the beginnings
You could hardly call my upbringing gourmet.
My mother was an ordinary cook, whose staple was grilled meat accompanied by mashed potatoes and frozen peas. Her beef stews were bland and tasteless until she discovered curry powder. It’s no wonder that curries became a favourite. I have memories of pizza made with a scone base fuelling the fire.
Her Sunday roast lamb however was superb. With a taste of Dad’s Tulloch Pokolbin dry red, it was always something to look forward to. Followed by her creamed rice pudding, life couldn’t get better.
becoming a chef
In my early teens I expressed interest in becoming a chef. Perhaps inspired by 14 months travel and schooling in the United States where stays in hotels and visits to restaurants were a regular occurrence.
Or was it the return 1st class cruise across the Pacific, with nightly dining and the introduction to intriguing cultures that created a spark within.
I had my first weekend job at fourteen, washing dishes every 2nd Saturday with a local catering firm, on race days at the Canberra racecourse. The position was organised by my father. I am not sure if he was trying to help or hoping the experience would turn me off the idea forever.
By sixteen I had an apprenticeship at a city restaurant, and was studying commercial cookery at Canberra Institute of Technology and at nineteen was a fully qualified chef. Five years later with a qualification in hotel management and positions in two international hotel chains behind me, I was back in the kitchen cooking. Doing what I loved.
developing a style of my own
At some time, consciously or unconsciously, on the journey of acquiring a skill, part of the creative pursuit is developing a style of your own.
Over a number of years I lived on a rural property to the south east of Canberra. During this time I worked as a relief chef. From preparation and serving of conference morning teas and lunches, to formal dinners in excess of 1,000 guests one week and the next servicing an emergency call to a small restaurant where the chef had just walked out. The time was an invaluable experience in a diverse range of establishments.
Earlier I had spent time backpacking across Asia and Europe. I was developing a keen interest in peasant food and subsistence farming and how it has influenced different cultures and developed into a sophisticated artform for the royal classes.
winewise magazine
Around the same time I connected with Lester and Adrienne Jesberg, who edited Winewise magazine. I had first met them in the late 70’s at wine tastings held upstairs at Farmer Brothers wine store in the Canberra suburb of Belconnen.
I started attending their tastings which led to me cooking country dinners of lip sticking kangaroo tail consomme, goose liver parfait and brioche of rabbit and spinach, all sourced off the farm and where they would bring great burgundy to accompany.
From the early 90’s I became a regular panel taster and continued with them as chef both preparing their tasting lunches and as coordinator for their presentation dinners liaising with chefs matching wines with menus and as a judge at their annual Small Vingeron Awards show.
Lester was one of my greatest mentors. Not only from the wine point of view but food as well. We enjoyed many jaunts to wineries and restaurants not only in Australia but France, Spain, Portugal, Germany and Thailand.
anise
In 2001 with my wife Justin we opened a fine diner in the old Melbourne building in the centre of Canberra. Heavily influenced by French bistro cooking with a sprinkling of Mediterranean and Asian inspired dishes. Our first wine list consisted of three pages. White, red and one page dedicated to Canberra regional wines. I believe we were the first restaurant to promote our local region so heavily.
Over nine years we ran one of Canberra’s finest eateries, featured in the Good food guide every year, winning best new restaurant in 2002 and ACT restaurant of the year in 2003, including best wine list.
chefs on show judge
During my time at Anise I was invited to take on a judging role with the Clubs ACT Chefs on show panel. Aligned with Clubs Australia the competition comprised of a Chef and apprentice preparing and serving a 3 course menu with matching wines for 20 people.
The aim of the competition was to give club chefs an opportunity to showcase their creativity and for younger members to work with a senior chef on a very special project.
I continued my association as chief judge with Clubs ACT for 11 years and 3 times represented the ACT on the Clubs Australia Chefs Table Awards judging panel, where for one week we would visit five capital cities judging the state winners to award the national competition winner.
thai food
For nearly 15 years Justin and I spent our annual holidays visiting Thailand. Not only is it the perfect, relaxed laid back country with friendly people but I was finding the food more and more exciting. Freshness, texture and challenging new flavours were a revelation. Every trip became a study tour. New herbs and salads, sausages and grills, there was so much to take in and learn. I spent 12 months studying Thai language to enable me to explore further off the track and better communicate with people at markets and street stalls about their produce and food. My holidays were spent eating at street stalls and sitting observing and practising my Thai chatting with stall holders about their recipes and cooking techniques.
Early in 2009 whilst visiting family in Germany, I was staying in the Moselle and we had travelled to Paris for a weekend. While enjoying a light lunch of pork rillettes and a glass of wine and putting the finishing touches on a planned visit to Dr loosen early the following week, I had a longing and wish that I couldn’t really wait to get back to Bangkok and enjoy a beer sitting beside the Chao Phraya river. It was a vision that would be a catalyst for a transformation in my cooking.
Late in 2009 Justin and I closed Anise and early in 2010 we opened Thirst wine bar and eatery. A simple space, a black floor resembling pavement with plastic chairs and tables, just like a street stall. Of course we served Thai food, complimented with inexpensive wines and cocktails.
Here I could develop dishes with the new flavours I had fallen in love with. Fiery salads abounding with freshness and texture, handmade curry pastes, fermented fish and shrimp paste.
food tours
In 2011 I was invited to lead a food tour of Thailand and Laos by Robert Fletcher the director of Canberra’s Active Travel. Using my contacts in Bangkok hotels, family friends and local knowledge of markets and street restaurants, we developed a journey from Vientiane up the Mekong to Luang Prabang and the golden triangle onwards to Chiang Mai and returning to Bangkok over two weeks. It became an annual pilgrimage for a number of years.
presently
With family commitments rising at the end of 2016 we decided to close Thirst to take a step away from the active restaurant lifestyle.
Since then I have assisted a start up catering company and helped in the development of a line of Italian meals marketed to supermarkets in Canberra for The Food Dispensary
I have continued to develop my line of Thai food products winning medals at the Fine food show-Sydney Royal and The Australian Food Awards in Melbourne. I also work as a consultant to hospitality venues and as a casual teacher of commercial cookery.