Born:
Ipswich, Queensland.
History:
I began my career in 2017 as an apprentice and then Sous Chef at the Hotel West End in Brisbane. As a duo with my sister, Amy, we won the My Kitchen Rules competitive cooking show that year.
In 2018, I pursued a growing passion for cuisine based on local, seasonal ingredients all the way to a remote farm in Sweden and a role as stagier Chef at the renowned Faviken restaurant, run by Chef Magnus Nilsson.
At the end of 2018, I relocated to Canada, finding work with the Charcoal Group in Waterloo just outside Toronto, where over the next four years I worked my way up the kitchen hierarchy to Chef de Cuisine at The Bauer Kitchen.
My greatest North American restaurant experiences were at Aloette and the Prime Seafood Palace in Toronto and Per Se and The Dutch in New York City, then further south in Nashville.
Returning to Australia at the end of 2022, I again took to a regional restaurant, as Chef at Earth restaurant in Berri in the South Australian Riverland and explored the local wine country.
I come to Balfour from Montrachet, where I was Head Chef.
Have you always wanted to be a Chef?
I have always enjoyed cooking and food since I was a kid but never really considered it as a career until just before I started my apprenticeship.
How would you define your style?
I try to design menus that are an elevated experience, nothing pretentious but fun to eat and share.
What is your feature flavour these days?
I'm really into nuoc cham at the moment and, using it as a base, I am constantly experimenting with it how I can utilise it.
Obsessive-compulsive about?
Timing!
Your greatest culinary influence?
I am massively influenced by Sean Brock and his book Heritage and recently, I was so lucky to dine at his restaurant June, in Nashville.
What do you love about this business?
I love that food can evoke strong emotions and create memories that last a lifetime.
An ingredient you can’t live without?
Fish sauce.
Most ‘eyebrow-raising’ menu item?
Beef tartare is a favourite, taking raw beef and seasoning it with both traditional French and Vietnamese flavours.
Signature dish?
Goldband snapper, green papaya nuoc cham, dashi buerre blanc. Such a joy!
What can diners expect when they eat at your restaurant and what makes the experience special?
Our objective is for guests to feel like they are stepping into our home, joining friends and families in an elevated dining experience with modern Vietnamese flavours using traditional French techniques - a true urban retreat, a home away from home.
What is your go-to meal at home when you don’t feel like cooking?
A good cheeseburger is hard to beat.
Tell us something no one knows about you?
I enjoy classical music.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
I would like to concentrate on growing my role as a mentor and guide to my team and as my family grows, be more present at home with my wife and child.
