Top chef Paul Baker departs one of Adelaide’s finest restaurants
Celebrated chef Paul Baker has left Adelaide’s Botanic Gardens Restaurant after a triumphant stint he describes as “thoroughly enjoyable”. Now his career is headed in a very different direction.
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Celebrated chef Paul Baker has left Adelaide’s Botanic Gardens Restaurant after a triumphant stint he has described as “thoroughly enjoyable”.
His time at the helm saw the restaurant win praise from the likes of food critics John Lethlean (“outstanding cooking and produce”), Matt Preston (“finessed contemporary food”), and owners Christopher Horner and Steve Blanco.
“Paul was instrumental in the success of the Botanic Gardens Restaurant,” Mr Horner said. “He championed ethical and sustainable primary producers, his daily foraging of the garden was unique, and he brought food tourism both to the Botanic Gardens and South Australia.”
The former Advertiser Chef of the Year and delicious Produce Awards judge said he had not taken the decision lightly.
“I was there for six years and I’m going to miss it dearly,” he said.
“I have a real debt to pay to the restaurant. Now, it’s someone else’s chance to tell their story of the Botanic Garden.”
Jack Bird, head chef at the restaurant, remains.
“Paul has curated the current menu and will maintain contact with Jack,” Mr Horner said. “Jack and the remaining team … continue his legacy.”
A national search is under way for a new executive chef.
Mr Baker, who started his career at Matt Moran’s Aria Sydney, has decided to press on with two successful projects spurred by the COVID-19 lockdown – Chefs on Wheels and Paul’s Pasta Project.
Mr Baker said that the pandemic had prompted him to focus on Chefs on Wheels, which offers ready-to-cook meals home delivered from some of SA’s highly regarded restaurants, such as Soi38, and Emma McCaskill’s “fare” at Sparkke at the Whitmore.
“Adversity pushes you to do things you never thought you were going to do, and Chefs on Wheels, potentially, could be the best thing that’s ever happened,” Mr Baker said.
Dreamt up by Mr Baker’s wife, Annabelle, who heads the project as a co-owner with him and Jimmy Day, Chefs on Wheels is set to expand its range of chefs and meals.
Mr Baker’s other passion is his Pasta Project. A fervent supporter of small producers, Mr Baker noticed that COVID closures had put pressure on producers, so he has created ready-to-cook pasta and sauces featuring the likes of Kris Lloyd Artisan cheese and Mayura Station beef.
“As an industry we’ve focused on doing just one thing. Well the world has just showed us that we should be multifaceted in everything we do,” Mr Baker said.