Queensland’s most powerful foodies heating things up in and out of the kitchen
WHEN Australia’s top chefs are sourcing premium quality, sustainable seafood they look to this Sunshine Coast couple, who are among the most influential people in Queensland’s food industry.
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THESE are Queensland’s most powerful foodies — the leading forces in and out of the kitchen and dining rooms of our top cafes and restaurants.
#1 PAVO, 46, AND HEIDI, 43, WALKER SEAFOODS
WHEN Australia’s best chefs are looking for quality seafood they call Sunshine Coast husband and wife team Pavo and Heidi Walker.
The couple have been running their Mooloolaba-based fishing company since 2002 and specialise in export-grade tuna and swordfish, selling pristine catches to top restaurants across America, Asia and Australia, including Sydney’s Tetsuya’s and Saint Peter and Rockpool in Melbourne.
What sets the pair apart from their competition is their commitment to sustainability, leading the way Down Under and recognised internationally for their dedication to protecting fish species for the future.
They assist in tagging studies of tuna and swordfish and are the first choice of the CSIRO for all scientific studies and projects.
#2 JOSUE LOPEZ, 34, EXECUTIVE CHEF
AS the former executive chef of QAGOMA, Josue Lopez is recognised across the country as a leading force in the kitchen.
He is consistently pushing boundaries with his thought-provoking food, each dish telling a story about the produce and the region in which it’s grown, harvested, reared or produced.
Having trained in some of the best restaurants around the world, including Noma in Copenhagen, he is committed to flying the flag for his home state and has become an ambassador for Queensland’s dining scene.
Under his new role as executive chef of the Emporium Hotel Southpoint, Lopez will be pushing for excellence while promoting sustainability in his cooking and Queensland’s great small producers and farmers.
#3 SIMON GLOFTIS, 37, RESTAURATEUR
HIS first foray into food was selling corn on the cob at a market stall in Rocklea as a child, but now restaurateur Simon Gloftis is a force to be reckoned with on the Queensland dining scene.
Gloftis is largely credited for starting the current food boom on the Gold Coast after opening his acclaimed former restaurant The Fish House at Burleigh Heads, which went on to become a hot spot for foodies and A-list celebrities visiting Australia.
He then elevated Greek food with his Nobby Beach eatery Hellenika, that will soon birth a sister venture in Brisbane at the new Calile Hotel; and during the Commonwealth Games had the world talking with his latest restaurant and bar Nineteen at the Star.
The slick dining destination at Broadbeach’s The Star casino, which he co-owns with nightclub king Billy Cross, serves up everything from lobster spaghetti to a $240 steak and is putting Queensland dining on the map with tourists and locals alike.
#4 ADONIS, 38, AND NEHME, 36, GHANEM, RESTAURATEURS
FOR brothers Adonis and Nehme Ghanem, a life in hospitality was inevitable.
The pair’s parents ran restaurants and they spent their childhoods in and around the food scene.
Now they are continuing their family legacy, with a host of successful ventures under their belts including Blackbird Bar & Grill in Brisbane City, Byblos, Hamilton and Lord of the Wings at Indooroopilly, Robina and Carindale.
Their latest, soon-to-open venture, Donna Chang in Brisbane’s George St, aims to revive Chinese cuisine in Queensland, ditching bastardised sweet and sour pork and lemon chicken for true Sichuan and Cantonese flavours.
With their proven history in taking simple concepts and turning them into winners, helped by their executive chef Jake Nicolson, they are market leaders in hospitality.
#5 MARK COOPER, 55, UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR
IT’S no secret that the world is running out of food. But Professor Mark Cooper may be just the man to stop the shortage.
The University of Queensland expert is working to find innovative solutions to the world’s food gap issue and has developed industry-leading maize hybrids that are being used across the planet.
He is an internationally recognised global crop improvement innovator and hopes to use his research involving genomic predictions, biological and environmental data to produce significantly more food to support the growing population and make sure it’s available in the right places at the right times.
#6 MIKE HAYES, 54, WINEMAKER
AFTER decades of seeing Queensland wines condemned and criticised, Mike Hayes is largely responsible for turning their reputation around.
The Granite Belt vintner behind label Symphony Hill was last year crowned Australian Winemaker of the Year, becoming the first Queenslander to claim the Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology award.
Born and bred in Stanthorpe, the third-generation winemaker is helping draw attention to the Sunshine State’s blossoming vino scene and making it one to watch for those across Australia — and the world — with his award-winning drops.
#7 JOHN STAINTON, ENTREPRENEUR
ALONGSIDE partners Peter Hackworth, John Harrison and Jacki MacDonald, Stainton runs the always popular, eternally innovative Eat Street Markets in Brisbane’s inner northern suburb of Hamilton.
The street food precinct, which features dozens of market stalls in a variety of shipping containers, has become a dining destination for thousands of locals and visitors each week. It changed Brisbane’s idea of what a food offering could be and has inspired smaller copycats such as the city’s Riverland, Welcome to Bowen Hills and the soon to open X Cargo in Fortitude Valley.
Stainton manages the thriving business and ensures the vibrant offering stays ahead of the pack and continues to reinvent itself.
#8 RICK SHORES GROUP, RESTAURATEURS
THEIR beachfront restaurant Rick Shores at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast was last year named the No. 1 restaurant in The Sunday Mail’s Delicious. 100, but it’s the team of David Flynn, Nick Woodward, Frank Li and Andrew Hohn and their continued devotion to pushing the boundaries that makes them among the most powerful in the hospitality arena.
These inspiring young men deliver restaurants that compete on a national stage, while gently educating locals about food, wine and great service through their smart and sophisticated offerings.
Their newest venture, neo-Chinese Little Valley in Fortitude Valley, is again pushing the boat out on what Queenslanders think of Chinese, encouraging people to move away from beef and black bean and chicken chow mein and embrace different cultures for what they truly have to offer.
#9 MICHAEL HODGSON, 52, GROUP MANAGER, STAR
THE $3 billion Queen’s Wharf development is set to put Brisbane on the global
culinary map. Boasting a feast of premium restaurants across 13ha, it’s what tourism
bosses are claiming will be a drawcard for overseas and interstate visitors.
Responsible for finding and luring those outstanding food and beverage operators to
the site to become international crowd pullers is Michael Hodgson — group manager
partnerships and food strategy at Star Entertainment Group.
Hodgson is working hard with the group to ensure Queensland’s capital becomes a
must-visit dining destination known the world over, while simultaneously establishing
the Gold Coast’s $850 million redevelopment of Jupiters Casino as a foodie precinct
renowned for its restaurants, bars and eateries.
#10 MARTIN KEETELS, 36, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
THERE are few greater independent advocates for locally brewed beer in Queensland
than founder and executive director of Brisbane’s Beer InCider, Martin Keetels. Beer
InCider is the largest beer and cider festival in the state and Keetels has made it his
mission to educate the public on locally produced craft beer and encourage people to
support the brewers in their own backyard to ensure the continued growth and success
of the industry. Last year he even launched local beer awards called the Beeries to
support his goal.
Along with the brewers themselves and bar owners, Keetels is driving the Queensland
beer scene forward and ensuring it’s not only well appreciated in the state, but
nationwide.
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