A Taste of Experience

IntervIew by Louisa Leggett suppLied

ben was born and raised on a dairy farm in the waikato. As a young new Zealand chef, he was awarded Commis Chef of the year 1999, national youth Skills 2000, and received the bill Gallagher scholarship at Johnson and wales University of Culinary Arts in th USA. He has spent many years working in a number of famed restaurants around the world. ben is currently executive chef at baduzzi an award-winning Italian restaurant, he recently co-founded the Grounds restaurant in Auckland where he is executive Chef alongside Mike “the Magic russian” Shatura. ben was the executive chef for 9 years at the Grove restaurant which won 4 awards including best Fine Dining resturant. ben bayly is also known for judging My Kitchen rules nZ and Feast Marlborough is excited to welcome him to our region to cook up an indulgent cuisine experience in the Marlborough Sounds during the Marlborough Underground showcase events. Check out the Marlborough App for more details.

How did you discover your passion for cooking?

I was always interested, I began baking with my mum and she sent me off to a family friend who was a baker to learn more. I also had some great home economics teachers at school which made a huge difference, I’m not sure teachers are aware of how influential they can be, but to me it made a huge impact.

What do you love most about cooking as a professional chef?

The intensity within a kitchen, I work best under pressure so the environment suits me. I also love the social dynamic in restaurants, the amazing diversity of the people you work with, we’re all likeminded in one sense though – we’re all working hard but we might as well have fun with it. On the other side of that is the difficultly balancing work with family.

What is one of your favourite signature dishes and why?

No signature dish as such, but favorite cuisine is Italian. Their food culture is so steeped in tradition and they execute simple dishes with great ingredients. New Zealand food culture is so young by comparison, we’re just paving the way now. Actually one dish I’m in love with will show up at our Seresin and Marlborough Garlic event at Waterfall Bay ‘Light and Shade’. The Crayfish Sausage Roll. Its so simple, but really difficult to execute, perfect puff pastry is really hard to achieve, combine that with one of the greatest ingredients and you have something classically kiwi.

What awards have you won and what was the reason for the achievement?

(Ben cringes) Google it!

In all of your years training, what is one of your most memorial and influential experiences you had?

Easy – going to France! I’ve always perceived French cuisine as the pinnacle of cooking, most of us could list off 20 classic French dishes without trying. I turned up and learned the language by ear, which was a big achievement for me as we didn’t put a lot of focus on languages, even Maori, in New Zealand schools when I studied. It was just great to be surrounded by cooking traditions, going out foraging all the time, before it was a cool thing to do. It’s such an ancient culture defined by time and tradition, the experience also made me question my identity as a New Zealand chef. With so many outside influences the New Zealand restaurant scene feels like a mini New York, so it will be interesting to see how we eventually define our food culture.

What are you most proud of on your journey to becoming the successful chef you are today?

With out a doubt, my family. I’ve had an amazing career and that’s provided for them. Success is an attitude, if you love what you do then you’ll be successful in your field.

What’s your favourite tool in the kitchen? A decent knife is a necessity, plus my team – I’ve got to keep them sharp too!

What are your favorite secret ingredients that really ignites a dish?

At the moment I’m all about venison, the lesser cuts like venison cheeks and sweetbreads. As a nation we should be eating way more deer, it’s everywhere and it’s outstanding.

What can people expect at the Light and Shade Underground event?

Something super delicious, we are teaming up with Seresin who are very close to my heart and Marlborough Garlic who produce amazing black garlic. Guests will be taken out to Waterfall Bay and we’ll spoil them with some outstanding Marlborough food, plus stunning wine. Its going to be one amazing day.

What are you looking forward to most during Feast Marlborough?

Having some great family time. Marlborough is my most travelled to, favorite place. It has everything you’d ever want and is the most beautiful place in the country, so I’m looking forward to enjoying it with my wife and kids on Mother’s Day.