Melbourne 2013

Mark Best – Pei Modern & Marque

Mark Best – Pei Modern & Marque. Mark started by discovering the stoves accidentally and ended up becoming an unquestionable symbol of the new Australian Cuisine. His perseverance and his ‘eternal dissatisfaction’ (as he calls it himself) are the vitamins for his spectacular personal development.

Mark Best started his working life as an electrician in the gold mines of Western Australia before starting his culinary career at the age of 25. He commenced an apprenticeship at the Macleay Street Bistro, Potts Point, in 1990. This was the beginning of his passion for French food. In the fourth year of his apprenticeship he was awarded the Josephine Pignolet Award for ‘Best Up and Coming Chef’ in NSW.

In 1995 with wife Valerie Best, he opened his own restaurant, Peninsula Bistro, Balmain, which soon developed a strong local following and rave critical acclaim. During this time he decided to further his study of French Cuisine in France. In 1998 he worked at ‘L’Arpége’ in Paris, Alain Passard’s three Michelin Star ‘Gastro Temple’. He followed this with a stint at Raymond Blanc’s, ‘Le Manoir Aux Quatre Saisons’ in Great Milton, UK. His time overseas fuelled his desire to open Marque.

Pierrick Boyer – Le Petit Gateau

Pierrick Boyer – Le Petit Gateau. Since 2004, Pierrick has been the Executive Pastry Chef for RACV City Club Melbourne.  In July 2007, he opened Le Petit Gateau which was voted ‘Best Pastry Shop’ straight away by the Foodies Guide to Melbourne. Following on was a number of awards, including the Brownie Passion being voted ‘Amazing Cake’ in The Age and in 2010-2011 the peanut chocolate-raspberry gateau was voted ‘Best’ in Foodies Guide to Melbourne as well as ‘Best Chocolate Cake’ By The Herald Sun. In 2012 Le Petit Gateau was voted top restaurant by Urbanspoon & RACV Achievement Awards.

Pierrick has featured on SBS Taste le Tour with Gabriel Gate (2007-2011), French Food Safari with Maeve O’Meara, Twice in Coxy’s Big Break, Postcards and www.chefmasterclasses.com, as well as being involved in the Paris to Provence Festival from its inception.

Pierrick has a wealth of international experience working alongside chefs such as Alain Ducasse, Christophe Michalak, Pierre Marcolini and Stephane Leroux (MOF). He is classically trained with over 23 years’ experience in the industry in France, Belgium, Italy, America & Australia, as well as involvement in special Charity work and appearances in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia & Japan.

Guy Grossi – Grossi Florentino

Guy Grossi – Grossi Florentino. A leading Australian chef, presenter and media personality. He is the owner and head chef of Grossi Restaurants including esteemed international and Australian restaurants: Melbourne’s iconic Grossi Florentino, the colourful Mirka Continental Bistro in St Kilda, Grossi Trattoria in Bangkok, Merchant Osteria Veneta located at the Rialto Towers on the ‘New York end’ of Collins Street Melbourne and Ombra Salumi Bar on Bourke Street Melbourne.

Guy has authored three esteemed cookbooks, Recipes From My Mother’s Kitchen ‘Guy Grossi: My Italian Heart’ and ‘Grossi Florentino: Secrets and Recipes’, which won the Australian Food Media Book of the Year Award in 2004. He is also planning to release another cookbook during 2013.

Guy is an unofficial ambassador for Melbourne and in August 2011 he received a Melbourne Award to recognise his dedication to raise the profile of Melbourne throughout Australia and abroad. In January this year, Guy showcased Australian la cucina as the celebrity chef selected to design the menu for the 2012 Black Tie Gala Event for G’day USA in New York.

Dan Hunter – Royal Mail Hotel

Dan Hunter – Royal Mail Hotel. Dan has been at the helm of the Royal Mail Hotel’s kitchen since 2007. During this time, we have seen the Hotel evolve from a small country Hotel to the internationally acclaimed fine dining establishment it is known for today.

Dan was attracted to Dunkeld for its natural beauty, as well as access to his own kitchen garden, fruit orchard and olive grove. Since his arrival, Dan has overseen the extensive development of these areas of the Hotel, an effort which has seen the centralisation of the kitchen gardens to a bigger site, the addition of poly tunnels for year-round production, the development of more streamlined and intensive organic production methods, as well as the introduction of free range hens and honey bees.

Chef of the Year in the 2012 Age Good Food Guide, Dan’s food philosophy and commitment to sustainability and regional produce is second to none. One of the first chef’s in Australia to truly understand the journey of a dish, Dan works closely with a dedicated garden and kitchen team, and local producers to create a unique style of food that blends his understanding of modern technique with an immense respect for nature, produce and seasonality.

Karen Martini – mr. wolf

Karen Martini – mr. wolf. A versatile national media presence as an award winning Chef, Restaurateur, Writer, and Television host. She is a creative talent with a respected and credible voice on the business and behaviour of Australia’s food scene.

In the ‘90’s, Karen held head chefs positions at Haskin’s and the much lauded Kent Hotel, before cementing her reputation at The Melbourne Wine Room in St Kilda’s iconic George Hotel. She was the founding chef at The Melbourne Wine Room and has garnered countless ‘Chef’s Hats’ from The Age Good Food Guide in her eight years as Executive Chef there.

Karen became a partner in the business in 1997. In 2002, Karen accepted the mantle of Executive Chef at what was soon to become one of Australia’s most talked about restaurants. Positioned overlooking Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach, Icebergs Dining Room & Bar became her much loved second home for two years.

Karen is part of the Seven Network’s Better Homes and Gardens’ on-air family serving up dishes to over a million viewers each week as the resident Chef. 2012 will mark her 6th year on Australia’s longest running Lifestyle series. She can also be seen as a Judge visiting family kitchens across Australia on the network’s reality domestic chef program My Kitchen Rules.

Tony Panetta – Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Tony Panetta – Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. MCEC’s Executive Chef Tony Panetta joined the southern hemisphere’s largest kitchen as Sous Chef in October 2010 following 10 years at regional conference and events venue, Aitken Hill.

Growing up in Heathcote, Tony was eight-years-old when he started helping out in his parent’s Italian café, where alongside his mum they cooked dishes inspired by their Calabrese heritage. At 16 he started an apprenticeship at a small Italian restaurant in Bendigo, moving to the city to complete his qualification. Tony worked in many well-known Melbourne institutions in Carlton, Collingwood and Southbank, before becoming part owner and head chef at Williamstown Yacht Club.

Tony is committed to supporting Victorian producers and it’s a passion he shares with the MCEC kitchen team, heading up 11 chefs and 60 kitchen assistants, creating the venue’s dishes in-house using the best seasonal and local ingredients.