Chef de Cuisine · Head of Culinary

Cooking with fire, between Europe and Asia.

Australian chef with a Michelin-star background in luxury hospitality. An open-fire specialist with 20 years in kitchens across Sydney, Copenhagen, Macau, Bangkok, Miami, Hong Kong and Phuket.

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Noma 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana Mandarin Oriental The Peninsula The Bridge Room ARIA

Nicholas Gannaway at the grill, flames beside him

About

A career built in serious kitchens.

I trained in Sydney under Dietmar Sawyere, Matt Moran, Justin North and Ross Lusted — including The Bridge Room's Restaurant of the Year and three-hat era — with a stint at Cirrus under Brent Savage, before heading abroad: a stage at Noma in Copenhagen, then Sous Chef at 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Macau under Antimo Maria Merone.

My first Chef de Cuisine role came in 2019 at Lord Jim's and The Verandah, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, where I reopened Lord Jim's after its renovation and was selected for a cross-exposure assignment at La Mar by Gastón Acurio in Miami. I went on to run HUE Dining in Hong Kong as Executive Chef, then The Peninsula Bangkok. Today I'm Chef de Cuisine and Head of Culinary at STAY Wellbeing & Lifestyle Resort in Phuket, leading a brigade of 45 chefs across three restaurants.

My cooking sits where European technique meets Asian ingredients — and whenever possible, it happens over live fire.

years in kitchens

chefs in the brigade

cities cooked in

Gallery

At the pass.

Open fire, oysters, the chef's counter and the brigade — where the cooking actually happens.

Cooking over open flame at the Electrolux Young Chef competition

Plating avocado and tomato at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

Working the open-fire grill, sparks flying

With the Lord Jim's brigade in the kitchen at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

Finishing a plate with a spoon of sauce, Lord Jim's, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

Experience

Where I've cooked.

Jun 2025 — Present · Phuket

STAY Wellbeing & Lifestyle Resort

Chef de Cuisine — Head of Culinary. A brigade of 45 across three restaurants, bakery and banquets. Built the resort's recipe costing system from the ground up.

Oct 2023 — Sep 2024 · Bangkok

The Peninsula Bangkok

Chef de Cuisine — River Café & Terrace, The Pool and In-Room Dining; a brigade of 35+.

Jul 2022 — Aug 2023 · Hong Kong

HUE Dining

Executive Chef — full accountability for menu, team and P&L at a fine-dining restaurant.

Jul 2019 — Jul 2022 · Bangkok

Lord Jim's & The Verandah · Mandarin Oriental

Chef de Cuisine — first CdC role. Reopened Lord Jim's after its renovation, with live fire at the heart of the new open kitchen.

Mandarin Oriental · Miami

La Mar by Gastón Acurio

Selected by Mandarin Oriental for a cross-exposure assignment.

Jul 2018 — Jun 2019 · Macau

8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana

Sous Chef under Antimo Maria Merone — one Michelin star.

Apr — Jul 2018 · Copenhagen

Noma

Stagiaire under René Redzepi in the first season after the 2018 reopening.

Sydney

Cirrus

Stint under Brent Savage.

Mar 2015 — Dec 2017 · Sydney

The Bridge Room

Junior Sous Chef under Ross Lusted — Restaurant of the Year 2015, three hats.

Feb 2014 — Feb 2015 · Sydney

The Victoria Room

Sous Chef — hired and trained the kitchen team; costed and developed menus.

Jan 2013 — Jan 2014 · Sydney

The Bourbon

Junior Sous Chef — menu costing and development; cut food and labour costs.

Mar 2011 — Jul 2012 · Sydney

Becasse

Chef de Partie under Justin North — two hats.

Sep 2008 — Feb 2011 · Sydney

ARIA

Demi Chef de Partie under Matt Moran — two hats; completed apprenticeship.

2006 — 2008 · Berowra Waters

Berowra Waters Inn

Pre-opening team — Best New Restaurant 2008, two hats.

Oct 2006 — Sep 2008 · Sydney

Level 41

Apprentice under Dietmar Sawyere — the Sydney institution that held three hats for ten years, and where it all started.

2007 — 2008 · Sydney

Le Cordon Bleu

Diploma of Professional Culinary Management.

Wood, smoke and embers are the oldest tools in the kitchen — and still the most honest.

Philosophy

Three things I hold to.

Live fire

I build menus around the grill — charcoal, wood and open flame, handled with precision rather than spectacle.

Europe × Asia

European discipline and technique, carried through the markets and ingredients of Southeast Asia — never fusion for its own sake.

The brigade

Great food comes from well-run kitchens. I build organised, calm teams where young chefs are trained the way I was.

The food

From the plate.

Caviar, langoustine, truffle and live-fire cooking — a selection of dishes from the last few years.

Poached fish with shaved black truffle and foam — Poached fish, black truffle, mushroom foam

Green tomatoes with herbs, capers and saffron — Green tomatoes, saffron, capers, garden herbs

Fish tartare under a radish rosette with cured yolk — Fish tartare, radish rosette, cured yolk

Glazed pork belly with mustard seeds and pumpkin — Glazed pork belly, mustard seeds, pumpkin

Caviar with crème fraîche on a blue plate — Caviar, crème fraîche, dill

Charred fish on a three-colour sauce — Charred fish, pepper, saffron, herb oil

Charred octopus with avocado and lime — Charred octopus, avocado, lime

Salmon with caviar in beurre blanc — Salmon, caviar, beurre blanc

Langoustine with sea urchin and bisque foam — Langoustine, sea urchin, bisque

Grilled beef with herb purée and charred onion — Grilled beef, herb purée, charred onion

Crab with cucumber, caviar and celery broth — Crab, cucumber, caviar, celery

Roasted pumpkin with nori and shiitake — Roast pumpkin, nori, shiitake

Raspberry tart with crème anglaise — Raspberry tart, crème anglaise

Lamb cutlets with romesco, charred onion and salsa verde — Lamb cutlets, romesco, salsa verde

Herb-crusted fish with clams and cabbage — Herb-crusted fish, clams, cabbage

Anchovies, egg and greens on a stoneware plate — Anchovy, egg, greens

Seared scallops with mango salsa and frisée — Seared scallops, mango salsa

Roasted fish with hazelnuts and elderflower — Roast fish, hazelnut, elderflower

Beetroot salad with whipped cheese, hazelnuts and petals — Beetroot, whipped cheese, hazelnut

Cured salmon with salmon roe, dill and crème fraîche — Cured salmon, roe, dill

Recognition & press

Hats, awards and headlines.

Electrolux Appetite for Excellence · 2016

National Finalist, Young Chef — representing NSW for The Bridge Room

Restaurant of the Year 2015 · Three hats

The Bridge Room, Sydney

Best New Restaurant · Two hats

Berowra Waters Inn

Three hats for ten years

Level 41, Sydney

Two hats

ARIA · Becasse

Bangkok Post · Review of Lord Jim's

"Still lording it over Bangkok" →

Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

Featured chef, Lord Jim's — chef film, gala dinners and the chef's counter

"Very proud of Nick — one of our top boys, representing NSW."
Ross Lusted · The Bridge Room — three hats, Chef of the Year Australia 2015

Electrolux Australian Young Chef card: Nick Gannaway, The Bridge Room, NSW

The Electrolux Appetite for Excellence Young Chef line-up

Contact

Let's talk.

For consulting, collaborations, guest dinners or opportunities in luxury hospitality.

nick_gannaway@hotmail.com LinkedIn · chefnickgannaway Download CV (PDF)

Nicholas William Gannaway, Chef: the nwg crest