Rúibín, are doing an unbelievable job with quality and consistency despite how difficult the industry is.
Secret ingredient — What, in your estimation, makes the perfect dining experience?
Micheál: I think the perfect dining experience comes down to a combination of different things all working together. First and foremost, it starts with the food and the menu itself, how carefully the dishes are chosen, whether the menu changes seasonally, and whether there’s real thought and creativity behind what’s being served. But it’s much more than just the food. The ambience plays a huge role too, how a restaurant feels, how it’s decorated, the atmosphere it creates when you walk through the door. For me though, service is absolutely crucial. Great service always leaves a lasting impression on people. If you feel welcomed and looked after from the moment you arrive, it completely changes your experience of the meal. Excellent food and excellent service go hand in hand, and when you combine those with a great atmosphere, that’s what creates the perfect dining experience.