CHEF OF THE YEAR
Paul Carmichael
Momofuku Seiobo, Sydney
W
hen Momofuku Seiobo landed in
Sydney back in 2011, it almost defi ed
categorisation. An American-Korean-
Japanese-Australian spino from
a restaurant group headed by David Chang with an
English head chef. When it débuted in the Restaurant
Guide, took out the award for New Restaurant, then
followed it up with Restaurant of the Year it was with
a freewheeling style grounded in classic technique.
But no one could have predicted what came next.
Paul Carmichael tore up the runsheet. Taking the
helm at Seiobo in 2015, here was a chef who spied
similarities in the Australian produce with that of his
home country, Barbados, and the surrounding regions,
and set about building a menu that spoke both to
his roots and to the place he came to call his home.
Such was the impact, Seiobo won Restaurant of the
Year (again) in the 2017 awards.
That was then. The Seiobo of today is further
down the same path. Way further. The menu has slowly
evolved to speak even more to the wider Caribbean,
with the likes of coconut rundown served with sea
urchin roe, marron sauced in spicy sofrito, and cou
cou with corn butter some of many intriguing stops.
Most impressive, though, is that Carmichael, ably
supported by Kylie Javier Ashton on the fl oor, has
found something of a middleground between home-
style and haute. “I’ve seen a lot more of my personality,
and Kylie’s personality, go into the restaurant over
time,” he says. “But it takes a long time, and honestly
a lot of believing in yourself, for that to happen.”
“Early on I thought Seiobo needed to be very
delicate, and fi ne dining and fancy,” he says. “I’m
not saying we’re not fi ne dining, but Caribbean food
is bold and big and full of fl avour. I’ve really tried not
to change it into something it’s not.”
In this award, which is peer-voted, there’s
recognition from Carmichael’s fellow chefs that
following your own track, although not always easy,
can lead to some pretty special places.