LOUIS COUTTOUPES, BAR ROCHFORD, ACT
After ditching the bureaucracy, Louis Couttoupes joined Bar
Rochford in early 2016. He swiftly progressed from plongeur
to chef at Rochford, the saloon named Bar of the Year in our last
awards. Couttoupes has locavore street cred, bringing in seasonal
produce from his own nearby plot and tapping close relationships
with local organic producers. He embraces experimentation and
cultural diversity, ripening plantains in the sun and serving them
caramelised alongside yoghurt and chamomile flowers, and
reimagining ajapsandali – a kind of ratatouille of the northern
Caucasus – as a complement for burrata. His salt-and-vinegar
potato galette, meanwhile, is simply God’s gift to bar snackers:
layers of super crisp and tender potato splashed with vinegar
and a dusting of smoky bush-tomato powder.
In short: Let’s hear it for the bold career leap.
OLIVER EDWARDS, THE SUMMERTOWN ARISTOLOGIST,
ADELAIDE HILLS, SA
Curiosity drives Oliver Edwards to get his hands dirty. He left
Cumulus Inc to dig for vegetables on an Adelaide Hills farm, then
find inventive ways to present them as star attractions at The
Summertown Aristologist. Hands-on learning extends to forming
a co-operative with a gang of Adelaide chefs to share ideas and
knowledge about making their own smallgoods. Edwards is also
a co-author for Good Fish Bad Fish, a website that explains seafood
sustainability practices and buying tips. Such incisive thinking
about food informs striking authenticity and integrity on the plate,
capturing supreme freshness and vitality.
In short:Embracing flavour from the ground up.
BEST NEW TALENT
ALI CURREY-VOUMARD, THE AGRARIAN KITCHEN EATERY,
NEW NORFOLK, TAS
At age 15 Ali Currey-Voumard did a deal with Rodney Dunn, owner
of The Agrarian Kitchen cooking school. She’d swap working in
the school’s gardens for a cooking class. The deal was done,
and she then continued working the gardens as she started her
apprenticeship, forging anainity for the locally produced. In
a testament to the “get them while they’re young” approach,
Currey-Voumard returned to the Agrarian fold after several years
in Melbourne working for Andrew McConnell’s group and staging
her own collaborations with producers, artists and winemakers.
She nailed The Agrarian Kitchen Eatery brief from the start, nimbly
adjusting her menus to what was being grown and produced locally,
creating dishes that thrill as much with their comfort and humility as
they do their wit and sparkle. And she’s just getting started.
In short: Exciting times ahead.
GOURMET TRAVELLER 41