By Leigh O’Connor.
Daniel Ridgeway was first introduced to the kitchen at age seven, cooking alongside his Thai Aunty preparing banquets as well as helping in the family’s traditional pizza restaurant after school.
"I was told I could get paid to cook…I thought that sounded amazing and I have never ventured any other way since then,” he tells AGFG.
These days, Daniel heads the kitchen at Chef-hatted Little Truffle Dining Room & Bar on Gold Coast Highway in Mermaid Beach where locals and visitors to the Glitter Strip discover a fine Modern Australian dining experience presented in an intimate setting. This elegant restaurant has undergone a complete transformation now featuring a deep navy colour palette, brushed brass fittings, dramatic velvet curtains, dark timber floors and stunning artwork.
"At 14, I started in my first professional kitchen and at 15, I began my apprenticeship at a five-star international resort where my passion for cooking flourished. After working in London at Michelin-starred restaurants including The Square at Mayfair, I headed to Vancouver to work with award-winning Chef David Hawkesworth at West Restaurant.”
On his return Down Under, Daniel was asked to head back to the Gold Coast to open Sofitel’s signature restaurant, Room81 and he soon became the Executive Chef for the Sofitel Broadbeach. After a trip to Kaho Iak in Thailand to relaunch the luxurious JW Marriott, he returned home at age 28 to become the youngest Executive Chef at Sofitel Sydney Wentworth and within the international brand worldwide.
"It was then time to fulfil my lifelong dream of starting my own culinary empire, beginning with Little Truffle Dining Room & Bar.”
Defining his style as Modern European, refined though approachable, Daniel confesses however that his favourite cuisine and passion to eat is Japanese.
"Since I was a teenager, I have always had a fascination with Auguste Escoffier and what he did for French cuisine. Recently I was lucky enough to tour his childhood home just outside of Nice, France. It has been turned into the only culinary museum in the country.”
It is his signature dessert of raspberry soufflé with white chocolate sauce that Chef has chosen to share with AGFG home cooks:
"For me, this soufflé is the ultimate in flavour and texture. It isn't too difficult to create. This recipe is perfect for dinner parties as it can be made hours in advance before baking though must be served immediately after baking.”
Despite a constant fear of failing in business and life, Daniel believes in five years time, he will still be enjoying the daily grind, pressure and relentlessness that is the hospitality industry:
"The anxiety of failure is what keeps me pushing forward – day in and out!”
