Chef

Damien is a second generation Australian of French descent. His mother was a wonderful cook whose craft inspired him to make restaurants his career. In 1966, Damien began a four-year comprehensive course in catering and hotel management at William Angliss College in Melbourne.

His career began in catering and eventually led to teaching at a Melbourne cooking school. His dream was realised six years after graduating when he was appointed Executive Chef of Pavilion on the Park in 1978, then one of Sydney’s top restaurants.

In 1981 Damien and his wife Josephine bought Claudes restaurant and devoted 13 years to this highly acclaimed boutique restaurant. In 1992, Damien went into partnership with Ron White and purchased the Woollahra Hotel to create Bistro Moncur, now in its 16th year. The partnership also owns the Bellevue Hotel in nearby Paddington, offering a high standard of pub food. Damien has established nine successful Sydney restaurants and maintained his teaching career throughout.

Damien’s 2005 book French has been a brilliant success.

Woollahra Hotel website

Chef

Born in the Normandy region of France, Chef Franck Poupard began his career in 1987 with an apprenticeship at the one-star Michelin establishment Au Petit Vatel in Alençon. Two years later, he moved to the town of l’Aigle where he became Commis de Cuisine for the Hôtel Restaurant Le Dauphin, renowned for being one of the first restaurants to receive a star in the 1926 Michelin guide.

Passionate about travel and sport, Chef Poupard worked on the coordination and preparation of meals for athletes during the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. In 1995, he worked as Chef de Partie responsible for the Gastronomic restaurant La Table Ronde and Le Grill du Parc.

From 1998, Chef Franck Poupard worked as Sous Chef in various establishments in the Haute Savoie region during the winter seasons and in Corsica for the summers. He then became Head Chef in several well known establishments before moving to the luxury hotel Hotel Le President Wilson in Genev,a where he was responsible for the garde-manger, concentrating on the elaboration of a menu for fusion cuisine.

He also worked in London for two years from 2003, principally for Harrods’ gastronomic restaurant Le Georgian. In 2006, Chef Poupard obtained his "Brevet Technique Supérieur" and he joined Le Cordon Bleu Chef’s team in 2007.

Chef

Darren Purchese is one of the most respected pastry chefs working in Australia today. With a wealth of talent and experience, Darren produces innovative desserts and cutting edge patisserie using modern and fresh techniques.

Having worked in kitchens across England and France, Darren further developed his talents at the legendary Savoy Hotel in London, under the tutelage of Mâitre Chefs de Cuisine, Anton Edelmann. After three successful years, Darren went on to work at the prestigious Goring Hotel, five-star Raffles Browns and the deluxe Bentley Hotel. During his time at The Bentley, Darren was presented with an Acorn Award by the Hotel & Caterer Magazine, awarded annually to the most promising young persons in the UK hospitality industry.

After arriving in Australia in 2005, Darren joined Shannon Bennett’s team at Vue de monde and helped the restaurant win an unprecedented two consecutive restaurant of the year awards from Gourmet Traveller and three chef’s hats in The Age Good Food Guide. He also worked at Gary Mehigan’s Fenix, George Calombaris eaterie The Press Club and Bennelong in Sydney’s Opera House.

Chef

Inspired by Marco Pierre White’s book White Heat, Darren Robertson began pursuing culinary ambitions, learning his craft in kitchens around Kent and Sussex.

In 2001, Robertson traded the UK for Australia to work with his food hero, the great Tetsuya Wakuda. Working at Tetsuya’s for eight years, Darren spent three of those as Chef De Cuisine, and in 2009 assisted his mentor at the World Summit of Gastronomy.

As well as running ‘guerrilla dining’ experience The Table Sessions, Darren can now be found at the helm of Three Blue Ducks in Bronte, serving exquisite, simple, modern cuisine that puts him firmly at the forefront of Sydney’s bold new generation of cooking talent.

Three Blue Ducks website

The Roux brothers, Michel and Albert, are considered the founding fathers of modern British cuisine.
Michel was born in Charolles, in central France, above the charcuterie his grandfather ran. He left school at 14 to undertake a patisserie apprenticeship in Paris. He later became Chef de Cuisine for Mademoiselle Rothschild before heading to London in 1967. It was a start of a culinary revolution for the nation.

Michel opened Le Gavroche with his brother in 1971, and it soon became the first UK restaurant to be awarded a Michelin Star (it later won three). Their other venture, The Waterside Inn in Bray, also received three stars. The Waterside Inn has retained its top ranking ever since and is famed for its desserts and continues to deliver polished, contemporary haute French cuisine.

Michel has written various books such as Pastry and The Roux Brothers on Patisserie, won France’s highest culinary honour the Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 1972 and was one of the original TV celebrity chefs in the 1980s with a feisty TV series.

Now 68, Michel divides his time between Switzerland, France and England and continues to train the next generation of chefs. More than 1,000 chefs have worked in Roux’s kitchen, including Pierre Koffman and Marco-Pierre White.

Michel and Albert set up the highly prized Roux Brothers Scholarship in 1984 and received honorary OBEs in 2002. His autobiography, Life is a Menu, was published in 2000.

The Waterside Inn website