PROFILE // Claire Ellis
Claire Ellis From Canada to Australia, Attica’s chef–ceramicist Claire Ellis has let curiosity and kindness guide her career choices. WORDS Madeline Woolway
AS A CHILD, Claire Ellis viewed cooking
In the kitchen, Ellis has found ample
as an opportunity to bring joy to others.
fuel to stoke the fire. “There’s always
began to pursue a career in hospitality,
going off on different tangents and down
But as she moved into adulthood and another force came into play.
“Besides making people happy, I’ve
been very driven by curiosity,” says Ellis. “I feel I’ve always been so curious about why things work and how you might be
something to learn,” she says. “I keep
different rabbit holes. I might be more
curious about different areas now, but I’m definitely learning just as much now as I was when I started.”
where she experienced a cohesive frontand back-of-house culture, Ellis’ early-
career experiences in her hometown of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada, were positive. “One thing all those places had in common was that everyone
really respected the leadership team,” recounts Ellis.
At Sydney’s, for instance, head chefs
able to change them by going deeper and
From now-shuttered Sydney’s at the Fork,
encouraged the whole team to contribute
you’re doing.”
changing tasting menu, to Bonfire Bistro
from changing menus, moving around
learning more about the process and what
20 | Hospitality
where she learned to tackle a monthly
to menu development. “I learned so much
