Otago Daily Times: Ambassador Status Reward After Culinary Journey
This article first appeared in the Otago Daily Times on Wednesday 6 April 2022.
Adding another string to his bow, chef Cameron Davies has been recognised for his beef and lamb dishes. Here Davies answers a few questions about how he came to be a chef in Te Anau. Te Anau chef Cameron Davies is the only South Island chef to be named as one of this year's Beef + Lamb ambassador chefs. He joins the ambassador chefs' "hall of fame" which includes Phil Clark, Peter Gordon, Kate Fay and Rex Morgan, to name a few.
Davies, who owns The Fat Duck, says he was not expecting to be named, but it was nice to get the recognition and he was excited about the opportunities it will provide. "I am immensely proud, and a bit taken aback, to be honest. There have been chefs I have looked up to for years who have been ambassadors and now to be on their level, it's pretty special." Foodservice manager Lisa Moloney says they were impressed by the high level of innovation and enthusiasm from those who applied despite the difficulties of Covid-19.
"Not only are chefs putting together well-thought-out beef and lamb dishes with interesting flavour combinations, but the level of execution is very high. With such a high standard, it was a tough decision whittling it down to four chefs."
As well as Davies, BJ Sebastian, Mudbrick Vineyard, Waiheke Island, Andrew May, Amayjen The Restaurant, Palmerston North and MacLean Fraser, Artisan at Bolton Hotel, Wellington have been named as ambassador chefs.
Q&A WITH CAMERON DAVIES
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A CHEF?
It began when I was young as my mum and my nana were both good cooks. I was about 10 years old when I started helping nana make preserves and jams and entering them in competitions at the A&P shows. We won many awards – we were a winning team!
My mum worked in the local pub in Darfield and I managed to get a job as a kitchen hand there when I was about 12 years old. I remember thinking how cool the chef was and how good it felt being around food and people that were passionate about food. By the time I was 15 I had managed to secure some holiday work experience at Strawberry Fare, a Christchurch-based restaurant where the owner’s son was head chef and took me on board.
HOW DID YOU TRAIN TO BECOME A CHEF?
At age 16 I had enough credits to get into CPIT, so I left school and began a Diploma in Cookery. I was also fortunate to get a job at the Crown Plaza as a commis chef. It was a bit of juggle with study and full-time work but to have mentors like Tony Smith, Richard Hingston, Neil MacInnes, Darren Wright and David Spice from the Crown Plaza was just amazing. It was such a professional environment and as a small-town country boy in the big smoke under such great tutelage, I learnt so much.
I loved my time at CPIT and was proud to represent them at the 15th Toque d’Or event in 2005, winning double gold and maintaining CPIT’s high standards. Up to that point I hadn’t had much recognition, so it was nice to receive the win and know I was on the right track with my career.
While working at the Crown Plaza I had listened to lots of stories from international chefs about just how much a career in cooking could open different pathways. I hadn’t really thought too much about where cooking would take me, so was inspired to be able to combine a career as a chef with travelling the world.
During my time overseas I worked at places like Harvey Nichols in London and was also head chef on a private yacht traveling the world and cooking for celebrities such as Beyonce & Jay Z, Paris Hilton, Bono, P Diddy & Rihanna. I look upon this time as one of the best jobs. Although there was a lot of pressure, it was so diverse with clients from all over the world. Once again it created a lot of learning opportunities.
HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOURSELF AS A CHEF?
I believe simple is beautiful and prefer the ingredients of a dish to tell their own story without being overcomplicated. I like to use traditional techniques to create tasty and uncomplicated food. Beginning with quality ingredients in the kitchen allows the produce to shine and tell its own story on the plate.
HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE AN OWNER/OPERATOR?
Yes – it had been my lifelong dream to own my own restaurant. I met Selina, my partner, while working overseas and we moved back to New Zealand in 2015 which led us to Te Anau where we purchased The Fat Duck. It was exciting as we could see how tourism was growing down here and could see the potential for growth. It felt amazing to realise my dream of being an owner-operator but there have been plenty of challenges on a day-to-day basis and of course with the global pandemic.
WHAT’S THE SECRET TO RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL RESTAURANT IN TE ANAU?
It is all based on people – you need community support to run a successful business and to build up a loyal customer base. You also need great people within the business so you can build a good team behind you. So I would say it’s the people that have made The Fat Duck so successful.
Selina and I are proud to have an outstanding team and work hard to keep them. It’s not just about the pay cheque but is also about what I can do for my team – so it’s about leadership. We put a lot of emphasis on a great work culture and about growing them as individuals and showing them a pathway within the industry and supporting them with online learning to upskill.
When we lost the tourists due to the pandemic the community really stepped up to support us. We hosted weddings and birthdays and were so grateful for what they could do for us and to know this is still their favourite place to eat.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO KEEP DEVELOPING AS A CHEF?
The inner drive to be better every day as a person, a chef, and a leader. There are always things that can be improved upon and refined for example a new kitchen system, but we can always find ways to improve.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT BEING NAMED A BEEF + LAMB AMBASSADOR CHEF?
