Alex Reed’s passion for seasonal produce

Alex Reed likes to wander across the Mornington Peninsula. You may find him picking up strawberries from Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm or selecting fresh vegetables from farmgates in Moorooduc or Dromana or Red Hill. Going from a full-time student at Frankston High to an 80-houra-week apprentice chef position when he was 18 was certainly a shock to the system. Now head chef at Pier Street Kitchen in Dromana, this seasonal produce-driven cook, who grew up on a farm in Pearcedale before moving to Frankston, says he’s just as excited about creating dishes as he’s always been.

Alex explains: “My nanna was a great cook and I loved being in the kitchen with her when I was a kid, watching everything she did. She would come up from Rosebud and give me cooking classes and I learnt a lot from her. Both my parents are teachers, and I had a very Aussie upbringing along with my brother and sister. We went on holidays to Lorne and Queensland. Just did the regular stuff. I don’t really know how it happened, but I always knew I would work with food. I did food technology in VCE and really liked it. Everyone eats with their eyes and I love the challenge of creating beautiful visual works of art on the plate, but my main fixation is working with seasonal produce. There is nothing like walking through a farmers’ market or farmgate on the Mornington Peninsula and then your eyes just pop. It may be the colour or shape or texture of the produce that attracts you, but when you find it you think, ‘I can do something with that’. That is the beginning of every recipe. There is never a shortage of ingredients to work with on the Mornington Peninsula.” Alex had just finished school when he began his apprenticeship 15 years ago. It was a real eye-opener and he had to learn fast. Let’s say sink or swim. He continues: “That kitchen was fast-paced and full of hustle and bustle. The head chef at the time pushed us to the limit, but I got a great skill base. I also learnt about respect for my peers and elders and about responsibility. Apprenticeships are done differently these days, but I don’t regret one minute of it. I stayed at that establishment for six years and then went travelling for three years to Europe, Canada, Mexico and America. Travel is a vital part of being a chef. You’ve got to get out there and see, smell, touch and taste. Everything I saw while being away has led me to where I am today, and I love every style of food from classic French to German to Korean. It doesn’t really matter what style of food it is as long as the produce is top-quality. I spend a lot of time out and about picking my seasonal ingredients with a focus on fresh produce. The best freerange grass-fed beef. Free-range eggs from Somerville Egg Farm. I have a completely sustainable view to cooking. Use ingredients when in season. Use ingredients that are ethically grown and harvested. It’s simple.” Just like one of his favourite dishes, a mushroom risotto made with local mushrooms. He also likes to experiment with sweet dishes too.

Having complete creative reign at Pier Street Kitchen, which means experimenting with flavours from the Middle East to the Mediterranean and back again, Alex is keen to keep playing with food for as long as he can. He spent the first 10 years of his life as a chef working from around 9am until 1am the next morning. Those days are long gone, but his love of genuinely delicious produce certainly hasn’t diminished. Lucky he lives where he does in a place where the sea greets the hinterland and delivers endless authentic bounty. LIZ ROGERS