By Leigh O’Connor.
Somewhere in New Zealand, there is a photo of four-year-old Stacy Thompson in nappies, covered in flour and grabbing freshly baked scones out of the family oven.
Fast forward many years and this Head Chef is now in charge of the oven and kitchen at Steels Gate Wines Cellar Door & Restaurant on Melba Highway in Dixons Creek.
Born in Papakura, South Auckland, Stacy’s culinary education started early with his mother and grandmother trying to figure out how to deal with the teenager he was. Both amazing cooks and involved in the industry for a number of years, everything was homegrown and nothing was wasted at both households.
"The only difference between the two houses was one was Gran’s – a farm near the beach – which allowed for foraging, livestock and hunting,” he tells AGFG. "From picking up eggs before getting ready to catch the hour-long bus ride to school and milk runs on my Grandad’s truck to weekends of harvesting, cleaning and preparing food for the community and our own use. It was amazing – the joy it brought to so many people will never be forgotten.”
Stacy says, along with his infamous nappy picture, memories and teachings like these still warm his heart to this day and remind him why he does this for a living.
"When it came to tame this wild youth at the ripe age of 14, Mum and Gran both decided to instil a sense of discipline and focus in me, as well as earning some cash to help out. They introduced me to a small French-inspired restaurant called Le Grange – family owned and run and extremely successful, I was hooked.”
Working his way up from washing dishes and clearing tables to eventually working in the kitchen, not only had Mum and Gran’s plans worked out, but Stacy found his passion and has never looked back.
Now delivering a menu celebrating multi-cultural Australia at Steels Gate, Stacy loves the creative, passionate and driven nature of the hospitality industry, where you are always learning something new daily and the customers’ joy when experiencing your food is addictive.
Nestled in a picturesque hillside setting, the restaurant boasts stunning views of the vines, along with an elegant ambience of white-clothed tables and polished wood floors; while on balmy Yarra Valley days take to the alfresco deck with a glass of estate Riesling in hand.
It is the restaurant’s signature dish of blue swimmer crab, vanilla scallop, palm heart and beurre blanc that Stacy shares with AGFG – an ideal starter for any Mother’s Day feast.
"This dish has evolved since I first thought of it 10 years ago and is based on a traditional crab dish served in Brazil. I was taught it by local cooks, who worked for me while I was running Villa Dos Corias restaurant in Morro de Sao Paulo.
"Over the years, it has turned into a dish that takes me back to Brazil every time I make and eat it.”
A self-confessed recovered addict, Stacy is extremely proud of what has been created and achieved with the team at Steels Gate and plans for its future growth in the next five years.
"My partner and I also have plans to start something ourselves…watch this space!”
