Top chefs Luke Mangan, Neil Perry and Danielle Alvarez team up to teach the next generation
Sydney’s top chefs Luke Mangan, Neil Perry and Danielle Alvarez have come together to give the next generation of industry leaders an inspiring lesson in the highs and lows of the food business.
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Sydney’s top chefs have come together to give the next generation of industry leaders an inspiring lesson in the highs, the lows, and the blood, sweat and tears of the food business.
Restaurateur Luke Mangan and fellow celebrity chef buddies Neil Perry, head chef and owner of Double Bay’s Margaret, and Sydney Opera House culinary director Danielle Alvarez cooked up the ‘Inspired Series’ of talks at TAFE Ultimo with the aim to “educate and motivate” hospitality students.
The industry bigwigs have themselves soared far beyond their first gigs, but each started out with little more than a passion for food or people and elbow grease.
By learning to work hard anyone can achieve greatness in hospitality, Mangan said, and there’s plenty to love, from travelling the world to meeting extraordinary people.
“I started an apprenticeship at 15, and for about three of those four years I washed pots, peeled potatoes, peeled onions and took out the garbage,” he said.
“To me that was a great introduction, because it’s work that needed to be done and is a very important part (of) a restaurant and kitchen environment. It’s a good learning curve, and I think every young chef … starting in the industry should always start with those sorts of jobs.”
Alvarez, a chef formerly of Fred’s in Paddington, hails from the US and said her “really scary” big break was at the three-Michelin-starred French Laundry in California’s Napa Valley.
“It was a completely eye-opening experience … you get thrown into the fire, literally and figuratively, and you have to figure out whether you’ll sink or swim.”
The Australian accommodation and food services industry employs nearly one million people, but fell from a high of 937,000 people in February to 918,200 by November. About 60 per cent are employed part-time, and with a median age of 25 it’s the youngest workforce of any industry.
41-year-old Sally Van comes to the sector as a late bloomer, having enrolled in one of TAFE’s commercial cookery courses from a background in banking and risk management.
What started with baking focaccia during lockdowns has turned into expertly crafted meringue roulades through her TAFE teachers’ careful instruction – and plenty of practice.
“My macarons used to look like Monte Carlo (biscuits), so I can really see how much I’ve improved,” she said.
“I’ve always loved food, I have a passion for food. I decided I needed a career change, so I started learning about nutrition and dietetics, and make it practical … so that I can work with … the disabled community.”
Mangan said from the “unsociable hours” to issues over pay, the sector is all too often losing its talent before they’re reached their full potential.
“There’s always a shortage of good people, but I think what we don’t do as an industry is sell ourselves well. We need to do that, and tell young people it is such a great thing to be involved in,” he said.
“There is a dropout rate with hospitality, and that’s what I’m trying to change.
Alvarez said if would-be restaurateurs have an aversion to hard work, they’re “not going to last very long”, but for those who stick with it there’s countless opportunities.
“When you tell anyone, as a young person, that you’re getting into hospitality (as a career), you’re immediately met with cold faces, and questions like ‘Are you sure you want to do that? It’s really hard work’,” she said.
“But I think it’s really important to remind kids just how fun and exciting a career it can be.
“I worked some of the longest hours I have in a kitchen, but some days it feels so fun you don’t even notice it.”
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