By Leigh O’Connor.
Every great Chef carries a memory - a dish that once defined who they were, long before the world took notice. Dishes, like people, evolve. Ingredients shift with the seasons, philosophies deepen and the pulse of a kitchen beats to a new rhythm.
Across Australia, five celebrated Chefs have breathed new life into the plates that made them, proving that legacy is not fixed - it’s alive, pulsing and endlessly reimagined.
Legacy on the Plate — Neil Perry’s Refined Reinvention
For decades, Neil Perry’s name has been synonymous with elegant Modern Australian dining. His celebrated blue eye cod with XO sauce was a signature that defined Rockpool’s balance of East and West - refined, umami-rich and precise.
In its rebirth at Margaret, the dish has softened into something more soulful: wild-caught coral trout with hand-crushed XO, lemon oil and roasted sea lettuce. "It’s lighter,” Neil says, "more thoughtful, more me now.” The second life of his dish mirrors his own - less about grandeur, more about gratitude. It’s a conversation between memory and maturity, served warm and quietly powerful.
Fire and Reflection — Jock Zonfrillo’s Living Legacy
Before his passing, Jock Zonfrillo redefined Australian cuisine through his deep respect for Indigenous culture. His signature kingfish with Geraldton wax and Davidson plum was more than a dish - it was a dialogue.
Now, in tribute dinners that continue his spirit, the creation has evolved into Murray cod with native lime and wild rosella broth. It carries his philosophy forward - bright, earthy and grounded in Country. "Food should tell stories older than us,” he once said. In this second life, his dish still does - a tender flame kept alive in the kitchens that continue his work.
Wild Grace — Analiese Gregory’s Rewilded Memory
In Tasmania’s Huon Valley, Analiese Gregory’s food has always been part wilderness, part poetry. Her early signature - delicate duck with cherries and cacao nibs - reflected her fine-dining finesse. Her reborn dish, wild wallaby with fermented cherry and smoked butter, belongs entirely to the wild.
It’s raw, primal and profoundly emotional - food that feels alive with wind and forest. "I wanted to cook what the land gives me, not what I demand from it,” she says. The second life of her dish is less plated art, more intimate ritual - the taste of Tasmania’s heartbeat.
Heritage Reimagined — Khanh Nguyen’s Modern Evolution
At Sunda, Khanh Nguyen’s Vegemite curry roti became legend - a cheeky fusion that captured the Australian spirit. At his second restaurant, Aru, the idea matured. Now, it appears as charred kangaroo tartare with Vegemite soy and native pepperberry.
The wit remains, but there’s depth beneath the playfulness - bolder, leaner, unmistakably Australian. "It’s the same story,” Khanh says, "just told by an older version of me.” His second life dish proves that reinvention doesn’t erase history - it refines it.
Sweet Resurgence — Christine Manfield’s Joyful Return
Christine Manfield’s passionfruit soufflé once dazzled diners with its technical perfection. Today, she reimagines it as a passionfruit and wattleseed ice cream sandwich between lemon myrtle wafers - a dessert brimming with nostalgia and lightness.
"I’m not chasing perfection anymore,” she says. "Just joy.” The flavours are familiar yet free, a reflection of a Chef who has nothing left to prove - only delight to share.
These five Chefs show that a signature dish isn’t a monument carved in marble - it’s a living, breathing memory that grows alongside its maker. In their second lives, these plates hold more than taste: they hold time, humility and the courage to evolve.
In the hands of true cooks, even legacy has a heartbeat - and every dish deserves its second chance.
