It may be 2023, but professional cheffing is still largely portrayed as something of a boy’s club. The most talked-about and celebrated chefs so often tend to be male, which begs the question: why? It may simply be because they’re more established, more outspoken or just more comfortable with self-promotion. But that doesn’t mean they’re any better than their female counterparts. And so, to celebrate International Women’s Day 2023, we’re turning the tables, and shining a spotlight on some of the most exciting and innovative female chefs in the country, from those you’ve heard of to those you’ll definitely want to check out.
Chef Jo Barrett has built her reputation on sustainability, from the groundbreaking Future Food System project in Melbourne to her work at Oakridge Wines in the Yarra Valley and Little Picket, a community-focused restaurant at the local bowling club in Lorne, Victoria. Barrett believes that regenerative farming is not only the best way forward for the planet; it’s also essential for the future of Australian fine dining.
This ex-Formula 1 aerodynamicist makes some of the best croissants in the world, according to the New York Times, and we happen to agree. Just like Reid’s pastries, the Lune family is expanding, but there will never be enough shops to stop the block-long queues. There’s currently a cruller spin-off in Melbourne, a Lune outpost in Brisbane and a Sydney location on the way.
Jacqui Challinor started her career at Merivale, but it was her time at Sydney restaurant Nomad where she really made her name. Her name has become synonymous with soft, chewy flatbreads, house-made cheese and charcuterie, and boldly flavoured Mediterranean fare. As well as taking Nomad down south to Melbourne, Challinor has steered a new venue in Sydney, Beau, which combines a casual all-day eatery specialising in Middle Eastern manoush flatbread with a more refined wine bar. Plus, she has another venue in Melbourne, Reine & La Rue, on the way.
Rethink what you think you know about Thai food at Viand, Potter’s Sydney restaurant. The ex-right-hand-woman to David Thompson is in her element in the open kitchen. Don’t expect cheap and cheerful Thai, Potter plates up a thrilling banquet menu you won’t find anywhere else in Australia.
Jerry Mai is the talented chef and restaurateur behind some of Melbourne’s best-loved Vietnamese restaurants. After honing her skills at Nahm and Zuma in London, Mai returned home to Melbourne, to share the food she grew up with. Get a taste of her punchy flavourful fare at buzzy beer hall Bia Hoi and the pho-nomenally good Pho Nom.
The restaurant may be called Jane, but Victoria is the name you’ll want to remember. Scriven worked at Ester and Arthur before taking the reins as head chef at Jane. This backstreet Surry Hills restaurant serves up ’70s-inspired plates that are so good, you’ll want to move into the neighbourhood.
Acclaimed chef and restaurateur Nornie Bero, a delicious. contributor, puts her Torres Strait Islands childhood and a whole lot of joy onto every plate at her Federation Square diner, Big Esso. Bero is delighted to share her food memories with the people of Naarm (Melbourne), as well as showcasing Indigenous ingredients from around the country.
Rosheen Kaul worked at Lee Ho Fook, Smith & Daughters and Dinner by Heston before going on to head up one of Melbourne’s best restaurants – Etta in Brunswick East. Since then, she’s published her first cookbook (Chinese-ish) to wide acclaim and is now a recipe columnist. She’s famous for her vibrant Chinese-influenced fare that doesn’t adhere to tradition, but instead makes the most of Southeast Asian and Western cuisines.
Neapolitan chef Federica Andrisani worked in a two Michelin-starred restaurant in Italy before heading to the Apple Isle to establish one of the country’s buzziest restaurants. As chef and co-owner of Fico, Andrisani serves up silky pastas and seasonally driven plates that put local producers front and centre.
Joy is a teeny-tiny Brisbane restaurant that’s big on ideas and flavour. Baldwin launched it with her former partner, Tim Scott, and now runs it solo. She helped design the restaurant, developed the menu, cooks it and serves it – she manages the whole outfit. There’s really nothing this hospo legend can’t do.
Melissa Palinkas has made a name for herself as the executive chef and co-owner of both Young George Bar & Kitchen and Ethos Deli & Dining Room, in Perth. Her menu is a particularly memorable one, thanks to her commitment to sustainability and zero waste (Ethos is 100% single-use-plastic free). Her house-made charcuterie has also won her legions of fans. Try it at Young George, then buy it at Ethos Deli to take home.
Dorothy (Dot) Lee worked at Ms.G’s and Momofuku Seiobo before taking ownership of famed Inner West diner Hartsyard in 2018, with her partner Jarrod Walsh (pictured). Next up for the hospo duo will be an exciting new seafood-focused restaurant, which is slated to open in the former Automata site mid-next month. Longshore will offer a five-course tasting menu, as well as an experimental 10-course snack flight.
With more than 22 years of experience in the industry, Shannon Martinez is a plant-based powerhouse. The chef/restaurateur put vegan cuisine on the map with Smith & Daughters in Melbourne, and she continues to influence the way we eat through her partnership with Ovolo hotels. Head to Lona Misa in Melbourne or Alibi Bar & Dining in Sydney for a taste.
When The Agrarian Kitchen was making waves, travellers to Tassie would book a table before their flights. Currey-Voumard was the head chef there when she won the Unearthed Next Gen Chef at the delicious. Produce Awards in 2018. She’s now cooking at Melbourne’s Public Wine Shop, where her produce-driven menu is attracting attention once again.
Unlike Ali Currey-Voumard, Brigitte Hafner moved from the city to the country, closing Gertrude Street Enoteca and opening Tedesca Osteria in regional Victoria. It took a decade to bring her dream restaurant to fruition. The intimate, 30-seat venue is connected to a biodynamic farm and offers a seasonal set menu that has put Red Hill on the map.
