HOW DO YOU CONTINUE TO HONE YOUR SKILLS? The skills I need to hone have changed a lot over the last few years. I’m nowhere near as good with a knife as I used to be, but I’m much better at running a business and much better at managing people. It’s a constant learning process. Learning from people wiser than you and learning from your mistakes. Tempering your ego, or having it tempered for you is a big learning curve too. Being more self-aware and knowing what your weaknesses are allows you to minimise them or hire the right people to cover them. WHAT’S THE BIGGEST INNOVATION YOU’VE SEEN IN YOUR INDUSTRY? I’d argue that the biggest innovations haven’t actually been good for the industry. It’s hard to think about big innovations that have been positive. It’s amazing the awareness and interest the industry now has. That has helped contribute to the massive staffing issues. It’s become a ‘cool’ and popular industry. People want to get into hospitality, they don’t realise the hard work and sacrifice that it takes. It’s been romanticised and people think it’s an easy way to make money and get on TV. This affects the quality of staff available. With the boom in hospitality and so many places constantly opening, this also creates a drain on an already small labour pool. Things like the lockout laws have had a widespread effect on more industries than just ours — none of them positive. It’s often hard to see past all these issues that seemingly don’t have a solution. This has really solidified the community within our industry. We’ve changed the rules, we support and share with each other. The boundaries between front and back of house have broken down. Even though this industry is as hard as hell, it’s one of the most rewarding. I don’t know what else I’d do. WHO IS THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR COOKING AND WHY? Seasonality and what we feel like eating, translates into what we feel like cooking. It changes all the time, but we strive to stay unique, to stay creative and keep moving forward. In four years we’ve never repeated a dish on the menu. I’m both really surprised by that and proud of it. The industry and my peers are also a massive influence. I never want to let them down as they all work and create at such a high level. PEOPLE 23