Archive for the 'Chef Interviews' Category

From fine dining at Astral, to the Mediterranean overtones of Sean’s Kitchen, to the hot seat on my show, Executive Chef Sean Connolly certainly knows how to entertain.

By Natascha Moy

Sean Connolly is a scream. He has the cheekiest smile and the most boyish charm, and this was totally evident when he joined us in the studio for last week’s radio show on 89.7FM Eastside Radio. I have been very fortunate to have had some of Sydney’s top chefs on my show this past year and while all of them have been great interviews, none have made me laugh as much as Sean.

Sean Connolly’s award accolade reads like a school graduation ceremony:

Chef’s Hat, 2007 & 2008 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards
Chef of the Year, 2008 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards
One star, Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide 2006, 2007, 2008 2009
Chef of the Year, 2006, 2007 & 2008 Australian Hotels Association NSW Awards for Excellence
Best Restaurant of the Year, 2007 AHA NSW Awards
Best Fine Dining Restaurant in a Hotel, Restaurant & Catering Awards for Excellence NSW & ACT 2007

The best of all however is being recognized by GQ as Chef of the Year along with Hugh Jackman (Man of the Year), Baz Luhrmann, (Creative Force of the Year), Daniel MacPherson (TV Personality of the Year) and the late Heath Ledger (Actor of the Year). My understanding is that I was very lucky indeed to have the man in person on my show as he usually only does phone interviews. So, to have him sitting opposite me, managing to almost demolish the entire bag of biltong that Reon Wisenache had brought with him for us to try was a huge coup. Sean loved the biltong and you may well see it on the menu at Sean’s Kitchen one day soon.

Sean is a master in the kitchen and has been the Head Chef of Astral, Star City’s fine dining restaurant since 1995. The food at Astral is imaginative and his superior technique is evident in his dishes. The private dining room, which boasts 270-degree views, and has hosted many celebrities, is where Sean creates his magic. Here he is able to offer a bespoke menu fit for royalty.

Celebrity chef Michael Moore who owns Summit, who we have also had on our show and who is a good friend of Gordon F Ramsay has spent two romantic dinners up on this top-floor private oasis, so it really must be good!

Sean has just embarked on his latest venture called Sean’s Kitchen (see the review click here). This new and challenging endeavour has made him busier and happier than ever. He is master of his own destiny and moves around his restaurants like a magician making sure that everything is in perfect harmony.

His introduction into food as the only boy in the Home Economics class (I did ask if he did this just to get the girls) has placed him on a great path, and as with most of my guests, he thinks he is very lucky, “I never work a day, I just spend everyday doing what I love.”

While being interviewed Sean had a momentary lapse of reason and when teased about his answer he let out a cheeky grin and we all doubled up laughing… definitely not a man to take things too seriously. He is one of my favourites… especially as I am a confirmed chef groupie.  I have no doubt that Sean will continue to entertain us with his fabulous food and his easy charm and I look forward to the next installment of his career.

Sean’s Kitchen and Astral are located at Star City, 80 Pyrmont NSW, 2009 (02) 9777 9000

Like a fine wine; the relationship between Café Sydney’s executive chef, Matt Bates, and sommelier, Todd Cummins, only gets better with age.

By Emma-Kate Dobbin

It’s a sparkling autumn’s afternoon and the sun is shining across Sydney Harbour. Perched at eye level, above the tourists and busy city streets, is the ultra-chic Café Sydney located on the fifth floor of Customs House. From the gorgeous wooden tables, cosmopolitan couples and groups sit enjoying their lazy lunches. The synergy of the restaurant’s interior teamed with the view is a breath-taking match, not unlike the food and wine menu prepared by Sydney’s executive chef, Matt Bates, and sommelier, Todd Cummings.

"We’ve been working together for five years. I was here when Matt started," says Cummings. True to the stereotype, first impressions were lasting.

Bates began his time at Café Sydney as Junior Sous Chef in June 2003, having previously done time at Sydney’s Stamford Plaza and the Marriot Hotel. His resume, however, has not been updated since for lack of time, and fails to cite the outrageous success of Café Sydney under his direction.

