By Leigh O’Connor, Editor.
This year has been a phenomenal one for talking to Chefs around the country – finding out what excites them, where their passion and inspiration come from and what drives them to continue on their culinary journeys.
As we reflect on 2024, here are five of our most memorable Chef Chats – click on the link to read more and find their signature recipes:
The second youngest in a family of 10, growing up in a big Sri Lankan family meant a lot of cooking for Nixson Thambithurai.
"I mean a lot of cooking! As a 10-year-old, I knew what I liked,” he tells AGFG. "If my Mother cooked a fish curry and I wanted fried fish, I would fry my own fish by myself and that’s where it all started.”
Now Head Chef at Chef-hatted Boathouse Daylesford, Nixson was only 12 when civil war began in Sri Lanka – his brothers and sisters who were old enough left the island to settle in Europe, while he and his younger brother stayed with their parents.
"After I lost my brother, I also left Sri Lanka, living briefly in Germany and Sweden before going to the Netherlands. Learning a new culture and language while going through the loss of my younger brother was not easy.”
From a humble family of unadventurous cooks in the United Kingdom, Nelly Robinson left home to travel to Australia with $140 in his bank account. He stopped off in Singapore on the way through, spend all the money and arrived Down Under with the sum total of $2!
He is now owner and Executive Chef at 16-hatted Nel Restaurant on Wentworth Avenue in Sydney where you’ll discover fine dining with an irreverent attitude and an ever-changing 11-course degustation-themed menu.
"With hard work, dedication and determination you can do anything and I think I am proof of that,” Nelly tells AGFG. "It has been the journey of a lifetime.”
When he was 14, Nel’s father told him to get a job and he became kitchen hand at Michelin-starred Northcote Manor:
"I loved every second of it – watching these Chefs running around creating amazing food. At the age of 15, I was offered an apprenticeship and trained under Chef Nigel Howarth and the likes of Mark Birchall, Lisa Goodwin-Allen and Warwick Dodds. I got the best training anyone could ask for in a kitchen, it was tough, it was disciplined but most of all, it was fun.”
Minoli De Silva’s culinary journey began with a unique blend of cultural influences and a background in chemical engineering – a foundation that has provided her with a scientific approach to food and a reputation as a Chef celebrated for her precise, inventive style.
Embracing her Sri Lankan heritage, Minoli has carved out a niche with her focus on Modern Asian cuisine, blending tradition with innovation at her Chef-hatted restaurant Ella by Minoli in the heart of Darwin City, where diners are transported to a hidden jungle town in the Hill Country of the island nation.
Originally from Darwin, Minoli’s love for cooking grew alongside her desire to bring people together through food – her passion for hospitality and dedication to honing her craft has led her to make a lasting mark on the Australian food scene.
Growing up in New Zealand of a Maori and Polynesian background and living in a working-class family, going out to a nice restaurant was the local buffet for Will Houia.
Fast forward and this Chef now finds himself in charge of the kitchen at prestigious, Chef-hatted AMARA restaurant at Spicers Sangoma Retreat in Bowen Mountain, where guests dine in an elegant vibe of beige-clothed tables and leather chairs, while a glass frontage allows spectacular sunset views.
A finalist in the Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year Award in 2017, Will says food has always been a big focal point in his culture with his Mother and Aunty Donna being his food heroes.
Six years as Head Chef on a superyacht fuelled Ryan Fitzpatrick’s culinary creativity and ignited a profound love for using the best ingredients to tell a story on the plate.
Now owner and Executive Chef at Chef-hatted Lanai Noosa restaurant, Ryan’s remarkable career has been nothing short of a dream for any aspiring Chef with his insatiable passion for travel, which has spanned more than 19 years, taking him to the far reaches of Europe, the Pacific and Asia.
Along the way, he has had the privilege of preparing meals for an exclusive client list, including high-end clients, celebrities, sports stars and prominent business figures. He has amassed thousands of sea miles and equatorial crossings, honing his craft and seeking out the finest ingredients the islands had to offer, becoming an expert in sourcing from small, unique producers.
