Love Noosa – Dinner With Friends
Matt Golinski shares his thoughts about reuniting with some old mates for a special evening to remember.
There’s a unique bond that is developed between chefs who spend time working together, getting through high-pressure situations in often hot, crowded kitchens, sharing a mutual goal of creating the best food possible in that moment. And it can come from working alongside someone every day for years, or the pressure of cooking a big dinner at an event with someone over a few hours.
Attitude, work ethic, temperament and skills are the currency for earning respect in a kitchen, and shared respect for each other’s passion can lead to friendships that last a lifetime. This year marks 20 years of cooking in Noosa for me, and in that time I’ve been lucky enough to have made hundreds of these friendships.
Some of these friends still live and work in Noosa and I see them regularly, and some have moved to other towns, states or countries. And no matter if it’s five days or five years between seeing any of these people it’s always fun and there’s always plenty to talk about.
Scott Freund, ex-Sheraton Noosa chef and now the Executive Assistant Manager at Peppers Noosa Resort & Villas, has recently returned to Noosa after many years running hotels around the world, and as we started reminiscing about all the great chefs we’d met in Noosa, and how good it would be to bring some of them back, we decided we should just make it happen.
So in February next year, as the first of what we hope will be a series of great guest chef events at View by Matt Golinski, we have asked Justin Miles, ex-chef of Noosa Springs Golf Course; and Bruno Loubet, ex-chef of Berardos, to join Andy Wilcox, Head Chef at Peppers Noosa Resort & Villas and myself to create a four course dinner for what we have called ‘Love Noosa – Dinner with Friends’.
Born and raised in Adelaide, Justin worked in London and Thredbo before landing in Noosa and working with me for a couple of years at Ricky Ricardos. He then took the job as the executive chef at Noosa Springs Golf Club which he transformed into a bustling restaurant and event space.
He quickly earned the love and respect of locals for his fresh, approachable menus and his flawless wedding and conference catering. In 2008 Justin moved back home to Adelaide and now owns and runs the iconic Windy Point Restaurant in Belair. Bruno Loubet was born in Bordeaux, and after stints working with Pierre Koffman and Raymond Blanc in England, forged his own formidable reputation on the London dining scene with Soho-based Bistro Bruno and L’Odeon.
In 2002 he moved his family to Brisbane for a lifestyle change, where he owned and ran Bruno’s Tables in Brisbane, before moving to Noosa to be the head chef at Berardos Restaurant. Bruno moved back to London and established the highly successful Grain Store in 2013, but is now back living in the Gold Coast Hinterland running Willow Vale Cooking School with his wife Catherine.
It will be a pleasure to have these two great chefs back in town for the night; a great chance for me to catch up with my mates, an invaluable experience for the team at View to learn new techniques, and a rare opportunity for all those who fondly remember these guys from when they cooked in Noosa to reunite and taste their food once again.
Expect lots of laughter, great food and a bit of friendly rivalry!
BOOK NOW
Join us for our first “Love Noosa – Dinner with Friends” featuring Justin and Bruno
WHEN: Saturday 22 February
WHERE: View by Matt Golinski, Peppers Noosa Resort & Villas, 33a Viewland Drive Noosa Heads
WHAT: 4 courses with matching wines
COST: $130 per person
Click here to book.
