By Leigh O’Connor.
After more than a decade on Hamilton Island, Chef Alice James says it is a place where she has been able to grow as a Chef and a person.
Overseeing the kitchen at Chef-hatted Bommie located within Hamilton Island Yacht Club, Alice began her apprenticeship at the tender age of 15 in the Yarra Valley before joining Hamilton Island as a Chef de Partie in the events team.
Bommie boasts a prime waterfront location, offering a contemporary space styled with geometric-shaped tables set with sparkling glassware, high ceilings and ambient lighting, setting a moody tone for destination dining.
"I wanted to become a Chef from a young age – I wanted out of school to pursue a hands-on and creative profession. I’ve always had a passion for creating food and experiences for people,” Alice tells AGFG. "I am classically French-trained, but during more than a decade on Hamilton Island, I’ve picked up different techniques and recipes from various cultures and cuisines.”
Believing you can learn and experience different techniques of cooking from every Chef you work with, Alice also enjoys watching the late Anthony Bourdain or reading his books as ‘good food is very often, even most often, simple food’.
Alice looks forward to the truffle season – which is now upon us – every year showcasing these nuggets of black gold in dishes and shaving truffle at the table for an extra guest experience.
"I also love using local painted crayfish or mud crab when they are in season, as they have a wonderful sweet flavour.”
Kangaroo is another native protein that she plates up but finds when it is placed on the menu, a lot of people don’t want to eat it, along with boudin noir.
"I’m fond of matching boudin noir with seafood, when people find out it is a pork blood sausage their eyebrows certainly raise!”
While housemade pasta and fresh Queensland seafood is her signature dish, it is Alice’s dessert recipe of vanilla bean cheesecake, mandarin sorbet, candied macadamia, rosella and honeycomb that she shares with AGFG home cooks:
"I have used this cheesecake recipe for more than 15 years and it can be finished with different garnishes for every occasion, from a birthday cake to a seasonal tasting menu and everything in between.”
Considering herself to be an open book and very transparent, Alice says she doesn’t hold many secrets, being open and direct with people about her likes, dislikes, observations and feedback.
Just don’t get her started on kitchen etiquette!
"I’m obsessive-compulsive about clean and presentable uniforms, Chefs looking professional in the kitchen, tidy hair and ironed uniforms.”
As for the future, this is one Chef who wants to give back to the industry with plans to teach at a culinary institute to pass on her knowledge about food to the next generation of cooks.
