Young chefs like it fresh from the net, straight to your plate
If you're sick of friends posting snaps of their meals on social media, you may want to avoid befriending a chef.
The next generation of Sydney's brightest chefs say the mandatory use of Twitter and Instagram as platforms to swap food ideas, showcase their achievements and connect with overseas chefs, sets their experience apart from that of their mentors.
Young chefs: (From left), Mirek Anderson, Cian Mulholland, Troy Crisante, Chris Benedet, Jacob Davey, James Vidulich and Louis Tikaram.
''I can go on to Twitter and immediately be inspired by chefs, new ingredients, cool restaurants from around the world,'' said Louis Tikaram, head chef at Longrain. ''It was harder for the older generation when they were young to keep up with food trends and quickly progress as we do now. It's instant.''
Tikaram, 28, is one of seven chefs selected from Sydney's most prestigious kitchens to cook at the Young Chefs Dinner, now in its 15th year. Each chef will look after one component of the seven-course tasting menu, to be presented at Momofuku Seiobo in Pyrmont on October 21 and 22.
Jacob Davey, the 29-year-old sous chef at Marque, said social media shaped his cooking pursuits. ''The influences are wide and far-flung,'' he said. ''You can experience food without having to eat in France, eat in America. The information age has affected everything.''
He said chefs Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck, Rene Redzepi of Noma and David Chang of the Momofuku eateries were industry game changers who inspired him to reinterpret traditional favourites and experiment with flavours.
''I'm cooking wagyu striploin, sliced very thin and cooked on one side,'' Davey said. ''I'm serving it with barbecued leeks and different elements of mustard.''
"I can go on to Twitter and immediately be inspired by chefs, new ingredients, cool restaurants from around the world" : Chef Louis Tikaram.
Chris Benedet, a 27-year-old chef de partie at Rockpool on George, said staying abreast of industry trends through social media kept him motivated. Troy Crisante of Quay, Mirek Anderson of Est., James Vidulich of Sepia, and Cian Mulholland of Momofuku Seiobo round out the group.
Their mentor, Lauren Murdoch, executive chef at Three Weeds, had hoped to see women coming up the ranks included in this year's event. ''Last year we had a female chef from Chiswick,'' she said.
''I don't know why there aren't more. My message to the girls is: I never considered myself one of the guys, don't be intimated.''
Source: Good Food, 3 October 2013
