MELBOURNE CALLING
WORDS BY STEVEN JW
A veteran English chef with notable stints in London’s glitziest dining venues, Andrew Beddoes’ wealth of experience and creativity landed him a much sought-after role as the Head Chef of The Grand Richmond.
So, Andrew, tell us a little bit about your background. What are your earliest food memories?
I suppose my earliest food memories were the countless hours I spent with my grandmother in the kitchen. My grandmother was an amazing cook and I loved the food that she made—she used to make the most amazing pastries. I used to go around her house on the weekends; my dad would drop me off. As a child, I spent many hours in the kitchen just watching her cook and I loved it.
Would you say that these childhood experiences in the kitchen made you realise you wanted to be a chef?
Well, to be honest, it didn’t really hit me straight away that I wanted to be a chef. I kind of fell into the job almost, I suppose, in a sense. When I started out in the kitchen, I realised that I absolutely loved it. I knew then that it’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I fell in love with food, pretty much straightaway. I love learning about different ingredients, new techniques, and I love meeting new people. I think it’s simply amazing.
How long have you been with The Grand Richmond?
I’ve been here for three and a half years. How did I get here? Well it’s quite a story, really. I’m originally from Derbyshire, a really small town in the middle ofEngland. When I was about twenty, I decided to move to London to work. I ended up staying around for about twelve years, working in some amazing places. It really broadened my culinary horizons. After that, I decided that I wanted to move to Australia—I suppose I got over London.
‘Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than creating a wonderful dish from great ingredients.’
When I first came to Australia, I worked with Raymond Capaldi and Gary Mehigan at Fenix, which was great. Sometime in 2016, I was offered the chance to head the kitchen at The Grand Richmond and I took up the opportunity. I loved it straight away, from the first day. The Fenix is not far away from The Grand Richmond, actually. I remember that I used to drive past this place a lot and would think to myself that it’s a pretty darn cool building. Of course, I never realised I would end up working at this place!
What dishes should first time visitors to The Dining Room try?
Personally, for me, it’s a close contest between two dishes. Our guests should definitely go for the gnocchi. It has been on the menu for sixteen years, and it’s absolutely incredible. It’s a really simple dish which is really hard to get right. Gnocchi, butter, parmesan, and it’s just insane. Another one I would highly recommend is the char- grilled calamari. They’re two of my favourite dishes and I think it’s fair to say that all our guests love them.
Piccolo Grand’s pretty new. What’s the concept?
The concept behind the venue is authentic Italian food. Something small-scale and intimate. We want our guests to come here to relax, to have beautiful pizzas paired with a lovely glass of wine. On Saturday nights, we usually have live bands for guests looking to have some great pizza, a pint of frosty draught beer and an overall great time with their mates. It’s simply a really, really welcoming neighbourhood venue for anyone to come and enjoy themselves. We want to offer food that is consistently amazing in an environment that’s totally relaxed, and I think we’ve got that.
What exciting things are the kitchen team working on?
Well, we’re always working on exciting things for our Yum Cha menu. We do Italian Yum Cha once a month at The Dining Room, which is always popular. Each session is always a challenge. We’re constantly working on the bits and pieces, consistency and just nailing the items all the time. That’s our main focus really—to ensure the consistency and wow factor of the food we make every day. The Grand Richmond’s been open for sixteen years. It’s an institution and we’ve got some pretty steep standards to maintain.
What parts of your job do you love?
I like learning about new techniques and continually improving myself. Technique, for me, is the most important skill for any chef. It can be anything really, from chopping parsley, making desserts, to the most complicated technique that you can think of. The importance of technique is drilled into all chefs from the first day in the kitchen. Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than creating a wonderful dish from great ingredients with top-notch techniques.
The Grand Richmond
331 Burnley Street, Richmond 3121
Open seven days, from 12pm
