Chefs on the move: The cooks leaving Qld’s best restaurants

A host of top Queensland chefs have left their high profile restaurants for new kitchens. Find out who has gone where.

Alex and Chris Norman at The Paddock, Beechmont.

A host of high profile Queensland chefs have been on the move, leaving some of the state’s most popular eateries for new kitchens.

Former Sake and Rockpool Dining Group chef Shaun Presland has joined the team at the Sunshine Coast’s beloved RB Dining in Mooloolaba.

Shaun Presland at RB Dining, Sunshine Coast.

Presland’s career spans 30 years, working across the country and internationally, earning 17 chefs hats in the process.

As a specialist in Japanese fare, he will work as RB Dining’s head chef, introducing a unique sashimi chef’s table private dining experience.

Meanwhile, Andy Harmer, former group chef for Brisbane’s Anyday Group, behind hit venues such as Agnes, Same Same and Bianca, has taken on a new role as executive sous chef at The Star Brisbane.

Harmer, who’s resume also includes stints at the two Michelin-starred Les Crayères in France and Vue de Monde in Melbourne, will oversee the casino’s signature dining line-up at the new Queen’s Wharf precinct.

“It’s an exciting time to be a chef here in Brisbane and it’s particularly exciting to be part of The Star Brisbane team involved in such a ground breaking dining precinct for our city,” Harmer said.

“This was an opportunity to be part of an extraordinary hospitality offering and gives me a platform to share my knowledge and help develop the next generation of chefs and culinary creatives as well as personally to continue my development in new areas of hospitality and guest experiences.”

Andy Harmer.

Fortitude Valley’s uber popular James St Italian restaurant Bianca has also said goodbye to its head chef, with Mario Asero moving to Bos in Brisbane’s CBD.

The Italian expert is now turning out everything from lamb tomahawks to pasta under executive chef and TV cook Adrian Richardson.

Meanwhile, glamorous Scenic Rim restaurant The Paddock in Beechmont has welcomed husband and wife culinary duo Chris and Alex Norman to the kitchen.

The pair most recently helped launch French restaurant Herve’s in Albion and have previously worked for Sydney’s prestigious Merivale Group, as well as Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast.

Chris will work as executive chef, while Alex will be executive sous and pastry chef, rolling out a menu based around the best local Scenic Rim ingredients.