Young guns open up about celebrity chef mentors

Whether it’s encouragement, constructive criticism or a new way of doing things, the young guns of Australian cooking open up about the lessons they have learned from their mentors.

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RICK STEIN AND MITCH TURNER

Mitch Turner, 31, was “a bit of a fan boy” when he first started working as a sous chef for Rick Stein, 71, at the original Bannisters restaurant in Mollymook.

Four years later he is running the restaurant at the new Bannisters at Port Stephens.

“His personality is very similar to (what you see on television), it’s the same chef that you are working under. He’s got a real presence to him, when he talks it attracts attention and it’s really easy to listen,” he says of the man who has helped steer this promotion.

UK-born Stein has an Australian wife and splits his time between the two countries, which was a great learning opportunity for Tuner.

“Rick would be in the kitchen doing training, demos, tastings and the more seniors would sit down with him and share knowledge,” he says.

Rick Stein and his former apprentice Mitchell Turner who is the head chef at the new Rick Stein restaurant in Port Stephens. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

The most important lesson was to work with the best ingredients.

“I’ve worked at places which are more formal and traditional French training, but with Rick it’s not drilled down that there’s one way to do things. We’ll look at what is good and see how the produce lends itself to dishes,” Turner says.

For his part Stein was impressed by his protege’s “boundless enthusiasm” which made him a great student.

“Mitch is very receptive to my ideas but chips in with his own too. It’s like we’re both reading the same music score — he gets it,” he says.

And despite an ever growing CV of best-selling of cook books and television shows, Stein is not above learning from his students, highlighting Turner’s burrata with seared tomatoes, white anchovies and pecorino as an example.

“I told him that I loved the idea of having burrata on the menu but have a problem with white anchovies as they tend to be too acidic,” Stein says.

“He pointed out that he was using just a teaspoon of little squares of anchovy in the dish and the result was to enhance the sweetness of the tomatoes. He was right.

“One of the great things I’ve learnt as I’ve got older is it’s not just the energy and enthusiasm of young people but also a fresh pair of eyes and suggestions about doing things better.”

After successfully steering the Bannisters Pavillon kitchen in Mollymook, Stein knew Tuner was the right chef to lead the new Bannisters at Port Stephens.

And Turner is pumped for the challenge. The restaurant quietly opened in September and will have its official launch next month.

“Pretty much my entire cheffing life I’ve aspired to do something like this,” he says.

“The 16-year-old me would be blown away.”

PETER DOYLE AND JACOB DAVEY

Jacob Davey, 34, was always going to be a shoe-in for the head chef position at fine diner Est when Peter Doyle, 66, stepped aside after 15 years.

Doyle first came across Davey when he was judging the Young Chef of the Year Award in 2013. Davey won and when he applied for a job with Doyle six months later had an advantage over the other candidates.

Over the four decades he has been cooking, Doyle has mentored a who’s-who of hot-shot chefs including Josh Niland of Saint Peter, Karl Firla of Oscillate Wildly and Jordan Toft of Bert’s in the formative stages of their careers, but Davey came to him four years ago almost fully-formed so the teaching was more about the business side of running a kitchen rather than cooking.

Peter Doyle and Jacob Davey at Est Restaurant. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“The day-to-day running of a restaurant I didn’t know about until I came here and that was a gradual schooling,” Davey says.

“Pete ran a more friendly kitchen than the more agro, intense kitchens I came from and that’s a big thing I’ve learnt coming to Est.

“It goes back to the staffing, if you look them they look after you. It’s easy to fall into the trap of ‘you’ve just gotta do it’ but Pete is really good at looking after the staff.”

Says Doyle: “You spend a lot of time together, it has its up and downs, but you’ve got to learn how to make it a team and draw them together. That’s a really important part of the job.”

Leaving Est in Davey’s capable hands, Doyle is now lending his experience to Merivale’s new apprenticeship program.

From next year, Merivale will take on 20 apprentices and guide them through the formative years of their careers.

“There are not enough apprentices across the board and it’s time to encourage them,” Doyle says.

“We are trying to fast forward the learning program, mentor them a little bit more along the way and point them in the right direction.”

KYLIE KWONG AND O TAMA CAREY

Celebrated chef Kylie Kwong remembers the days when O Tama Carey would visit her inner-city institution Billy Kwong and just watch the organised chaos of the kitchen.

“She’d sit there and watch all of us,” she laughs. “One night we struck up a conversation and she expressed that she’d love to work here one day.”

Carey joined the staff of Billy Kwong and worked her way up to sous chef before continuing her journey at now-closed Berta.

O Tama Carey with her mentor Kylie Kwong at O Tama's restaurant the Lankan Filling Station in East Sydney. Picture: Toby Zerna

After delighting crowds with her Sri Lankan hoppers at Carriageworks Farmers Market for a number of years, she finally opened casual East Sydney eatery Lankan Filling Station this year.

“It’s just so wonderful that she has her own space finally where we can feel and see her
self-expression and individuality,” Kwong says.

Those days under Kwong’s tutelage were vital
in shaping the chef Carey is today.

“All of the values I learned at Billy Kwong and from Kylie are what I’ve believed in since,” she says.