Dylan Kemp

Hi Dylan, can we start with where you are because you've recently moved away from Melbourne.

I've just relocated to Queensland for AVC (Australian Venue Co.) to do what we call brownfields; which means taking on all our venues that are in renovation and doing the new concepts, working with the marketing team, new menus, kitchen design and doing the relaunch and making sure we execute them properly.

Where in Queensland is that?

I'm in Kings Beach at the moment, just 20 minutes down from Mooloolaba, launching the Kings Beach Tavern just off the waterfront.

I imagine it is quite beautiful where you are.

Stunning; really really nice.

And the weather is probably a lot better than it is in Melbourne.

I woke up this morning at 7 o'clock to 23 degrees.

Wow, that's so lovely. So you're working for the Australian Venue Co. Can you explain to me what that actually is?

We've got venues all over, including in Australia in most states and in New Zealand; the majority of ours being in Queensland when we bought the Coles' Spirit Hotel group. They acquire new venues and I believe we are at 180 or so at the moment and growing.

And what is your role within that?

Executive chefone of; there are two of us in Queensland, two in Victoria and a couple of others dotted over.

Ok, so when you go and set up a new place, do you stay there and cook for a while as well?

Exactly. Just to make sure the team is trained properly, making sure there is quality and consistency and backing a new brandas I say, making sure it's executed to where we want it to be.

And were you saying the one you are setting up now is more of a pub-style venue?

Definitely, an old school pub tavern and we're just trying to bring the food up a little bit, obviously with all your pub classics with a little bit of a tweak. We are trying to freshen them up and talking about local ingredients and fresher produce, I suppose.

As a chef when you move around different places, states and countries, how do you go about working out the local produce and suppliers and who to use?

I love the markets. The markets are probably the best place to get a grasp on where you are. Obviously at the moment Im in the tropics so the fruit and veges are incredible. Markets are where I head as a starter and then working closely with the local suppliers and getting on the ground and having that close contact.

I always imagine that in Queensland there is lots of seafood on the menu.

For this venue, specifically, which was an old roadhouse grill, we have definitely opted for more seafood options, especially with Mooloolaba down the road and because we have beautiful ocean views. So we have layered in more seafood options but made sure we keep the pub classics because there is a very good local following for places like that.

Pub classics can be a bit fraught, can't they? You have your pub classics and then I imagine a chef like you, from what I've read about you, you'd want to be lifting that to that excellent level of parma or whatever it is.

Exactly, but we also understand that what people perceive as a pub classicwe don't want to stray too far from the original truth of what those dishes are. So there is a fine line and a slow progression when it comes to updating menus in these smaller coastal towns.

The slow progression thing is really true. I spoke to Nicola Dusi at The Hardware Club in the city and when they took over the venue, it had been a popular Italian restaurant with a loyal following, and he was aware of that existing clientele and wanted to keep them coming and so changed things very slowly on the menu to keep them coming.

I just think it's a better way to do it and to get the feel for what the community is doing. That local clientele is the bulk of our business, even though we do have a lot of travellers. We need to make sure that what we are doing is what the local community is looking for in their local tavern.

I was reading about some of the places you have worked, like Royal Mail, Dutchess, State of Grace and they are all really great places and I was impressed with the way people talk about you as a 'top chef'. What does it feel like for you to be described like that?

I love it. I love the recognition. I love my job and I have done since I started, in fact I have probably fallen more in love with it as my career has moved on and so getting the recognition for the hard work is great and for getting that recognition for something that you love is even better, I believe.

I agree. Where did it all start for you? Obviously, I can hear your New Zealand accent which is the same as mine and so I love that, is that where it started?

Yes. I was born in New Plymouth, so North Island west coast and I always had a passion for cooking. I learned to cook from my mother who is phenomenal in the kitchen and from my Nana who has more of the back country hut style cooking. So I got two sides of the coin; how to cook over an open fire and how to do salubrious dinners at home. My father is a big hunter and so I learned a lot about the paddock to plate style. I wrapped all of those things together and started cheffing when I was 15 and I never looked back. I dropped out of school and went to a polytech and did all my studies and went straight into a fine-dining restaurant. As I say, I never looked back and got deeper and deeper into it.

I guess it seems obvious, but what is it about cheffing that you really love?