Cummings returned to Australia from Europe in 1994 to commence a salubrious career in hospitality, and now holds court as both the assistant manger and sommelier. His Australian achievements include a notable stint at Sydney’s highly acclaimed Rockpool Restaurant as well as leading Sydney restaurants, The Merivale Group and Bistro Moncur.

"I don’t remember just my first day, I remember the whole first week," Bates says. "We would sit down while I was doing the ordering and have a coffee, talk about our plans, about how we wanted things to work."

"And I talked about how we would do great things together," says Cummings. Like a well-oiled machine they are in total harmony – essential for an establishment with a turnover of 550 people per day. Together they deliver an unspeakably high volume of fresh, classic seafood teamed with delicious wines on a daily basis. The relationship between them is not one to be underestimated – they each rely heavily on the other to create the Café Sydney experience, and matching the seasonal produce to the wine list is no mean feat.

"We taste and test, and taste and test, and taste and taste," laughs Cummings. According to the pair of them, food, as with life, all comes down to having good taste.

As to keeping the flavour of their relationship fresh, day in day out, the solution is simple.

"Straight up. We are both very honest with each other," reflects Bates. "We also get along outside of work; we socialise not just at work but after hours."

Their common ground, aside from Café Sydney, includes "real estate, home renovations, drinking in bars." Cummings laughs, digressing into his love of home renovations, detailing their latest endeavours and conquests.

On average, the pair admits to speaking "more than twenty times a day."

"Especially during service," agrees Bates.

"Matt will talk to me a lot about new dishes coming up on the menu. I won’t talk to him about what new wines are coming on, I’ll wait till the food is done," says Cummings. "Obviously the food is the most important thing."

A few moments in Café Sydney is all it takes one to realise that it takes more than two to run this affair. So how do Bates and Cummings deal with mistakes that are out of their hands?

"In the kitchen I’m big on training everyone ¬- from the high level chefs to the associate apprentices," says Bates. "It’s my belief in this day and age that chefs don’t get trained enough. They get pushed to the side and that is one of the big problems in our industry. If a chef does make a mistake you have to talk about it; it’s not about getting straight into them and yelling down at them. If they do it a second time, well then it’s time for a bit of yell and a bit of a smack," he laughs.

"Mistakes happen," says Cummings, "it’s part of human nature. It’s how you deal with the mistake after it’s happened that is the secret."

"With 32 chefs here, if you have even two or three chefs running around the kitchen upset it really can ruin the whole day," says Bates.

Cummings believes the characteristics that make a fabulous sommelier all come down to being not just good with wine, but also being good with people. "If you don’t like people, then you couldn’t do the job."

According to Bates, chefs also need "an open personality and also to be able think on their feet at all times."

"If someone was here with a blinkered attitude, it wouldn’t work."

The pair is big on one-on-one time, both with each other and with staff to keep the work place going from strength to strength.

"If you talk to a group, some people won’t listen. You talk one-on-one and people get it. People like different things, some like it fluffed up, some like it direct. Life is about being flexible about the different ways to communicate to staff."

It is clear that in the relationship between food and wine this pair like to get it right, and right they certainly get it. Like a well-greased machine, this winning team watch over every element of Café Sydney – be it service, food, or the wine – to ensure each plays its part perfectly. All this to the stunning backdrop of Sydney Harbour’s skyline; it isn’t any wonder it’s a winning combination for its patrons time and time again.

Cafe Sydney, Fifth Floor, Customs House, 31 Alfred Street, Sydney, 02 9251 8683

FoodinFocus meets the three-man team behind the three-hat Bilson’s Restaurant.

By Eleanor Glass

Bilson’s Restaurant of a Wednesday morning is very quiet indeed. The gentle hum of the city streets below is only interrupted by voices coming from the kitchen discussing press clippings and a recipe that has to be done for "one of the magazines." Indeed Bilson’s, and head chef Manu Fieldel, are often featured in the Australian media. And, little wonder, in its second year of opening the restaurant won two Chef’s Hats and, in its third year, this accolade increased to three.

