I was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. I began my career at 14 when I applied for a position at my local bistro. After being given a position as a kitchen hand, I instantly fell in love with the fast-paced, high-demand atmosphere. I looked up to the chefs and wished I could have those skills. There was something about the blunt and brutal banter and sense of humor that made me feel at home.
After working in several pubs and Catering, I dropped out of year 11 at school and started my culinary training at TAFE. Then, I began working with a well-known hospitality group where I met talented chefs, all of whom I learned a great deal from over the years. It was a very demanding, fast-paced restaurant, doing covers of 800-1200, but by working hard as a strong team, we didn’t even feel it.
I began working hard and moving up in position through hotels, where I won the Accor NSW Golden Plate and became Sous Chef, where I had the experience to open the venue from scratch, and finally finding a home at Balcon by Tapavino, where I am now Head Chef.
I’ve been in the industry now for 22 years. I recall one moment in the kitchen when I worked with a chef early in my career who got in my face and was very aggressive and violent over something wrong. I had to decide then and there what kind of chef I would be. I could back down and walk away or be assertive and stand up for myself. I chose the latter, which has made me a much stronger chef today and a more empowered team leader.
I hope the expectation in the industry for chefs to work long hours with heavy overtime and little to no breaks changes so we can work regular hours with larger teams to cover. This will lead to higher morale in the workplace, an improvement in efficiency, and higher attention to detail from staff, as well as a great benefit to mental well-being.
What is your favorite street food?
Kebabs
Which restaurant or food stand do you recommend? (Different from yours) (Add its Instagram handle if possible)
EXP. Restaurant @exprestaurant. An amazing experience
