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Miguel Maestre

Born: Murcia, Spain

History: Spaniard now Australian resident, celebrity chef Miguel Maestre has been making waves in the Australian culinary world with cooking prowess and a sensational accent. With good food and wine as part of his upbringing, raised in a large household that revolved around cooking, Miguel was destined to become a chef and set out to Scotland in his early 20’s on a quest to learn English.

Working his way up through the ranks, he was favoured in the kitchens of one of Edinburgh’s biggest restaurant partnerships. After this experience Maestre returned to Spain then departed for Australia, landing at The Rocks, Sydney in the Christmas season of 2004.

Throughout his professional career Miguel has worked in some of the best restaurants worldwide; in the Sydneyscene these include, Bather’s Pavilion, Minus 5 and Number One Wine Bar, then El Toro Loco. Miguel’s El Toro Loco experience is well documented in his first book with New Holland ‘Miguel’s Tapas’, however, he did not see eye to eye with his business partner and the El Toro Loco chapter came to a close for Miguel Maestro.

Miguel now runs Aperitif with Manu Feildel at Potts Point and concentrates on Miguel’s Catering, a busy company that he runs on the side. Other projects include writing; his third book is in the conceptual stage whilst his second, ‘Spanish Cooking’ is flying off the shelves. He has an ongoing presence on Channel 7’s Better Homes & Gardens and is greatly anticipating the upcoming shoot for ‘Boys Weekend’ Season Two.

How would you define your style?

My style emerges from Spanish culinary tradition; cooking is in my blood and my passion is sharing it. My food design speciality revolves around serving tapas varieties and featuring unique paella combinations. For example, a recent recipe sample of mine is Soft Shell Crab and Saute of Edamame. Taking a modern approach to meal creation, serving good food is a reflection of a good life.

Your greatest achievements?

Around the time my first book was released I was busy with my first television series on Lifestyle Food Channel entitled ‘Miguel’s Tropical Kitchen’. That’s been the nature of my career over the past few years; there’s always a combination of things going on, all achievements in themselves.

Amongst my other TV appearances, the popular ‘Boys Weekend’ series was a great experience; co-hosting with a number of amazing chefs, including Gary Mehigan and Manu Feildel, we were a hit. Broadcast in over 100 countries, the show is excellent international exposure, so much so that we're heading into our second season.