By Leigh O’Connor.
From cooking on a prestigious charter yacht around the Mediterranean and Caribbean to having her own Chef’s kitchen garden at Steels Gate Wines, Kate Kilsby finds culinary inspiration from her travels and fresh local produce.
Intending to take a gap year before going to Uni, Kate spent the time working front of house and in kitchens in Melbourne, followed by a stint in London – by the time she returned to Australia her fate was sealed!
Now she oversees the kitchen at Steels Gate Wines Cellar Door & Restaurant on Melba Highway in Dixons Creek, where stunning views of the vines, along with a menu celebrating multi-cultural Australia await Yarra Valley visitors. On balmy days, take to the alfresco deck with a glass of estate Riesling and join friends for a lazy afternoon, or dine indoors in an elegant ambience of white-clothed tables and polished wooden floors.
Kate began cooking professionally after being inspired by meals and Chefs she encountered while travelling through Europe and her subsequent training was primarily based in classical French cuisine in restaurants in Melbourne and the German Alps.
After numerous Head and Executive Chef roles in Melbourne, Kate was looking for a change of direction and spent four years cooking for small groups on a prestigious charter yacht around the Mediterranean and Caribbean; before heading back Down Under to open Café Bedda, serving a small daily changing menu of Sicilian dishes, drawing inspiration from her time in the South of Italy.
Excited to showcase local and fresh produce, expanding her knowledge and experience, Kate is reveling in being part of the Steels Gate family and ethos which is in keeping with her own values – smaller, boutique and sustainably-focused.
"There is a sense of well-being and connection when working in the country,” she tells AGFG. "Having my own Chef’s garden is also exciting and inspirational. I like to use the best ingredients available and highlight their quality without complication or over-embellishment.
"I feel very lucky to work in an environment that is essentially about bringing pleasure to people’s lives, working with the kitchen and front of house team to deliver an experience that is relaxed and seemingly effortless.”
Kate shares her signature dish recipe for cured duck, rhubarb, hazelnut, salted duck yolk, sourdough wafers and rocket with AGFG home cooks:
"This dish embodies my cooking style. It involves a number of processes and techniques, but presents as quite a simple dish when plated. Many of the ingredients are from our garden, or locally sourced.”
So what will you find this Chef munching on when she doesn’t feel like cooking at home?
"It sounds a cliché but an omelette, salad and a glass of Steels Gate white wine.”
Can we join you?
