A NORTH Belfast man says he is "living the dream" working as restaurant manager for Scottish Premiership giants Celtic.
Josh Holmes (30) who hails from the Antrim Road has been working at Celtic Park for almost two years. Josh has come a long way since he started his catering and hospitality career when he was just 16-years-old with a part-time job in the Europa Hotel.
"I have always worked in hospitality. I got a part-time job in the Europa Hotel when I was 16 and was there for six or seven years," he said.
"I learnt most of what I do now there. It was great experience. I worked in the Clayton and Maldron Hotels too."
Josh said everything changed when his partner got a job in Glasgow.
"I saw a job advertised for restaurant manager at Celtic and thought I would apply for it and ended up getting it."
Josh's work is split between the two main restaurants at Celtic Park – Walfrid Restaurant and the iconic Number 7 Restaurant.
"My work is split between matchdays and non-matchdays," he explained. "Non-matchday weekends, the Number Seven Restaurant is open to the public. We would cater for close to 1,000 people at the weekend.
The Number 7 restaurant at Celtic Park
"On matchdays, I look after the Walfrid Restaurant, which is seasonal hospitality. It is four-course fine dining before the match and complementary bar afterwards.
"I would also manage events at the stadium, outside of the normal restaurant – including Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Easter Sunday and Christmas parties.
"When I started at Celtic I could not believe the stadium held large conferences and events outside of match days. I naively assumed it was only football matches that took place."
Josh said he is really looking forward to the new season starting – especially with Celtic playing in the Champions League, which he says brings another level of excitement to his job.
"When UEFA are involved, everything becomes next level. The stadium is taken over and the attention to detail is amazing.
"I also look after the VIP dining for the visiting club directors and our own club directors and UEFA delegates pre-European match nights, which brings another layer of excitement outside of catering for the team."
As for the job itself, Josh admits it is a "dream" working for the club.
"I was always a Manchester United fan growing up. I had been to see Celtic a few times as well and always loved the buzz of going in to Celtic Park.
"It is a dream job in many ways. The type of work is similar to what I was doing in hotels in Belfast.
"Working for Celtic FC, it gives me a real buzz. Everyone knows the club across the world. We would cater for the team when they are at the stadium. We look after them on matchday or before any European away trip.
"It has come second nature to me now but when I tell people who I was feeding and all the ins and outs of the team, people can’t believe how close I am to the players and staff.
"As for the future, I just hope I can keep progressing forward in my career."