"It’s really hard to get three hats," says Feildel in his rich, French accent, "But it’s even harder to keep them." When asked how many hats he expects next year he answers seriously, "I can’t think that far ahead, because for me, three hats is everyday, it’s what we’ve been doing, and it’s what we have to keep doing. This job is perfection… we get near to it sometimes. Everyday is a search for it, to make sure that we’re close to it anyway."

At Bilson’s, Feildel has returned to his roots cooking contemporary French cuisine.
But, despite his culinary heritage, as a child he wanted nothing more than to join the circus. When I ask him if he has any regrets about not joining the circus he says with a laugh, "I don’t anymore; being on tv and being here – that’s entertaining enough."

Feildel was asked to join the Ten Network’s cooking show Ready Steady Cook and, after two successful seasons, he has become one of the most popular chefs on the show. When I ask Jared Lips, Blison’s chef de partie, what it’s like to work under a celebrity chef he deadpans, "We don’t get to see the show; we’re working."

For Feildel though, ‘celebrity’ merely equates to ‘busy’. He often travels interstate for promotions, and dinners (to cook them, not to eat them, he clarifies), and it’s not just his schedule that is hectic. Back at Bilson’s, they have a small team, among them Peter Mangrai and Jared Lips. "There are only six of us in the kitchen, it gets pretty full when we have a full kitchen, but it works really well," says Feildel. "Most other three-hat restaurants in Sydney, who do the same number as us, probably have 12 chefs in the kitchen."

"It’s a good, tight team," says Lips. "You get to know everyone really well." When asked if it gets a bit crowded, Mangrai laughs, "Only when Manu’s there!"

Feildel himself started at Bilson’s four-and-a-half year’s ago, and he has seen many faces in the kitchen come and go during this time. Lips, who describes Feildel as "the big man," is four week’s fresh to the Bilson’s team. For Mangrai, this is the only home he has ever known; he began, and completed, his apprenticeship at Bilson’s. He is soon set to leave the nest.

"It’s one of those jobs where, unless you run the show, you need to move around and learn a few things from other chefs around the world," says Fieldel. "I never expect a chef to stay longer than a year." Of Mangrai, he says, "He needs to learn, to fly with his own wings."

Lips, the latest addition to Feildel’s team, already sings his praises, noting his own newly acquired, and rapidly improving, meat skills. "He’s taught me a lot about the old ways of French cooking." Even though this is the only team Mangrai has ever known, both Mangrai and Lips agree that they have learnt invaluable lessons under Fieldel, and that it has set them up "quite nicely" for their future efforts.

When asked if he learns from his team, Feildel replies without hesitation, "Oh, every day, everyday." Of course, working in such close quarters, Feildel is always sad to see staff go. "You spend more time at work than you do at home," says Fieldel. "You create a really good bond, they become good friends, and close to you. We work hard, we play hard."

He adds, "You are a social worker more than a chef sometimes, and that’s a learning curve." When asked what happens when one of his team makes a mistake, he smiles at Mangrai and Lips and says laughingly, "It depends on how expensive the mistake is, sometimes it’s just a matter of a little yell. I’m not one of those crazy chefs."

"It’s laid back, but serious when it needs to be," says Mangrai. Both Mangrai and Lips recall their apprehension when starting at Bilson’s. "It was scary," recalls Mangrai. "I didn’t know how anything worked. Coming into such a well-known restaurant with a good name. The first day I started, Manu came in, and he was in a very bad mood…"

When asked of his first day, Feildel laughs, and instead talks of his first year (of which Mangrai was a part). "I am still learning here," says Fieldel. "It’s every day, learning. When cooking, you never stop learning."

Bilson’s Restaurant, Radisson Plaza Hotel Sydney, 27 O’Connell Street, Sydney. Phone for a reservation 02 8214 0496, or visit www.bilsons.com.au

Pauline Nguyen and head chef Mark Jensen raise the Red Lantern.

