We had the pleasure of hosting the talented Tom Sarafian at Lee Ho Fook for this years Melbourne Food and Wine Festival - cooking cuisine of his Armenian heritage

I recently did a week residency at Carousel in London - located a stone’s throw away from Soho, where the original iconic Lee Ho Fook was located.

Being invited to share the Ryne kitchen and cooking alongside Donovan Cooke, a pioneer of fine dining in Melbourne - with his influence felt through the city from such eponymous restaurants as est. est. est, Luxe and Ondine. And his connection with Chinese culture and cuisine from his time at the Jockey Club in Hong Kong

Collaborating with Chooks from the Rooke to launch their cockerel - a Delicious Produce Awards gold medalist product, these retired cockerels have a depth of flavour and texture of chickens from my childhood,

nspired by our favourite style of eating and enjoying hospitality - being perched on a counter and watching the hustle and enjoying the energy of chef’s at work. We launch our downstairs Chef’s Counter.

‘All under heaven and within the four seas, all men are brothers’ - Confucius

As we bid farewell to the Year of the Metal Ox - we welcome the year of the Tiger, symbolising strength, rejuvenation, courage and braveness. A hopeful omen for a brighter tomorrow.

Vegetables are integral to Chinese cuisine, so much so that the colloquial term for cooking in Chinese is to ‘Zhu Cai’ - literally meaning to cook vegetables. Linked to balancing a meal, medicinal purposes, textural pleasure and good health. The embracing of vibrant and local vegetables have been a hallmark of inventive and creative Chinese cooks the world over.