6 minute read
A tinge of nostalgia for SA’s Best Burger
from Hotel SA August 2023
by Boylen
BY TYLEE MAUND
SPONSORED BY: Thomas Foods Australia
“I grew up getting cheeseburgers and chucking the chips in, this burger is a play on that and it gives you that texture.”
Sitting in the backseat of his parents’ ‘car, stuffing a handful of French fries between the pattie and bun of a delicious burger, is a vivid memory for Griffins Hotel Chef Luke Brabin, the winner of SA’s Best Pub Burger 2023.
“It’s a bit of nostalgia from what you remember of your childhood,” said Luke, who began at the Griffins Hotel in February this year.
Crispy French fries were just one of several crucial ingredients that elevated Luke’s burger over his competitor’s, as twelve finalists from SA’s best hotels had their burgers judged by an expert three-person panel on July 18.
2023 marked the 15th annual running of the AHA|SA Pub Burger Challenge, featuring 40 entries from across South Australia.
The burgers were critiqued against a range of criteria, including presentation, ingredients, taste, meat content and value for money.
Although confident he had a burger that could get tongues wagging, being officially labelled as South Australia’s best was satisfying for Luke, especially when directly pitted against other exceptional chefs.
“It always feels rewarding when there are quite a few entries and competition,” he said.
“I know the products that we are using are top notch, they speak for themselves.
“Chefs are chefs, but we are nothing without the produce to be honest.”
Winning Ingredients
Luke’s winning creation this year was a mouth-watering wagyu beef burger, featuring Mayura station wagyu beef, smoked barossa bacon, ketchup, chimichurri, tomatoes, pickles, cos lettuce and of course –crispy french fries.
It is impressively the second time that Brabin has won the challenge, winning the SA Pub Burger title in 2019 whilst working as executive chef at the Feathers Hotel.
“This year’s burger was different to 2019, but similar in some ways,” he said.
“It is the same beef from Mayura Station down in Millicent, which is a no-brainer for me because it’s such a great product.
“It’s a bit of a different burger flavour wise, has a bit of a punch, and a few little intricacies that we put in there that set it apart from the others.” The process of architecting the perfect pub burger doesn’t happen overnight, and for Brabin, it starts with backing his own judgement, basing the burger on what flavours he enjoy and listening to feedback he receives from those who taste it. with 20 years of experience as a chef, it’s no shock to see Luke win the challenge for a second time. huge influence on his early days in the kitchen.
“It’s about finding what works, what I like to eat, the flavours I like to eat,” he said.
“The old fella’s still got it,” he laughed.
At 41 years-old, Brabin is certainly no ‘old fella’ in chef terms, but he possesses a wealth of knowledge that has been curated through valuable career experiences both home and abroad.
Brabin began his journey in the hospitality industry at the Hilton Adelaide in 2003, where he served his apprenticeship and worked under renown chef Cheong Liew, before embarking on a new challenge in Melbourne in 2009.
“I grew up always in the kitchen with granny,” he said.
“My granny was a phenomenal cook, she guided me.
“She was a real inspiration, and then it passed down through my mother.”
With a national chef shortage still impacting Australian kitchens, Brabin admits that the industry has its challenges.
“It’s getting a little bit better, but in terms of quality across the industry it is a problem,” he said.
“Since Covid, a lot of people have left the industry, which is hard.”
The Modern Chef
Whilst the nature of life as a chef can be demanding, Luke believes there are ways of making it easier on people, and he prioritises being accommodating of his own staff.
“I balance my kitchens, people get nights off every week, especially people that have children,” he said.
“I’ve got two kids and I never miss Saturday sport.
“I put that out and see what people like, get the feedback, and if it’s good we stick with it.”
It is a procedure that involves trial and error, with plenty of tinkering with ingredients necessary before arriving at the end result.
It’s a winning formula that seems to be standing the test of time, and
“If you’ve got a salty sauce and pickles that are also full on, you have to watch the levels, so there is a bit of playing around to ensure it is not too in your face.
“You have got to balance the seasoning of it and the texture, which is why I added in the really crispy French fries.”
Double Crown For Luke
His experiences in Melbourne saw him working as a sous chef in Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant Maze, before executive chef roles at The Botanical Hotel and Half Moon Hotel.
After his time in Melbourne, Brabin moved to China to work as the executive chef at the Regal International East Asia Hotel in Shanghai.
Family Passion
Whilst these career moves have helped shape Luke into the chef he is today, an early introduction into cooking through family was where he discovered his passion.
Originally from New Zealand, his family moved to Australia when he was just three months old, and he credits his grandmother for having a
“It’s just about people being understanding of other people, and not expecting what was expected years and years ago.
“It has changed a lot, for the good of chefs.”
Joys Of Being A Chef
For any young person considering embarking on a career as a chef, Luke believes life in the role can be incredibly fulfilling, and citing the opportunity to make other people happy through your own creation.
“It’s just about making other people happy through food,” he said.
“I know for me it’s such an important part of my life at home, and for my kids.
“At home we grow all our own vegetables and chickens, we live in the country, and it’s a big part of my family and I like to bring that to work and share that with others.