I am immensely proud, and a bit taken aback, to be honest. I wasn’t expecting it but feel privileged to be in this situation and am excited about the future and the opportunities that will unfold as an Ambassador Chef.
There have been chefs I have looked up to for years who have been Ambassadors and now to be on their level it’s pretty special. It’s also nice to get the recognition and something I will always look back on and feel proud of. When I told my team they were blown away and hugely excited too. It’s great to see their passion and excitement for this within the team as well.
WHY COOK WITH NEW ZEALAND BEEF AND LAMB?
It’s the best in the world! I’ve worked on private yachts all around the world, where they use the best of the best ingredients and they always featured New Zealand beef and lamb.
We are so fortunate here in New Zealand that the animals are eating quality grass and the farmers are using outstanding farming practices to produce quality meat. I get to see this every day while driving around and the pastures we drive past are just outstanding, and the animals are in great condition. All this combines and is transferred onto the plate.
HOW DO YOU TELL THE GATE TO PLATE STORY ON YOUR MENU?
I 100% want to be able to tell the story of our local farmers and producers through my food. In past decades there has been a huge disconnect between our farms and where our food comes from, but it’s coming back now. People are keen to learn and connect their food to where it is made. Even supermarkets are getting on board and telling the story of their producers and local farmers’ markets are popping up every.
I feel it’s our obligation as chefs to tell the farmer’s story as they are a hugely important piece of the puzzle. Our customers are keen to learn more and are asking great questions too. When Aucklanders come in to dine, they have a really good knowledge of food and they want to know all about what I am serving on the menu.
WHAT DISH ON YOUR MENU ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
That would have to be the Lumina lamb shoulder we have on our menu. It’s showcasing a top product with an amazing story behind it. It’s not your traditional lamb farming – it’s next level how they grow Lumina lamb which ends up as a very special dish on our restaurant menu.
I like to work with products that are consistent and always meet a high standard. As a chef, I strive for that every day and our restaurant is built on consistency and that’s why people come in. You’re only as good as your last service so to keep striving for perfection and consistency is something that keeps driving us.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE WINE MATCH FOR BEEF AND LAMB?
It would have to be a Central Otago wine as they add a lovely depth of flavour and the kind of flavour profile we are looking for. I think the Mt. Difficulty Pinot Noir works well with both beef and lamb. It’s such a great match that I use it to make the jus on our beef dish.
WHAT DOES SUSTAINABILITY TASTE LIKE TO YOU?
Sustainability is hugely important and something that as a business owner and a chef we need to work on and keep moving forward. Southland can be tough to be super sustainable as with our remote location we need to transport more things in. However, as we get more growers and producers down here, it’s helping and it’s always good to use as much local as possible to help keep sustainability front of mind.
We forage as much as we can locally when things are in season such as Horopito, blackberries and watercress. Selina has a vegetable garden that can supply the restaurant with herbs and a few things like spring onion, chives, carrots and rhubarb.
In the restaurant, we have changed quite a few things to be more sustainable, such as buying from suppliers who have sustainable packaging and moving all our takeaway containers to cane and only use reusable coffee cups.
WHO IS YOUR FOOD HERO?
Early on in my career, it was Marco Pierre White – he made cooking very cool. As I got older, I was hugely inspired by Anthony Bourdain and his travels. Also, Thomas Keller because I got the chance to dine at Bouchon in the Napa Valley and the French Laundry – he is the godfather of cookery.
WHAT IS ONE RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD THAT IS ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?
I would love to dine at Le Gavroche because it has so much history and is connected to so many famous chefs. A good friend of mine in London used to work there and has told many interesting stories.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COOKBOOK?
White Heat by Marco Pierre White and Est Est Est by Phillipa Sibley and Donovan Cooke, which was a gift from a great mentor and friend.
HOW DO YOU KEEP UP WITH NEW COOKING TRENDS?
I find social media and YouTube are great to keep ahead of trends.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUNG UPCOMING CHEFS?
Work hard and be a sponge. Write things down, take photos, gather recipes and information and work for as many great chefs as you can.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
I am very content with how things have unfolded in my life. My family installed a good work ethic in me to keep my head down and work hard. Nothing gets handed to you on a plate so having that work ethic early on has been key to reaching my goals.
WHAT HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT HAS KEPT YOU GOING THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC?
I would have to say that would be Selina, my extremely supportive partner. She has been outstanding and such a great support along with my family and a close circle of friends who all have hospitality businesses. It’s great to be able to share stories and support each other as we navigate such a difficult time.
WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP FOR YOU?
We would like to grow our company and maybe open some different style of venues. There are a few things that inspire me - maybe a nice small restaurant aiming at higher-end dining, but growing our portfolio is where I would like to be heading.
WHEN YOU ARE NOT IN THE RESTAURANT WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO WITH YOUR SPARE TIME?
I love chasing my kids around – I have a one-year-old and a six-and-a-half-year-old. Otherwise, you might find me fly fishing, spending time on my mountain bike or running.