Brianna staged at Quay in Sydney, Australia which gave her a new understanding of different local ingredients while learning to continue working with focus, professionalism and teamwork.
Quay is a modern fine dining Australian restaurant located in Sydney, Australia. The restaurant is helmed by Chef Peter Gillmore, a Sydney native. I chose Quay because their food perspective struck me as something familiar yet adventurous. While Chef Gillmore pulls his inspiration from nature, this gives him a wide variety of ingredients at different stages to tell a story with. This ethos of food and cooking felt similar to Gramercy Tavern and I wanted to explore what that perspective of cooking looked like.
During my stage I had the opportunity to work with the amuse station, first and second course’s cold section. The amuse station consisted of two items at different stages of the menu as a snack throughout the meal: a white chocolate coated oyster cream and preserved lemon jam cannoli. The first course was a thinly sliced abalone and scallop dish that highlighted textures and beautiful knife work. The second course cold section celebrated precision and natural beauty with dehydrated sea cucumber and smoked eel cream and a caviar tart. During prep time I would assist all parts of the cold station depending on who needed help. The chefs encouraged me to plate with the cold section as well as the hot station pass during service. That helped me grow closer to understanding the menu since I was able to see all parts of the kitchen.
I learned how to prep and clean some proteins I have never seen used including pork jowl and abalone. A new fruit to my knowledge, feijoa, arrived as the restaurant approached a menu change. Ingredients such as bamboo and palm heart were showcased in their natural state. Blue marron were butchered every morning in the center of the restaurant. There were a myriad of opportunities to learn what someone was doing at any given point.
The focus, professionalism, and teamwork associated with being a team member at Quay made me respect their kitchen culture greatly. The chefs led the team with quiet, focused, and friendly energy. It was something I admired during my time, how they motivated their team by holding them accountable.
As my Ment’or Grant experience came to a close, I’ve taken time to reflect on my experience and how it will help me be successful. I had the opportunity to dine at Quay before leaving Sydney and the meal left me with admiration for the high level work that can make every dish unique and delicious. The opportunity to travel and work in a restaurant like Quay, performing at a high level and telling a story with farms and producers was a once in a lifetime experience. I look forward to using my stage experience to inspire me to cook food that is celebratory of the environment and the ingredients that come with it.
