AUSTRALIAN GOOD FOOD GUIDE - Home of the Chef Hat Awards
Fiona Maree Weir
Born:
Derby, Western Australia (The Kimberleys). I grew up in Wyndham, Western Australia.
History:
I started in my hometown of Wyndham cooking alongside my Dad. My Nanna used to sell her cakes/slices, jams and chutneys at the weekly courthouse markets and every Christmas holiday was spent alongside my Nanna helping her bake the goodies for the markets in Broome.
At 12-years-old, my family moved to Darwin where I commenced high school and studied Commercial Cookery. I won my first-ever regional competition (World Skills VETis Australia) and a gold medal at age 16. I got a chance to compete in the National World Skills competition in Sydney following the regional competition. I was just 17 at that time. It was a great experience overall and I came fourth.
After I graduated high school, I started my apprenticeship at 18 at a local tavern. Over the next 2 years, I got the chance to show my skills and talents while I participated in several cooking competitions. From an early age, I had the experience of working alongside the industry’s best and learning from them. I won several silver medals in the competitions.
At the age of 21, I completed my apprenticeship. For the next few years, I worked in diverse places like cafes and army barracks, while also volunteering for events like the Darwin festival where I had the chance to work with amazing Chefs such as Duncan Welgemoed, Andrew Filke and Jimmy Shu. I believe that learning is best when you get to learn with a diverse set of people with different skill sets. With that belief, I enrolled myself in master classes with Matt Moran and Lynton Tapp.
I participated in as many competitions that would come along to expose myself to different situations and different people. Sometimes I would be successful, sometimes not but I am grateful as I learned something from every experience.
In 2018, I went to the Gold Coast and worked at the Commonwealth Games. There, I worked for the VIPs, elite presidents and honoured guests of the games. It was an incredible experience and I met an amazing group of people while working for the games, with whom I still keep in contact. With this amazing experience added to my resume, I came back to Darwin and started working as Chef de Partie at Hilton Darwin.
In the beginning of 2019, before COVID, I was promoted to the Executive Chef position. When COVID hit, we closed the restaurant for renovations and rebranding.
In September 2020, when the world was still in chaos and uncertainty was there regarding the business, we opened the new PepperBerry restaurant. With PepperBerry restaurant, the focus was mainly on wine and dine and I had a great time making the menus and selecting wines to go well with the food. The locals loved the experience at PepperBerry and we got popular very quickly. It has been a great experience and couldn’t have done it without the team.
In less than a year of opening, we won the Restaurant of the Year at the 2021 Gold Plates Awards. We also won the Hotel Restaurant of the Year and Best Contemporary Restaurant on the night.
I am thankful for everything the team does. I 100% rely on my team, they have my back and I have theirs. We are family and we work together as a family and to see the team come together as a family is an amazing achievement as a Chef.
Have you always wanted to be a Chef?
Not really, I needed a job after graduation and had kitchen experience so I fell into it. The longer I cooked the more I realised that I was actually good at it, so continued with it. I have made the most of every opportunity that came along my way throughout my career to better myself.
Not only the opportunity that I got but the road that I created opportunities for myself too. Now, it is my happy place. I love going to work, creating dishes, pairing them with drinks, working with the team and meeting new people. It’s not a job, but it’s a passion of mine.
How would you define your style?
Modern, contemporary with a hint of Australian bush influences and a hint of fusion flavours from the team.
What is your feature flavour these days?
Australian bush spices, specifically Halls Creek wattleseed. This gives me a sense of pride in showcasing a beautiful and very versatile product that is located in my home area of the Kimberly region of Western Australia.
Obsessive-compulsive about?
Timings and schedules. Everything has to run according to my schedule. Things only stay consistent with timing. Times for cooking periods. Timings for when events start, when main courses are served and desserts are served etc.
Your greatest culinary influence:
I have been influenced by every Chef that I have ever worked with from the Malaysian flavours that Jimmy Shu taught me, to the many different ways of South African cooking from Duncan Welgemoed, to the Australian flavours from Andrew Filke (a creative native) and the ways of using them.
