Coffs Coast i56

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MACAULEYS MACAULEYS IS WELL KNOWN FOR ITS SERIOUS COMMITMENT TO FOOD, AND THE INNOVATIVE CONTEMPORARY MENU IS AGAIN EVOLVING TO CREATE AN AMAZING TASTE EXPERIENCE BY ADDING THE EXOTIC FLAVOURS OF THAILAND, WITH NEW OWNERS CHAROEN AND GAYE SROYPHET. HEAD CHEF CHRIS WOOD BRINGS FRENCH AND ITALIAN FLAVOURS TO THE MENU, TAKING YOU ON AN AMAZING DINING JOURNEY

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C H A RO E N S R OY P H E T

hat is your background, and great food experience to the customer, offering a choice of when did you first decide taste and cuisine combined with wines that complement the that you wanted to cook for food, a great atmosphere and quality service. a living? Our focus is on quality ingredients using fresh local seafood, I grew up near Korat, North including King Prawns, Salmon, Blue Eyed Cod, Swordfish East Thailand. My roots in Thai and of course, the famous Wooli oysters. We use New cooking go back to my early childhood. Our family grew our England lamb, South East Queensland beef, hormone free own rice, vegetables, and herbs. We raised our own meat. I chicken, free range eggs and as much local produce as can remember my mother grinding and crushing herbs and possible. All desserts and entrees are house made, and meals using lemongrass, galangal and the skin of Kaffir limes - fresh are garnished from fresh herbs from the onsite flourishing ingredients I still use in my cooking methods today. herb garden. The restaurant is also a perfect I can also remember climbing coconut trees function venue, and we want to promote and picking the coconuts to make fresh this side of the business for corporate, coconut milk. Mum would crush the weddings and social events. pulp, mix it with cold water, then After finishing Australia doesn’t necessarily squeeze the pulp through a cloth. high school , I d an k ko have its own cuisine, with ng Ba moved to As a young boy I also lived at the aining tr s ar ye our palates being built over o tw t spen local temple and helped cook and el and ot H ni Ta it us time from a blend of our D at prepare food for the monks. After before Chang Mai Hotel ty.” mixed cultures. How have you finishing high school, I moved to si attending univer implemented that in to the Bangkok and spent two years training new Macauleys menu? That is at Dusit Tani Hotel and Chang Mai the beauty of the modern Australian Hotel before attending university. table and palate. Our menu reflects a Macauleys has recently been taken choice of different styles and taste. We have over by yourself and your wife, Gaye the contemporary selection incorporating steaks, Sroyphet, and you have owned many restaurants seafood and chicken, along side a select Thai menu. The in Coffs Harbour. Macauleys is renowned for its response to the menu has been great. great reputation! What is your vision for the new What are your favourite menu items? Macauleys? We want to continue the great reputation Macauleys has gained over the last seven years by providing Fresh local deep-fried Snapper with sweet and sour sauce is an innovative and contemporary menu and adding the my favourite, and garlic and pepper chicken and king prawns amazing taste of Thailand. The menu is based on bringing a served on a bed of vegetables topped with fresh coriander.

CHRIS WOOD

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hat is your background in food? My parents were in the hospitality game early on, so I guess I sort of fell into it, really. Italian food was the flourishing cuisine at the time, and then I moved on to French.

How do you plan on implementing your background into the new menu? My intention is to keep the bold but simple flavours of Italian and blending the European style with local produce. How important is sourcing fresh, local produce when planning the menu? “Fresh” is the key word. Local produce is always going to be fresher, and we get to promote the wonderful produce within the area! Macauleys is an exciting place to dine, with the chefs being open for guests to witness first hand the action in the kitchen. What is it like to work in that environment? Being an open kitchen can be challenging at times, although the atmosphere can have quite a buzz. It is nice that the customer can personally thank you for their meal when they are leaving. A place where you can have a modern cuisine entree and a Thai main meal - why is giving people choice so important to you? The customer needs to have a choice; it complements the dining experience.

the plug! Macauleys Restaurant: 99 Park Beach Road, Coffs Harbour. Phone: 6652 5970. Follow us on Facebook and Trip Advisor.

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