Driven by Destiny with Chef Heath Disher
Name
Heath Disher
Position
Head Chef
Restaurant
Gusto Noosa
Why did you become a chef?
My father was a really good cook. He had a corporate career but loved to cook on the weekends as a form of relaxation. So to spend time with him, I learnt to cook. On weekends, he and mum would invite a dozen or so people over and he’s cook up a full Chinese banquet. It’s just one of the things he would do. His mum, my grandma, worked in catering so cooking just seemed like the most logical thing for me.
Tell us about your journey
I wasn’t great at school so as soon as I finished school I started cooking. I worked in Sydney from the age of 17 until I turned 34. As soon as I started it was easy and came naturally.
It can be a hard business but I manage stress levels really well so that helped. I did a four-year apprenticeship in French cooking and worked in two lovely French chef-owner restaurants where I learnt about stocks, sauces, butchery, pastry, everything. Then I went into being Head Chef at a few brasseries and into the CBD of Sydney into Hatted restaurants such as Bel Mondo as part of the Manfredi Group.
I was offered lots of opportunities to have my own restaurants, produce a cookbook and things like that but I just wanted to cook.
I spent two years in Byron Bay and then moved to Margaret River, Western Australia and worked in the wineries such as Leeuwin Estate, Xanadu, pretty much all of them. For almost four years I was a casual Executive Chef and Chef de Partie supporting Head Chefs and Sous Chefs.
Covid was tough and I really missed my adult kids in Sydney, including grandkids I hadn’t met. They are moving to Queensland so I thought I would too.
I’m a minimalist so I got in my car and drove here. It was a big thing – but it also wasn’t. I had money in the bank, fuel in the car and 6,500kms later, Tim (Gusto owner) offered me a job. I had spoken to a lot of people before I landed here but Tim said the right things and I’m glad to be here.
What do you love about Gusto?
I see lots of potential here. The first shift I did here was as a casual, I hadn’t even seen the food and they put me on the grill where I did 130 covers in two hours. It’s ridiculously busy but Gusto has a level of consistency you can deal with – and there is a great local following which is important for job security. The staff are great and young with a lots of energy and Tim is here for the long haul.
He’s a family person and is really conscious of people burning out; I don’t think you’ll find that in other places. The expansion plans and prospect of rebuilding the kitchen excites me.
What have been career highlights?
The end of my apprenticeship and the first Head Chef role I got where I was finally able to just do it all myself and was given licence to create my own dishes. I had heaps of youthful enthusiasm and vitality and felt unstoppable and unbreakable.
My time in Margaret River was also a real step up for me as I started to use different techniques with modern equipment – sous vide, foams, gels.
I was working in the top three or four restaurants in the state and I had the freedom and budget to be creative.
I developed a reputation for being a great set of hands and could walk into these amazing kitchens and run a few sections without the overarching responsibility.
That worked for me at the time.
If you weren’t a chef, what would you be?
I thought about doing interior design or being a draftsperson. I like the idea of things that flow. I had the chance to design a kitchen and I like drawing and straight lines so I enjoyed the process – it’s structured and purposeful. Good design can make someone’s day easier.
What is your approach to food?
It’s important to strike a balance between being artistic and commercially-minded. I think that the paddock-to-plate philosophy is important. I’ve only been here a few weeks and am looking forward to discovering what’s on offer and finding producers that I can develop strong relationships with.
Who is your culinary inspiration?
People like Tetsuya Wakuda and those sorts of guys who are international restaurateurs. That always blows my mind how they got to the position that they are in – it probably blows theirs too.
I had opportunities in Sydney with investors wanting to back me but I’m not the person who chases fame or money.
Do you cook at home?
I love to cook and it’s nice to cook outside a commercial environment. If I’ve had a big day and have been tasting and picking in the kitchen all day, I like to eat cleanly so I might go home and whip up a salad or something basic. Otherwise I’ll cook something that mum used to make like a nice porchetta, roast or something slow. Not too fancy or fine.
What is your favourite dish to cook?
Slow-cooked Italian. Anything I can prep well, put in the oven, do something else and forget about it for a few hours and then come back; take it out, let it rest and then feed lots of people!
Any advice for young chefs?
Drink lots of water!
Don’t take the first job that’s offered to you. Start slow and steady and don’t try to be a superstar too early. Be a good listener. Be open to new ideas and pick the job that you want, not the job you have to take. Instagram is a great tool to help you find what restaurants are doing the type of food you want to do and what suits you. We are creative people and we are artists so you want to find a nice environment that suits you. Think about it and ask lots of questions so that you can make a good decision that will set you up for the rest of your life. It’s difficult to come out of the school environment at a time when you’re trying to become an adult and trying to become a chef and suddenly you’re in a commercial environment where you have 30-second timeframes and everything you touch is hot, sharp and heavy; it’s hard. Make good decisions for yourself so that you cook the food you want to cook.
What is your favourite kitchen tool?
My Unox timber-handled Fish Slice/Spatula – it’s like having a third hand. This one is 14 years old and I use it every day. When I first started working, every chef had one so I got one and when I started using it I realised why. They don’t make them like this anymore. I have another one at home that I retired from the everyday use along with the first six knives I ever bought when I was 17. They’re indestructible.
What is your favourite ingredient?
Any Sashimi-grade seafood. My favourite cuisine is Japanese and apart from the fact that I like to eat really good Japanese, I’ve never worked in a Japanese restaurant. I’ve made Japanese-influenced dishes but I’m not a sushi chef which requires a 20-30-year apprenticeship. I’m envious of the end product and product they create.