By Eleanor Glass

The opening chapters of Pauline Nguyen’s Secrets of the Red Lantern, recount the harrowing tale of her and her family’s escape from Vietnam, and of their resettlement in Australia. Growing up in Cabramatta, her childhood memories are bittersweet – from routine discipline, to Vietnamese delicacies, both dealt by her father.

The same Pauline Nguyen strides into Red Lantern of a Wednesday afternoon, her small frame is almost eclipsed by a large framed print of the book’s striking cover – the top covered in red-cherry blossoms against a grey sky; the title in red cursive script, and the bottom in painstakingly blocked black letters on a piece of red cloth.

Her brother, Luke, takes the frame from her, before introducing her husband and his brother-in-law, Mark Jensen. Smiling at Mark, and looking behind to Luke who is quietly rearranging some tables, Pauline says; "to raise a red lantern outside your home is a symbol of honouring good company."

Sitting down, Pauline explains the cover of the book. She is meticulous: her hair swept back, her words carefully chosen. The fabric, with the cherry blossom, is her family fabric. "The cherry blossom is hopeful." The red fabric is the cloth that was given to her grandmother upon her departure to Australia. Illiterate, and unable to speak the language in this foreign place, concerned relatives in Vietnam had sent her here with this cloth with her name, and Pauline’s family address written on it.

"When I first saw the book, I actually cried," says Pauline. It was a Friday afternoon, a really busy lunch, when the courier came up and tapped her on the shoulder. "He was just thinking I was anyone. I opened it up, and I started crying… it was real, so tactile, and everything has meaning. It’s our history, it’s our family history," she recalls.

"The fact that we have Mr and Mrs Nguyen’s blessing to reveal some of their fervently guarded recipes is a miracle," Mark says in Secrets of the Red Lantern. These recipes include, much to their followers’ delight, Red Lantern’s most popular dishes: the Black Angus Rump Wok-tossed with Soy and Sesame, and the Braised Duck and Shiitake Mushroom Broth with Egg Noodles among them.

"I think that this is really Pauline’s story, her family’s story," he adds, deflecting the attention from himself. "I was quite happy with my role and interpreting the recipes and actually getting them in the book."

"I’m a first-time writer and it was all so unplanned," says Pauline. "I wrote it for Mia, my daughter, because Mark’s history and mine are so completely opposite. I wanted to have some sort of an heirloom for Mia."

For a year and a half, Pauline was a writer, and a full-time mother. As a first-time writer, Mark laughs that Pauline was never in danger of writer’s block.

"When Pauline does something, it’s not half-hearted. I think it’s amazing considering we had a child and we were running a restaurant at the same time. She was a full-time mum, and writer, and Red Lantern’s bookkeeper," says Mark, adding that she was also the project manager, harassing both himself and Luke to meet deadlines.

Australian-born Mark is tall, softly spoken and quick to smile. The two met at Paddington’s Olympic Hotel where Pauline was working a couple of shifts a week to supplement her job in film and television production, and Mark was the head chef.

"It was a bit of a restaurant romance," says Mark of his and Pauline’s courtship. "Who would have thought that six years later we would have been involved in a restaurant, that we would have had a family?" At this, they both smile. Their daughter, Mia Angel, is now two and a half.

It was during their time at Olympic Hotel that Luke told Pauline he wanted to open a restaurant. "Being the typical big sister, I said ‘I think you might need some help.’" Pauline also recalls Luke’s enthusiasm as "contagious," but explains that he was lacking in the managerial side, and points out that neither Luke nor Mark are fond of "the dirty work."

"We worked so hard for two years," says Pauline. "Mark, Luke and I probably did six doubles every week for two years or so." Red Lantern is now a Sydney landmark, and a place where advanced bookings are a must.

"We worked hard," says Pauline, "so I have to say that we deserve it, but I also have to say that there was never that thought, that it would happen … working hard and being proud of what you do and it all just kind of goes from there. We have been blessed, and we have been very lucky, and we’re very grateful."

Red Lantern, 545 Crown Street Surry Hills 02 9698 4355