Celebrated chef Tony Tan is discovering the joys of rural life
Celebrated chef Tony Tan is discovering the joys of rural life.
Step into Tony Tan’s new house and you may well be greeted by fragrant aromas of star anise and cinnamon simmering away, a steamer filled with freshly picked vegetables and a yoghurt cardamon cake in the oven.
The Victorian food author and star chef, who opened a contemporary Asian cooking school in Toorak in 2000, has recently moved from Melbourne to Trentham — population 1200.
He plans to share his culinary secrets in his sleek kitchen when he launches his new cooking school.
A converted city slicker, he’s never been into gardening or raising chooks — until now.
“I grow my own organic vegies and have just started raising chickens for eggs — it sounds terribly idyllic but it has been a massive learning curve,” says Tan.
“Understanding soil and what to grow have been an exercise in patience, but the reward is so soul-satisfying in spite of my calloused hands.”
Tan is often asked “why Trentham?” and says it felt right and was like coming home.
“Imagine rolling fields that change from green to gold and majestic gum trees as you meander into this historic town. Imagine also a friendly and caring community who are sophisticated but also salt of the earth types.”
Tan describes his new house as a renovated “ugly duckling” that’s done a full circle.
“My house is a conversion — originally a 1990s brick veneer with verandahs all around and elongated on the block, it has been given a stunning fresh look by two young architects: sisters Lauren and Amanda Martin from Studio Martin,” he says.
It features a new entrance leading into an open plan kitchen, dining and living room, soaring skylights and extra windows for lots of natural light.
His favourite room is the library that is home to an extensive collection of travel and cookbooks. “I love spending hours researching food history and culture and why we are what we eat,” he says.
“I also love to travel but as travel is beyond our wildest dreams presently, I love revisiting books by Paul Theroux and Bill Bryson.”
Items of sentimental value include a bakul siah, which is a lacquered basket used by the Peranakan community for weddings, and a handmade quail trap which he carried on his lap all the way from Malaysia. There’s also a Chinese hand-carved wooden mould used for pastries and an Art Deco lounge set which he found in a farmer’s shed years ago.
Tan was born in Malaysia. The restaurant industry beckoned while he was at university and he worked in Melbourne’s legendary Shakahari Restaurant.
Fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese, Tan trained at La Varenne, France, and Leiths School of Food and Wine in Britain.
He hosted tours in Malaysia, Asia and Spain, did segments for SBS television and wrote for media outlets before opening his cooking school, which had a reputation as one of the best.
Since then he has taught at Ruth Pretty’s Cooking School in New Zealand and at Alambique in Madrid, Spain.
In 2017 he published Hong Kong Food City featuring 80 fabulous dishes, collaborated with Melbourne restaurants Flower Drum and Embla and did pop-ups in New York City and Sebastopol, California.
Tan admits he is now smitten with country life.
“The air is fresher and the seasons are more pronounced — the pace is less hectic compared to city life and it affords me time to think and write,” he says.
“Despite the slower pace, the community is vibrant but relaxed and I love learning from the potato farmers and growers at the incredible farmers market.”
He recommends the annual Trentham Spud Fest as a must do.
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