Black Hat Chef George Hill receives Order of Australia award

Black Hat Chef George Hill, Culinary Olympic Gold Medallist and Australian Culinary Federation life member whose six-decade career has included many prominent chef and teaching positions, is the proud recipient of an Order of Australia (AM) in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours List.

 “This tribute is a very humbling experience for me,” George says with typical humility. “I have to keep pinching myself and make sure I’m not dreaming! I find it hard to understand how someone can be given such an honour based upon a working life which was a lifelong hobby.

 “All I did was what any professional should do and many do better – so to be rewarded alongside many others with better skills, attitude, knowledge and experience is bewildering. Notwithstanding that, I extend my heartfelt thanks to my mentors and my extended family both within and outside the industry. I have always found delight in helping others and this recognition suggests that perhaps I may have succeeded in some way.”

Born in India to British parents in 1942, George and family were repatriated in 1949, and it was on the voyage to England that he found his life’s calling. The ship held a fancy dress party, to which George wore a chef’s coat and hat borrowed from the galley. “I made everyone laugh so much I won the fancy dress prize,” George recalls, “and I was so elated that I decided I wanted to wear this uniform for the rest of my life.”

George commenced his apprenticeship at the Cumberland Hotel London in 1956 – among the last of the classical style kitchens like those of The Savoy and The Dorchester. Upon getting married to Jean, they decided to emigrate somewhere that would offer a brighter future – so the pair came to Australia in 1965 as “ten pound poms”.

From working as chef de partie at the RACV Club in Melbourne, George moved into teaching at William Angliss College, progressing through the ranks between 1970-1979 to Head of Foods Department overseeing 37 teachers and 1500 students. In 1978 he joined the inaugural Australian Culinary Olympic team and won a gold medal in Germany.

In 1993 George resigned from work to care for Jean, who had been diagnosed with terminal melanoma. A few years after her death, he remarried and opened a Bed and Breakfast with his second wife Catherine. Today they are residing comfortably in retirement.

In 2000 George was honoured with a Black Hat from the Australian Culinary Federation, signifying the positive impact his career has made in assisting others to achieve. He has also been named a Chef Pioneer by Les Toques Blanches, one of 29 chefs who have significantly influenced the Australian commercial kitchen. George has received three national awards for his role as an educator, has served as convenor and inaugural president of the Australian Institute of Technical Chefs (AITC), and has authored several technical books.

Upon receiving his AM, George said: “I am thrilled that someone thought I was a worthy candidate to be considered for this great honour, and I thank my guardian angel who made sure that in many instances I was in the right place at the right time!”

To read more about George’s story, including a multitude of memorable career moments too numerous to list here, please visit https://salonculinaire.com/index.php/memories-curriculum/