By Leigh O’Connor.
Singing along to Pavarotti in the kitchen as he creates stunning new dishes is one of Chef Daniel Snooks’ favourite past-times.
These days, he rarely gets the chance to embrace alone time as he oversees the menu at Chef-hatted Oakridge Restaurant on Maroondah Highway in Coldstream, where guests can indulge in exceptional single-vineyard wines while soaking up mesmerising vineyard and mountain vistas.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Daniel has grown up in hospitality with his first job in the local pizza shop when he had just turned 16. However, the food memories began before then as he remembers writing menus for the dinner table as a young boy.
"I would ask Mum and Dad what was for dinner and I would write it out and place it on the table for everyone to read,” Daniels tells AGFG. "I kind of fell into cooking having worked at the pizza shop, it seemed like a natural progression.”
With his passion for cooking ignited, Daniel learnt from top Chefs such as Neil Pery at Rockpool Bar & Grill and Andrew McConnell at Cumulus Inc; going on to focus on Italian cuisine at Trunk Restaurant and Centonove in Kew. During COVID, he branched out to start a small consultancy venture, Town Counsel, helping other venues design menus and sharing valuable insight into running a successful kitchen.
Believing in hard work and always asking questions, Daniel loves being able to source in-season, ethical and local produce to drive the menus he creates. Taking over as Head Chef at Oakridge has seen the culmination of that ethos with a kitchen garden for fresh produce and small-scale local suppliers offering some of the best ingredients in Victoria.
"We are given so many opportunities to be creative and to inspire others. Being a leader in the kitchen is about creating a culture and working closely with your team. It is so rewarding going through a tough service with your team and the sense of achievement it brings.”
From a classic menu, Daniel shares his recipe for Corner Inlet calamari, celeriac, kohlrabi and toasted yeast sauce:
"There is something really earthy and warming about this dish and I think it sums up local, seasonal cooking. The earthiness from the celeriac purée, depth from the charred celeriac, acidity from the pickled kohlrabi and then the deep savoury element from the toasted yeast sauce.
"Calamari is so sweet and vibrant at this time of the year that all the other elements play off it so well together.”
Daniel describes the toasted yeast sauce as a little off-centre, but it works really well with the calamari, paired with Oakridge’s 864 Chardonnay.
Obsessive-compulsive about mise en place – everything in its place – has crept into Daniel’s life away from the kitchen:
"Cleaning up after my kids at home – everything in its place!
