John & Sandy Wyer are Chefs & Restauranteurs. They co-own Forest Avenue, Forest & Marcy, and soon to open Little Forest.
John was born in Glanmire, Cork and is 39yrs old. Sandy is 40 yrs old and was born and raised in Queens, New York on Forest Avenue, which their first restaurant is named after. They both started their carreers as kitchen porters and then cooks in Heidelberg, Germany where they both met. Sandy left her native New York at the age of 20 yrs old. John left Cork to work with his computer science degree he had earned from UCC. In Heidelberg they both found that they had a natural love for cooking.
They moved back to John’s native Cork, where they completed a course at the CIT in professional cookery. Sandy spent her apprentship whilst in college in Lovett’s in Douglas, a suburb of Cork. A small family run fine dining restaurant, where the foundation of the basics were layed. She then moved on to work with Denis Cotter in the famed vegetarian restaurant Café Paridiso.
John started his apprentice in Jack’s a Cork institution. He finished in Le Gourmandise where he watched his mentor Pat Keily run one of Cork’s greatest restaurants.
After finishing the course, John & Sandy moved to Spain. At the time molecular gastronomy was the trend and they wanted to find out about this new way of cooking. They spent a year there, starting off in Galicia and then moving to Barcelona. Eventually they moved back to Ireland and settled in Dublin. Sandy worked in Chapter one for a short period of time and then moved to the one michelin starred L’Ecrivan. She was the head pastry chef there for just over 3 years. This gave her the oppurtunity to express her own personal style and creativity and for it to nurture and grow. John worked in L’Ecrivian as a senior chef de partie and then evently head chef. . He then set up Mulberry Gardens kitchen and concept. Sandy left L’Ecrivian when she became pregnant in 2010. After having their daughter Ruby she took one year off from work.
In 2011 they started as tutors in the Dublin Cookery School in Blackrock. They were full time tutors on the 3 month professional cookery course as well as on individual day and evening classes. Here they took the knowledge they had accumulated and were able to share it with others through demo’s and practical classes.
In 2013 John & Sandy decided it was time to open a restaurant of their own. Having spent 10 years perfecting and dedicating themselves to their craft. They opened Forest Avenue offering their customers a fine dining experience in a relaxed informal atmosphere. The restaurant was received very well with critics and diners. 3 years after opening Forest Avenue they opened Forest & Marcy & almost 6 years on they are adding a third to the family. Both Forest Avenue and Forest & Marcy’s interiors were designed by Sandy. Upon opening Forest Avenue Sandy had to change career and became the front of house manager instead of being in the kitchen. She has spent the last 5 ½ years dedicating herself to expanding her wine knowledge. And has found that she has a new passion. She enjoys the role and the time she gets to connect with the customers that come into both restaurants. John has worked on expanding his craft. He is working on sourdough breads, butchery, charcuterie and ferments. John has dedicated his time to sourcing the best produce he can possibly find, treating it simply and letting it shine on the plate. They continue to learn and evolve their knowledge and what they do with their life’s work and passions.