AUSTRALIAN GOOD FOOD GUIDE - Home of the Chef Hat Awards
Paul Smart
Born:
Adelaide.
History:
I started washing dishes as a 15-year-old at a local restaurant in South Adelaide. After being there for a few months, the Head Chef called in sick and the owner asked me to jump on the pans during dinner service.
I had been curious about the cooking going on while I was working there in the kitchen so I jumped at the chance. Yes, the first night I made some mistakes, but I loved it. This experience urged me to look into become a qualified Chef, so when an apprenticeship came up I went for the job.
Four years of training, I qualified as a Commi Chef, Demi and later Chef de Partie, over another 4 years.
I needed to get more knowledge and experience, so I headed to the Ritz London for two years, where I rounded off my skills as a fine dining Chef in multiple sections, also winning Academy of Culinary Arts competion endorsed by Prince Charles.
I then came back to Australia and got a job at the newly-opened Room 81 as Chef de Cuisine. After winning many awards there and gaining a Chef Hat, I was asked to go to Bangkok to open SO Sofitel.
I had seven successful years there leading a team of more than 100 Chefs, also winning Iron Chef Thailand twice in a row.
I was then appointed Executive Chef of Sofitel Metropole Hanoi, where I led the team for three years with an annual Michelin Star Event.
Due to COVID, I was forced to move back to Australia, which was not a bad thing. I then took on a Chef Consulting role to transform Marriott Surfers to JW Marriot Gold Coast and am now the Executive Chef of this beautiful property.
During this time, a highlight has been gaining an Australian Good Food Guide Hat for Citrique.
Have you always wanted to be a Chef?
Yes, I have always been a Chef since my apprenticeship, which started in 1996.
How would you define your style?
I would say I use the best local, fresh, quality products that I can find and cook in a way that highlights the product and tells a story.
I have had fine dining style of plating in the past, have also moved with the times to be more rustic and farm-to-plate style now.
What is your feature flavour these days?
I like the use Thai and Asian flavours in some of my dishes, I also love to cook traditional French dishes.
Obsessive-compulsive about?
I cannot stand messy kitchens, find it hard to work and be organised, I need to have everything in its place and have a place for everything. Clean as you go!
Your greatest culinary influence:
It was Charlie Trotter, Gordan and Ferran Adria, but know I would say all the Chefs I
work with around the world inspire me as I know what they go through day in day out.
What do you love about this business?
The fact that Chefs are in high demand and you can travel really anywhere, The world is your oyster!
An ingredient you cannot live without?
Sea salt, it brings out the natural flavour of any ingredient.
Most ‘eyebrow-raising’ menu item?
1.2 kg Wagyu tomahawk smoked in the box - guests always get excited when this arrives
on their table and other guests become curious.
Signature dish:
Moreton Bay bug dumpling with lobster bisque - guests rave about it and keep coming back for more.
Tell us something no one knows about you?
I am part of only a handful of Chefs in the world who has cooked for ex-President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un at the same time for the 2019 Summit.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
I will still be a Chef of course, would love to go to another part of Asia and be back into for the Brisbane Olympics in 2032.
Citrique
Citrique continues to deliver high standards expected of modern and elegant dining inside the JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa on Ferny Avenue in Surfers Paradise. Interactive zones set in sleek, contemporary surrounds provide guests with a myriad of choices and space to relax while deciding a route of dining. Encouraged to indulge in a gastronomic journey, diners choose from succulent fresh seafood and sushi to antipasto or yum cha, as well as assorted curries, Indonesian satays and European dishes, before giving into temptation at the decadent dessert buffet, all handcrafted by Citrique’s team of Chefs. Treat yourself to weekday à la carte dining and experience delicious locally sourced culinary delights including snow fish, bug dumplings, pork belly, pan-roasted barramundi and more.
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