Paul is joining The Entrance Lake House as Head Chef - please join me in welcoming Paul by commenting on this blog post or on our Facebook page. Paul describes his influences as "classical French" but has had a wide variety of experiences here and overseas in the London area. When asked what his vision was for The Entrance Lake House his response was "Simple food - done well!".
Another vision Paul shares with us is the desire to have fresh, locally sourced food. We are going to be so fresh and local that we are going to have our own gardens out the back, growing specific in-season fresh produce. Paul also has an interesting hobby - skydiving at "Skydive Maitland". The photo to your left is of Paul at his....wait for it....800th jump! His adrenaline filled hobby and passion for food and experience makes him an excellent leader for our team.One of the first things Paul is working on is of course putting together a menu to reflect the local needs, produce and food he loves to cook and eat. He is starting with getting ideas together then he will see what the local business are already selling then getting inspiration from local suppliers. He was involved in his local Farmer's Markets so would love to get to know the produce of The Entrance Farmer's Markets which are held at Memorial Park every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month. He loves local, boutique suppliers.
Some other suppliers he is looking into is the rich produce of The Hunter Valley. Some produce he is excited about from this region are the olive oils, cheeses and the beef and lamb suppliers. He hasn't worked before with on-site produce gardens but he is excited about the prospect of growing our own produce as well - right on site in our gardens!He is also sourcing the best breads and desserts in the region but says that once everything is up and running he would like to produce all of these items on-site as well. Although the one thing he may not produce on-site is the sour dough. The technicality of making sour dough is so specific he wants to make sure it gets done right as it is such a specific skill to have and get right!
Some other things he will consider in the menu selection is the people making the food, his kitchen and floor staff. A great team is such a big consideration and he will taylor the food around his vision and the skills of his staff as well. He is so passionate and exited that he wants to earn a "hat" rating in the future - a prestigious rating reserved for only the best venues and staff. Oysters are also going to be an inspiration of his on his menus.
The restaurant layout is also inspiring Paul. Our communal table had him thinking about the amazing banquets that we can have with a "King's Menu" of whole pig or whole salmon, Sunday round-table lunches and we can't wait to see this stunning table laden with a feast fit for a king! Our "loft" area upstairs is inspiration to amazing finger food and the sunny decking area which lends itself to weddings, birthdays, engagements and other significant celebrations has unlimited potential.
Either way, we can't wait to work with Paul and the team to provide you with not only a meal, but an experience, while supporting local people through employment and local suppliers. Our community is really worth investing in.
TELH
PLEASE NOTE: Food photos used for this post were taken by Paul Cookson (so a skydiving, food loving photographer - why wouldn't we love him?) and are photos of his previous work, not necessarily food that will be served at The Entrance Lake House
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