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Meet the cool, clever, creative chefs who’s diverse backgrounds and united passion for produce brings individual flavour, skill and character to the tables of the lodges.

Lake House, Daylesford, Alla Wolf-Tasker AM. While Culinary Director Alla will always refer to her passionate and highly skilled team in the kitchen, we all know it is her fearless, tireless, own brand of ‘force of nature’ that has created not just a 2-hatted, much-lauded restaurant overlooking Lake Daylesford, but an ethos of unrelenting pursuit of local produce, advocacy for  provenance, a distinctive, warm culture of expert hospitality and innovation over 30+ years. LEARN MORE…
 
Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley, Blue Mountains. Chef James Viles. James is best known for his imaginative, authentically Australian cuisine and his passion for sustainability. He leads the resort’s talented team of chefs, creating exciting menus showcasing the region’s finest produce, sourced sustainably from the ‘food bowl’ that surrounds the resort. LEARN MORE…
 
Spicers Peak Lodge, Scenic Rim. Chef Dean Alsford. Dean Alsford is all about producing the best of Australia on a plate. It turns out it is not only the diners at The Peak restaurant who delight in those vast mountain views up at Spicers Peak Lodge. On the other side of the pass, Head Chef Dean Alsford will often catch a glimpse of a breathtaking sunset beyond the dining room and the terrace outside, and marvel at where his meandering journey as a chef has brought him. At The Peak, the ‘best of’ ethos is taken multi-level – it’s about the produce, the people who grew it, the plates it’s served on and those serving it – as well as staying true to the ideals around Australian food. LEARN MORE…
 
Appellation at The Louise, Barossa Valley. Chef Kyle Johns. Born in Durban, South Africa, Kyle and his family moved to Sydney, Australia, settling in the food-first suburb of Marrickville. His fascination with culture and cuisine has produced a joyously multicultural chef with a real love of seasonal produce and fierce loathing of waste. Kyle leads his talented team through a contemporary exploration of what it means to satisfy hunger in South Australia’s global food and wine region, Barossa.“Today, Barossa chefs have the freedom to draw from an incredibly rich food DNA and then blend it with our own life experiences”. LEARN MORE…
 
Silky Oaks Lodge, The Daintree. Chef Mark Godbeer. Mark always knew he wanted to be a chef, a life-long passion for food and a burning desire to learn continues to drive his 17-year career. Mark brings to the table both his hands-on and technical training as well as experience in great restaurants around the world and onboard incredible motor yachts. LEARN MORE…
 
Arkaba, Flinders Ranges. Chef Luke Smith. The first experience of one of Luke’s dishes is one that speaks to all the senses and is only truly opened up when Luke explains what lies behind his creation – a dizzying array of local and home made contributions that go far beyond purely producing a wonderful meal.  At a place like Arkaba where so much of the guest experience is out in the bush with the team of field guides, Luke has also managed to connect guests to the country through his food – no mean feat in this remote outback wilderness. LEARN MORE…  
 
Cape Lodge, Margaret River. Chef Tony Howell. Western Australian born and bred, Tony Howell discovered his passion for cooking as a bright-eyed 14-year-old while working in a Mexican restaurant to pay for surfboards. Fast-forward 30 years and he has garnered a reputation as one of Australia’s best chefs. He has worked in the world’s finest restaurants, cooked at events alongside the world’s best including Heston Blumenthal, Alex Atala, Rene Redzepi and Sat Bains. Tony is passionate about local, sustainable, seasonal produce and his approach to food is uncompromising. LEARN MORE…
 
Capella Lodge, Lord Howe Island. Chef Cooper Dickson. Cooper started at Capella Lodge in 2004 as a fourth year Apprentice Chef and returned in 2015 as Executive Chef. During the years in between he developed his skills and advanced his career by working both overseas and at Southern Ocean Lodge. For Cooper, working within an organisation that values food as an integral part of its overall philosophy is not only gratifying, it’s essential. He’s able to integrate his real passion for using fresh produce to create his innovative, contemporary menus. The growing fruit and vegetable cultivation taking place on Lord Howe Island along with his passion for foraging allows Cooper to source the freshest local produce. LEARN MORE…
 
Saffire, Freycinet. Chef Iain Todd. Tasmanian born and bred Executive Chef Iain Todd is defined by his passion for seasonality and local produce, and his skill and humility when it comes to making it shine. Having begun his career at Melbourne’s Fenix and Hobart’s Henry Jones, Iain became the young chef/owner of Piccalilly and then the highly acclaimed and awarded Ethos, with stints at MONA and Frogmore Creek. Iain and his team are focused on seasonality, consulting with the very best producers and growers, as well as foraging beautiful vegetation from Saffire’s very own pristine coastline, to bring Tasmania’s culinary gifts to life. LEARN MORE…
 
True North, Australia. Chef Rhys Badcock. Rhys was the winner of the 2013 edition of Masterchef: The Professionals. Previously sous chef at the award-winning Cape Lodge and has worked alongside some of the best chefs in the industry. Rhys has a passion for using sustainable, in-season and local produce – especially for the tasty fish, the world renowned Australian Barramundi, that True North guests catch up in the Kimberley. LEARN MORE…
 
Longitude 131°, Ayers Rock (Uluru). Chef Tom Saliba. With his most recent posting at sister property Southern Ocean Lodge, Executive Chef Tom Saliba brings a passion for fresh seasonal produce and contemporary Australian cuisine to the menu at Longitude 131°. Working with a philosophy of bringing Australia’s finest premium produce to the Red Centre, Tom uses local bush ingredients and traditional Indigenous techniques to create unique taste of Australia served, with a view to Uluru. LEARN MORE…
 
Mt Mulligan Lodge, Northern Outback Queensland. Chef Daniel Peacock. Growing up in a large Maltese family in England and influenced by his Grandmother’s cooking, Daniel Peacock turned his passion for cooking and all things food into a career. Moving to Australia in 2017, peaked his interest in native Australian ingredients and the diverse flavour palate on offer. The lodge’s signature Australiana-themed seven course degustation dinner, Dining Under the Stars, is served on the edge of the weir under a blanket of flickering stars and in the shadow of lofty Mount Mulligan. The rustic but refined dishes echo native ingredients and local produce of Far North Queensland. LEARN MORE…
 
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