Lennox Hastie puts Sydney's food bowl on the Netflix map
A new season of Chef's Table celebrates the acclaimed chef from Firedoor – and the farmers and fishermen of the Hawkesbury whose produce he stars in his dishes.
Firedoor chef Lennox Hastie prepares a whole lamb over a fire-pit. Catherine Marshall
A feast is being composed on the banks of the Hawkesbury River. The produce has been assembled, the fires lit. The conductor lifts his baton – a metal poker – and draws it across the coals. Lennox Hastie, chef and co-owner of Australia’s singular, fire-only restaurant Firedoor, has realised his childhood dream: to become a conductor one day.
“People always ask me, ‘What did you want to be when you were a kid?’ Actually, when I was a little boy, the thing I wanted to be – and god knows why – was a conductor. And I feel like nowadays … that role’s fulfilled, because the ingredients are the star, and [I’m] just there orchestrating it.”
Catherine MarshallTravel writerCatherine Marshall has worked as a journalist for more than three decades and has received awards for her travel writing and reportage in Australia and abroad. She specialises in emerging destinations, conservation and immersive travel. Connect with Catherine on Twitter.
