The Legend of Peter Gilmore and His Influence on Sam Aisbett
Peter Gilmore, one of Australia's most renowned chefs, is the Executive Chef of the renowned Quay Restaurant in Sydney. He has helped Quay achieve Three Chefs Hats in The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide for 22 years, 3 stars in the Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide for 18 years and 5 consecutive years in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. He is also the Executive Chef of Bennelong Restaurant, the author of 3 acclaimed cookbooks and a regular guest judge on Masterchef Australia. Peter Gilmore, in short, is one of the most influential teachers of chef Sam Aisbett.
Four Hands Dinner in Akuna's Mate's Mash-Up series featuring culinary legends. (Photo: AKUNA)
During his time at Quay, Sam Aisbett not only developed the dishes alongside Peter, but also managed the kitchen team and worked closely with farms to source ingredients exclusively for the restaurant. Peter was one of the first chefs in Australia to champion the use of specialty vegetables from small producers in fine dining. This approach inspired Sam to pursue authentic experiences, exploring the natural flavours of local foods to incorporate into the fine dining at Akuna. Peter truly has the “magic” to create magical dishes from unique ingredients.
Chef Peter Gilmore (Photo: QUAY)
A must-try for anyone visiting Quay is the White Coral dessert. The dish demonstrates the chef’s mastery, with its simple appearance yet captivating complexity. French white chocolate mousse, cream and egg whites are used to create a beautiful delicate coral, combined with cool mango and coconut ice cream to create a supreme and irresistible taste experience.
Australia's famous Quay restaurant, where Sam spent many years training and became the restaurant's first Head Chef (Photo: QUAY)
Peter’s calm approach to work also had a big impact on Sam. “I have never seen him raise his voice in the kitchen, even though there are dozens of staff and hundreds of customers coming to eat every day,” Sam said. That became the guiding principle for Sam to build a professional yet comfortable working style in Akuna’s laughter-filled kitchens. Thanks to that, he has continuously achieved the coveted Michelin stars in Singapore and most recently in Vietnam, after less than a year of opening Akuna restaurant.
A meaningful reunion at Mate's Mash-Up
Ahead of Akuna restaurant's first birthday this July, and the awarding of its prestigious Michelin star, the arrival of his mentor, mentor and special friend Peter Gilmore means a lot to chef Sam Aisbett.
White Coral, Peter Gilmore's irresistibly sweet masterpiece (Photo: QUAY)
The Mates Mash-Up event on July 20 is not only the only dinner where two master chefs will demonstrate their culinary skills, but also an opportunity for Sam to meet his greatest inspiration, at the place that helped him revive his passion for cooking. Sharing about this, Sam could not hide his excitement: “Peter is my best friend and long-time advisor. I have always been inspired by the way he combines flavors and textures in dishes. Now, after many years, we are standing together in the kitchen and this will be a great collaboration.”
At the same time, as a world-class chef coming to Vietnam for the first time and reuniting with his student in the prestigious Michelin kitchen, Peter Gilmore was also very excited: “I am very proud to join Sam in his kitchen. Sam is a friend and also a rare talented chef. I look forward to seeing what he will show at Akuna”.
The reunion of teacher and student took place in Ho Chi Minh City - a place where many culinary cultures intersect, creating inspiration for two Australian chefs to explore natural, original and new flavors in Vietnam. Not only a party to honor the passion for cooking of the chefs, AKUNA x QUAY Mate's Mash-up is also a meeting place for diners to enjoy how the pinnacle of talent transforms with the creative spirit to create experiences that go beyond all limits.
