Born:
Ballina, NSW.
History:
I have been a Chef for over 25 years. I have worked in some great restaurants, like Michael’s and Marco’s on the Riverside in Brisbane. I began there as a Commis Chef, before becoming Head Chef of Marco’s and Sous Chef at Michael’s. In 2003, I decided to travel, and I worked as a Senior Chef de partie at the awarding-winning Sheraton Grand Hotel in Edinburgh Scotland.
I also worked as the Executive Chef of Kooroomba Vineyard and Lavender Farm in Boonah, until opening a business in Ipswich with my wife, Angela.
I like exploring new techniques and offering diverse menus which are hard to choose from. I focus on sourcing ingredients locally, using Brisbane Valley quails, goats’ cheese from Naughty Little Kids Peak Crossing and olives from Watercress Creek at Pine Mountain.
I had a dream of owning my own restaurant. It became a reality in October 2016.
Have you always wanted to be a Chef?
Yes, I have always wanted to be a Chef, since I started school.
How would you define your style?
Modern Australia with a Mediterranean influence.
What is your feature flavour these days?
Currently, I like working with beetroot. We have a smoked beetroot risotto on the menu, as well as beetroot and vinegar pearls. On the Winter menu we had beetroot ice-cream.
Obsessive-compulsive about?
I love smoking and brining.
Your greatest culinary influence:
My apprenticeship peers at Tatterstalls Club and the French Executive Chef in Scotland. I learnt so much while I was overseas.
What do you love about this business?
Being creative and the lack of boundaries. Making sure our guests walk away knowing they have received quality food and service. I like working as a team, working with front of hours is just as important as working with kitchen staff.
An ingredient you can’t live without?
My house-made jus.
Signature dish:
One of many is our house-made linguine.
Set inside a charming heritage Queenslander on Limestone Street sits The Cottage Restaurant, an Ipswich establishment for delectable cuisine in distinctive surrounds. Once a home, converted bedrooms now serve as thoughtfully appointed dining spaces giving a touch of seclusion warmed by fireplaces, with extra room available out on a verandah, enjoyed best at dusk. Find seasonal and local cuisine with a Mediterranean influence, perhaps savouring an entrée of beef carpaccio, rocket, focaccia, wasabi mayo and capers; before mains like pork belly, quinoa, tomato, parsley, chickpea and apple, or salmon with scallop mousse, charred cucumber, asparagus and crustacean essence. Steak lovers opt for cold smoked Wagyu rump to share, with fried onions, potatoes, baby vegetables and cracked pepper jus.
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