Musings on a Lifetime

by Martin Bouchier: ACF Northern Territory Director and owner of Phat Mango by Martin the Chef in Darwin, NT

It was back in the 1980s when cheffing came to my attention, initially through my mother who as an exceptional commercial cook had catered for British aristocracy, set up a huge outside catering business and also operated a traditional English pub with my father.

Another influence came from watching TV and seeing the first truly ‘celebrity Chefs’: Albert and Michel Roux, Raymond Blanc, Anton Mossimann et al; and then the wave of TV chefs like Marco, Gordon, Gary Rhodes, the next generation like Marcus Waring and Michel Roux Jr and the housewife favourites of Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson and Rick Stein. Some are still on TV, some have gone to that great kitchen in the sky, but all leave a legacy of inspiration to the next generation of cooks!

I have been lucky over my lifetime to have dined, drank, chatted with all the ones I mentioned. Sitting drinking a cup of tea with Albert at Hotel Olympia is one of my prized memories, as is listening to him at a chefs’ conference back in the 1980s expounding on the history of cuisine and the advent of commercial kitchen equipment - which goes back to the kitchens of Louis XIV of France.

Other fond memories are arguing or debating the merits of a cheeseboard out all day when temperature control regulations were introduced, with Anthony Worrell Thompson, and chatting to Victor Ceserani, the author of my first culinary college book Practical Cookery at Grosvenor House in London.

This got me thinking! Who is the next inspiration for our youngsters? Is it the tradie who went on a reality show and came away with a book deal and a big gold plate? Is it the person they chatted with at a trade show competition or in a chef’s lounge after a disappointing appraisal by a judge? Is it somebody that popped up on their social media feed? Whoever it is doesn’t really matter as long as that inspiration leads to them wanting to further their career on the pans!

Watching those TV shows more than 40 years ago has taken me around the world. Has allowed me to eat in some of the best places in the world. And some of the scariest, as I just had to try that next ingredient! And what it has given me is the capacity to understand what it is to be a mentor; to assist a junior cook to be the best they can be; to help a fellow chef when they are in the weeds, physically or mentally! To inspire that kid at a school demo or a stage presentation in front of 1000 people, or to make people smile through the ability of putting a few ingredients together and presenting it on a plate.

Last month was the first “gathering” of our industry in Australia since the craziness of Covid hit the world. We met in Melbourne to compete, to socialize, but ultimately to move forward and start again the true camaraderie of being a chef!

Over June there are several competitions that can help young chefs, not least with some serious prize money, but also the opportunity to meet likeminded youngsters and older chefs that can impart a bit of knowledge. The possibilities are endless with opportunities even to be part of a National Australian culinary squad and compete overseas!

In July the ACF is hosting a Chef’s Conference in the NSW Hunter Valley. This is a chance to meet up, to get informed, to learn and improve the camaraderie of an industry beset with problems and issues. And perhaps there might be a young chef there, listening to an old chef talk about some topic that inspires them to travel the world, hone their craft and mentor and inspire the next generation, and the next, and the next.