Championing consistency and simplicity with Mark Poulter

Mark Poulter is Mornington Peninsula through and through. With a cooking career spanning 30 years and a deep commitment to creating food that makes people on home turf happy, Mark is the real ‘cheffing’ deal.

Working at a fast-food outlet when he was 16, Mark recognised that a few people he knew were taking on apprenticeships. He explains: “It was hard to get a job on the Peninsula in the ‘80s so I thought I’d go to trade school. It was a good decision. There have been lots of cooking jobs along the way, but one thing has remained very important to me: consistency. Patrons need to know they are going to get the same quality food every time. That doesn’t mean they get the same dish. I’ve never put a dish on my menu more than once in 30 years. It’s about delivering excellent simplicity; letting the local produce do its work.” Mark went to Rosebud High, then to Padua after moving to the Peninsula from the Yarra Valley with his parents as a teenager. He completed his Year 12 studies while taking on his apprenticeship. Cheffing from Portsea to Sorrento to Melbourne, the Hayman Islands and everywhere in between, this owner and head chef of locally renowned restaurant Veraison says being intrinsically linked to the region and its producers gives him a home-grown edge. He continues: “Having a varied cooking experience has helped me a lot. I worked in the old tearooms in Sorrento and had to plate up 300 dishes every service. Then there’s working in the corporate dining sector at places like the Melbourne Cricket Club, race clubs and sixstar hotels. Golf clubs too. That kind of cooking is very intense, and you have to be versatile and learn how to – again – be consistent. Covering all styles of cooking from banqueting to à la carte to bistro dining has helped me fine-tune my skills. I’ve even worked in a hospital kitchen. Every chef has given me something along the way and has helped me understand what to do with produce. Lots of those chefs were Swiss, German, French and English. All these experiences have led to developing my skills, but it is creating something new every time with ingredients from ‘your own backyard’ that makes it stand out.” Mark’s parents Pauline and Michael Poulter bought land in Balnarring in the late ‘90s. They planted a vineyard and the first incarnation of Veraison – which means ‘ripen of the grape’ – was born in 2002. It took a couple of years to understand where they fitted in, but Mark says they started with what people wanted. He continues: “Veraison began at Blue Stone Lane Winery, where we served lunch and offered charcuterie platters. We grew fruit and vegetables on the land. I loved working in the garden on my days away from the kitchen. It was an inspirational garden. We grew broccoli, celery and fennel. Everything that went to flower. Carrots. There was even a 100-year-old mulberry bush. Nothing was wasted. Parsnips were made into puree. We used everything. We still do.” Now situated right on the border of Tootgarook and Rye, Veraison remains true to its intent: know what ingredients to use and when to use them. Veraison has been No.1 on Trip Advisor for 10 years, so consistency does matter. Mark concludes: “I love hand-picking produce like crayfish, which is sourced locally right here from the sea. You’ve got to treat it nice and don’t overwork it. Slow-poach it in some butter and you can really taste it. We cook seasonally. Our menu changes when the produce is ready and that is what it is: no fuss.” Sure, Mark has travelled overseas with his wife Cherie and sampled flavours of Morocco, Spain and Japan, but his happy place is right here on the sandy beaches of Port Phillip. His oldest son Aaron works with him in the kitchen too. Doesn’t get much better than that. LIZ ROGERS