I have worked with multiple Chefs from around Australia and the world who have all passed on their knowledge which helps me every single day.
Every day is a lesson. It doesn’t matter if the person has been in the industry for 1 year or 20 years, we all have things to pass on and learn from one another and that’s an amazing thing to know.
What do you love about this business?
That you meet so many different people from all diverse backgrounds that all have new things to teach you. You continually grow as a person and grow your career from the people that come and go. It is an amazing thing to pick up hints and tricks from everyone.
An ingredient you can’t live without?
I cannot live without fresh ingredients. My favourite herb to use is basil. It is so versatile, can be for savoury or sweet. I love me a good basil and lime sorbet, or a sweet basil pesto pasta.
Most ‘eyebrow-raising’ menu items?
Northern Territory Miso Tempura Crocodile.
Tenderised pieces of NT crocodile tail, marinated in miso paste, then coated in light tapioca and rice flour mix and fried until golden brown.
It is served on a sauce bed of mango and green chilli purée, fresh edamame and sliced NT watermelon radish.
Signature dish:
A dish that was created from the ideas of each one of my team members. As my kitchen is very multicultural, I took influences from each one to design the dish. A piece from me, a piece from my Sous Chef, a piece from my Chef de Partie. We are a team and this showcases what we are all about.
It is the tandoori spiced Jewfish - crisp and golden fried eggplant chips, lemon myrtle coconut and beetroot relish and a lemon yoghurt vinaigrette.
Why should diners visit your restaurant and what can they expect?
Diners should visit PepperBerry restaurant because we are different to everyone else in the Northern Territory. We strive to create unique menu items and give the best experience we can.
We choose to create a story on the plate - by using local ingredients, colourful menu items and a range of flavour profiles. Food is about telling a story. Either bringing back a memory from the past or creating a new memory by leading them on a journey of flavours from around the world. We want our diners to always walk away happy and want them to share their experiences about us with everyone
What do you think the past months of COVID have taught restaurants and Chefs about their diners and the industry in general?
The last 12 months have taught us what we need to do to be resilient and survive whatever may be thrown at us. Restaurants have to grow as a team and work as a team to keep everything running smoothly so the customer still enjoys their time.
The industry has been hit hard but we as a community have banded together to still do the best job we possibly can in the strange times of covid.
Tell us something no one knows about you:
My family has its own cookbook – ‘Yours Until the Last Drop.’
It’s a cooking book and a story of my family history, all the recipes are written by Nanna and her sisters and some of my second cousins, there are stories about where the family came from and about growing up in a place called Dwellingup and Hollyoke, WA.
Every year my family has a reunion on Mother’s Day where they gather at the Dwellingup cemetery and lay chrysanthemums on the gravestones of my great grandparent’s graves. After which the family heads to an old site of a mill where we have a tradition of any new family that is joining for the first time - members must smell the dirt, where you can actually still smell the oil after 59 years since the mill has no longer existed.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
If the last 2 years have taught us anything it is that things can change in a second without notice.
In 5 years’ time, I hope to be still doing my job to the best of my ability. I have started taking university courses to help gain knowledge and better understand the teaching aspect of my career. I hope to eventually be able to use that and pass on my knowledge to the young/future generation of Chefs coming into this industry.
PepperBerry
Food enthusiasts looking for an exceptional and sophisticated dining experience head to award-winning PepperBerry restaurant on Mitchell Street in Darwin. Located in the Hilton Darwin, PepperBerry oozes a touch of class with blond wood, marble tiles, banquette seating and statement pendents, ideal for lingering over a memorable meal with family and friends. Expect Modern Australian cuisine combined with bush spices, where every ingredient has its place and is treated with utmost care to highlight pure flavours. Think small plates of grilled saltbush and mountain peppered squid with green chilli and tomato salsa; before delving into Scotch fillet with miso tempura crocodile, roasted root vegetable medley, bush tomato chutney and herb butter. Finish decadently with chocolate mousse mud cake.
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