At 3:30 on a cloudy spring afternoon, Seamus Mullen – then the executive chef and partner of Boqueria, a trendy Spanish restaurant in New York City – was in the kitchen prepping for the evening rush. His first task: dissecting the carcass of a freshly killed 35-pound lamb.

“My hands are hurting today,” he said. That and a slight limp were the only hints that this talented, up-and-coming chef with Irish good looks was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) a few years ago. A bolt out of the blue – he has no family history of the disease – it turned his world upside down but fueled his determination to continue doing what he loves.

With the precision and patience of a surgeon, he used two knives, a Japanese meat cleaver and a saw to separate the lamb, gently placing each part – the rack, neck, shoulders, and so on – to the side. By midnight, when the restaurant closed, he had worked 12 hours, though too often he works 15.

Seamus’ trademark offerings are tapas, tiny snacks that are standard fare in Spanish bars. But they’re a far cry from American bar foods. Think marinated olives and cheese, cured sausage, fresh seafood and produce, dates, savory herbs and spices and antibiotic- and hormone-free lamb.

His cooking has wowed finicky food critics. One crowed that Seamus can “cook his butt off and still decorate a plate prettily and poetically like an artist.” With praise like that, it’s no surprise Seamus is rising to the top ranks of chefdom; in February  2010 he was named a semi-finalist for the title “Best Chef: New York City,” by the prestigious James Beard Foundation. In 2009 he was among a dozen chefs vying for the title “The Next Iron Chef” on the Food Network show of the same name. (He was eliminated halfway through.)

It’s heady stuff for a guy who grew up in Vermont, learning organic farming from his grandmother.

His love affair with Spanish food began in high school when he spent his senior year abroad. He studied Spanish language and literature in college and returned to Spain for his junior and senior years.

After graduation, he trained with top chefs in California, New York and Spain and worked as a sous chef in New York City until launching the first Boqueria – there are two locations now – in 2006.

A New Challenge

In April 2007, as he was savoring his success, RA changed everything. After sporadic bouts of pain that landed him in the emergency room – and one bout at home that was so severe he was unable to phone for help (a neighbor heard his cries seven hours later) – he was diagnosed. “I was scared,” he says. “I wondered, ‘How much longer am I going to be able to work?’ I still feel the sky could fall at any moment. That’s the scary thing about this disease.” He has no plans to hang up his apron, and he tries his best not to let RA interfere with his work.

But during one stressful episode of “The Next Iron Chef,” Seamus experienced a flare so severe that he was wheelchair-bound between scenes. “The producers didn’t know I had RA until it became apparent,” he says. “I thought if I could do the show, it would be an incredible accomplishment for me and an inspiration to others with RA.”

For a while, low-level malaise was more the rule than the exception for Seamus. When his RA flares, he feels it in his right hand, arm, shoulder and ankle, and his left knee and hip. “If I’m really bad, I’ll feel it in my feet,” he says.

But Seamus is resourceful. “I try to avoid bending down and reaching inside the refrigerator. I don’t pick up heavy things, like stockpots. If my hand bothers me, I don’t use a knife. I try to do more teaching than hands-on stuff.”

He also tries not to work 15-hour days. It isn’t easy. “When I tell colleagues I have to go home, I can tell sometimes they feel like I am letting them down,” he says. “But I need to be very clear about what I can and can’t do.

“I may look like a completely healthy, got-my-stuff-together young man,” the 38-year-old adds. “But every day is trouble for me when I get out of bed. If you are physically disabled in a way that is visible, it's easier for people to understand. There is this expectation that I am fine.”

Feeling Better, Giving Back

Since April 2010, when Seamus first spoke with Arthritis Today, his health has improved markedly.

He started taking a biologic drug in addition to a traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drug. He also takes a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication as needed.

“The new biologic medicine really helps me deal with chronic pain and stiffness,” he says. “I have gotten a lot better.”

Perhaps because of that he decided to chart a new course. He left Boqueria in July 2010. In August 2011 he opened a new restaurant, Tertulia, in Manhattan’s West Village, showcasing Spanish-inspired dishes. Arthritis Today caught up with Seamus again the morning after the opening. He was exhausted, punctuating his comments with generous yawns, but elated. “It went well,” he says. “We had a surprisingly large crowd despite rainy, nasty weather.”

He also released his cookbook, Seamus Mullen’s Hero Food: How Cooking With Delicious Things Can Make Us Feel Better, (Andrew McMeel Publishing, May 2012). And as if life couldn't get better, there’s a wedding in his future – he is engaged to a woman who works in restaurant design.

He is also bicycling – a lot. “Thanks to the biologic, I have been able to return to exercise,” he says. He rides 45 to 50 miles per day six days per week, logging 200 to 300 miles a week. “Once I started exercising, I felt better and stronger,” he says.

That’s how he feels when he’s working in the kitchen, too.

“The best part of being a chef is that I get to do what I love,” says Seamus. “Nothing gives me greater gratification than making someone happy through food. I could have been a dentist or lawyer but those things didn’t satisfy me in the same way it does to cook for someone and see the smile on their face. Giving someone delicious food helps me deal with the physical stress and intensity of the job. While being a chef can be difficult, challenging and painful, it is never a chore.”

Kitchen-Friendly Strategies

RA doesn’t have to keep you out of the kitchen. Here are Seamus’ tips for easy, pain-free cooking:

• Use a cheater to open jars. Seamus swears by Good Grips. Another option: an electric can opener.

• Get a food processor or a manual vegetable chopper. Instead of slicing and dicing by hand, let the machine do the work.

• Choose large-handled utensils and knives with ergonomic handles for easy gripping.

• Keep appliances on the counter at waist height instead of a cabinet below. “That way you don’t have to bend down,”says Seamus.

• Buy lightweight cookware with two handles for easy lifting.

• Carry water to your pot in a light container. It’s easier than filling a metal pot and then hoisting and carrying it to the stove.

• Line roasting pans with foil for easy cleanup.

• Store spices on the counter or in a drawer at hip level instead of in an overhead cabinet.

• Stand on a rubber mat to lessen stress on your feet and legs.

• Keep a stool handy so you can sit when you need to.

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Seamus Mullen’s Top Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Chef Seamus Mullen believes food that’s grown locally, is pesticide- and antibiotic-free, is fresh and in season can fightinflammation. Here are a few of his favorites:

• Shell beans, both fresh and dried. “They’re an incredible source of protein and omega-3s,” he says. “They are also delicious and versatile.”

• Sweet potatoes. “They’re packed with protein and potassium – all sorts of good stuff.”

• Squash. “I love Hubbard and Kabocha,” he says – including the nutrient-rich skin and seeds.

• Strawberries. Seamus favors berries that are fresh, organic, in season and vine-ripened. Freeze for year-round eating.

• Green leafy veggies. Kale, collard greens, mustard greens and Brussels sprouts are packed with folic acid.

• Anchovies. These “unsung heroes” are high in omega-3s.

• Parsley. “It has incredible flavor and eases inflammation,” says Seamus, who drinks parsley juice if his hands hurt. He tosses parsley in a juicer and adds lemon juice and apple slices for sweetness.