Name: Sean Cummings
Born: North Queensland
History: Sean started his career as an apprentice chef in North
Queensland before moving in to an administrative role with a
catering group for three years. He
worked with Powers Hotels in the Gulf of Carpentaria
as Assistant Manager, occasionally helping out in the kitchens that serviced
three outlets. Within three months his
he was appointed as Head Chef and continued in that capacity for a further 18
months.
Sean then travelled to the UK and joined Jubilee Catering Agency in London which gave him an
opportunity to work in some exceptional restaurants, some of them Michelin starred.
Following this he took a position with
Harvey Nicholls as Sous Chef of
the Oxo Tower Restaurant & Brasserie - a vibrant, upmarket establishment in
the heart of London
with 50 chefs serving 4,000 guests per week.
After his two and a half year stint in London, Sean returned to Australia to join Hyatt Regency
Coolum as Chef de Cuisine of FishTales,
the resort’s signature seafood restaurant. After gathering valuable experience in his
first hotel operation Sean then moved to India to join the pre-opening team
at Hyatt Regency Mumbai as Chef de
Cuisine for Stax.
Further International exposure followed in
2005 with Sean’s appointment as Executive Chef at Hyatt Regency Auckland in New Zealand, which was followed by his return to
Australia
and the iconic Park Hyatt Melbourne in 2009.
How
would you define your style? Is there really anything new in food? In reality no, but rediscovery and
redefinition is the fuel that really drives my culinary passion. Seasonality should be the guiding rule in a
professional kitchen.
Fresh, simple food
doesn’t mean quick food or even easy food, though it can be both. It’s about finding balance and rhythm by
allowing food to taste of itself. It is
being strong enough not to embrace the pursuit of change for its own sake, but
to search for new elements giving freshness to dishes that have grown tired
from popular abuse. Be brave and
ruthlessly cut away baggage to get to the essence of a dish.
Be able to look at
the way classic dishes are redefined as time and tastes evolve while altered
perceptions, redefinition and rediscovery keep your passion for good food
burning.
What
is your feature flavour these days? No one particular flavour – but DEPTH of flavour as a whole, whatever
the dish may be.
Obsessive
compulsive about? Technique driven cuisine – a dying art.
Your greatest culinary
inspirations/influences: Pierre Koffmann and Thomas
Keller.
What
do you love about this business? The people and their passion.
An
ingredient you can’t live without? Butter.
Most
‘eyebrow raising’ menu item? Deconstructed Bluefin Tuna Nicoise.
Signature
dish: Spencer Gulf prawn cocktail.