I love the fact that no day is the same, working with new produce and dishes. My friends always ask if I like cooking for myself. I get a lot of pleasure from cooking for other people. I get satisfaction from people enjoying a dinner or coming out and having time away. Thats the satisfaction I get; people enjoying the food that I cook and the effort we put into it to put it on the plate.

Did you do your apprenticeship in New Zealand and then come over here?

I did. I got poached before I graduated, and I moved from New Plymouth to Lake Taupo in the middle of the North Island and went to work at The Terraces straight out of my qualification and from there I went to The Bach which was best provincial restaurant in New Zealand. Then from there I went to Wellington and worked for a small pub group with seven venues. When it was time to come over here, I was 21. I went straight to Spicers Peak Lodge which is a five-star resort and was very eye-opening for me. I spent two years there and then hit the Queensland islands; Hayman Island and Lizard Island and then back down to Melbourne.

Wow. When you have those kinds of jobs, it sounds like you're living in really exotic places but do you actually get to enjoy it as a chef or are you working really big hours?

No, you definitely do. Especially the bigger places like Hayman Island which are a one and only. You dont work huge hours and there's a staff beach and a bar. There were 400 staff on Hayman Island. We definitely got our full share of down time. There's the Great Barrier Reef and amazing snorkelling and youre allowed to enjoy those as though you're a guest.

When you came to Melbourne, did you go straight to the Royal Mail?

No, I started working for one of the Executive chefs, Justin Wise, at The Point in Albert Park. I worked there for just over nine months and I left there and went to the Royal Mail.

You have obviously worked your way up quite quickly to positions of responsibility. When was your first head chef job?

When I was 20.

Wow. Ok. Thats a big deal. Ive spoken to other chefs who take on the head chef role at a young age. Obviously, you love cooking and you've done a lot of cooking but there are a lot of other things involved with being a head chef. Was it a challenge for you or just a really natural progression to become head chef at 20?

I think it was a natural progression and I don't like being bad at anything, so I just took it as a challenge to be better at what I was doing. Anything that anyone could throw at me, I knew I was going to learn from it and grow. I never backed down and never said no to anything.

You obviously now oversee a lot of people and probably teaching and training and keeping everyone motivated. What's your style for that? Are you a show-er or a teller or do you get alongside? How do you lead your staff.

I think most chefs are on the very practical side; they need to be shown, they need to touch it and feel it. That's why I'm in the kitchen every day with the guys and girls now to teach and train them side by side. It means running the services with them, not just showing them something and walking away. I believe that's the way they are learning the most from what we are teaching them and retaining that knowledge as well.

I guess too, it gets hot in the kitchen, you're working with sharp knives and time limits. How do you handle that stress? Do you have strategies or is that again just something that has just come naturally to you because you love it?

People always say, "I could never be a chef," and I have never thought that. I enjoy the stress. I love being able to nail a service and then you walk out on a such a massive high; the adrenaline is going and the whole team has pulled through right to the end. You're sweating and tired but you're super happy because you've nailed it. And that feeling at the end is why I do it, day in, day out.

Where do you get your inspiration? You mentioned before that you love the markets, but are you someone who has cookbooks, or do you go online, or have you just built up a repertoire over the years? Where do your ideas come from?

I have all of about five cookbooks. My inspiration comes a lot from paddock to plate. I love foraging, I love hunting, I love fishing and learning from the people who are around me. I've had the pleasure of cooking with Simon Rogan when I was at the Royal Mail. They were all inspirational leaders, but for me, its going out foraging and being able to create something from the land. That's what the Royal Mail also taught me; salad doesn't just come in a box, not everything is an A grade premium carrot. Ugly delicious became a thing for me when I was working at the Royal Mail and seeing greatness in something others see as B grade.

I think that's a really great perception of the world and how amazing that you're a chef and that people get to enjoy your food when it comes from that starting point. I have this idea that whoever is cooking the food, that their emotions and their attitude go into the food.

100%.

I think it sounds as though Queensland is in good hands.

Hopefully. I've only just got here. We'll see how we go.

No pressure.

I launch Kings Beach next week, so we'll see.

All the best for next week, Dylan, and thanks from taking time out of that because I know you have a really busy schedule.

You are more than welcome. Thanks for chatting with me, I have enjoyed it.

Australian Venue Co.