THROWN IN THE DEEP END By Melissa Walsh Photo: Yanni
W
hen your mum and dad own a restaurant and you spend your early teen years on a fishing boat as a 'decky', there’s a fair chance you will end up in hospitality of some kind. This is precisely what happened to Portsea Hotel Head Chef, Ben Steele, and he still loves every minute of it.
apprentice was away I would take over their duties so really had the opportunity to learn the job early to the point of occasionally running a section. By the time I was 23 I started my own apprenticeship and have worked consistently with the hotel ever since.”
My parents owned a seafood restaurant, Scampi, in Mornington for many years and some of my best memories are going to the fish market with dad in the early hours of the morning. We would come back and I would have to descale the fish and pin bone it as a 10 year old,” said Ben, who was always thrown in the deep end with his career.
For 36 year old Ben, working at Portsea is still dream come true, as he points out the magnificent view over the bay and sailing boats bobbing in the water near the pier.
“Around 2001 dad and I both started doing some work at the Portsea Hotel, when they needed more staff over the summer. Dad was running the pan section and I was a casual cook as I hadn't done my apprenticeship yet. Sometimes when the
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“I love the peninsula lifestyle, having the best of worlds and the fabulous beaches, fishing places, and the wineries in Red Hill,” he said. “We have the best produce down here and use most of it in our menu. The choices for food and wine here are amazing.” Running such a large kitchen with 26 chefs and eight dish washers in the summer time, and 12 chefs the remainder of