Whisky Business at Sardo
Name: Silvia Ugolini | Age: 34 | Position: Head Chef | Restaurant: Sardo Noosa
How/why did you become a chef?
I first became a pastry chef because when I was really young that is what I first learnt to make with my nonnas. We made a lot of handmade pasta, tarts and biscuits at home. I remember my nonna giving me little figures so I could cut the tart and shape the biscuits – I was maybe five years old.
My mum is a very good cook as well, and every Sunday we would make handmade pasta at home, like ravioli, tagliatelle, gnocchi and lasagna, of course. It is very popular when we offer it as a special here at Sardo Noosa.
I came to Australia in 2017 and started working at Piccolina Gelateria in Melbourne. They brought me on as a gelato maker and pastry chef. At the time, they only had their Hawthorn shop and were just about to open the Collingwood one. It was their first year – and now they are huge.
When I started working at Sardo Noosa, I became the head chef after just two months! That makes me very proud and happy.
What has been the most rewarding moment of your career so far?
The most rewarding moment for me as a pastry chef was when I created a dessert for the Australian Ballet. This was when I was working with Piccolino Gelateria, and I got to make a cake for Black Swan, themed to go with the ballet. We plated the dessert with fairy floss on top – it was amazing.
What do you love about being a chef?
For me, I love to be in the kitchen because there’s a stronger heartbeat, more adrenaline. Service is my favourite when it’s busy and you feel that rush, that’s what gives you that fire inside.
Being a pastry chef is more quiet and polite, but in the kitchen the energy needs to move and flow. I love it!
What is your approach to produce? Any favourite local producers?
My nonno and nonna always owned a big piece of land, so we produced a lot of our own products. We had more than 100 olive trees and produced our own olive oil. I also opened my own business in Italy. My family had an agricultural company and a shop where we sold organic products to other locals – fruits, heirloom tomatoes, artichokes – everything! I prefer to use organic food whenever possible.
Here in Noosa, I always go to the markets. I love Eastwell Farms and we have Giovanni in Coolum, who supplies us with freshly grown produce. You need to smell his basil, it is just amazing. We provide him with food scraps for his chickens and he gives us their eggs.
What’s your approach to food?
Experimenting – the passion for the craft and doing everything from scratch is what drives me.
I’m currently working on a special dish with sardines, and I’ve been up till late last night and again early this morning, perfecting it.
Now I’ve finally achieved the perfect texture so it should be on the menu soon.
Who would you love to cook for?
I would love to cook for my nonna again. She passed away two years ago. She was always my greatest inspiration and taught me to cook from a young age.
Who is your culinary inspiration?
Adam d’Sylva! He is my mentor, and a chef I just adore. He’s got a very good heart.
Do you cook at home? If so, what do you cook?
I always cook a lot at home and I love to experiment. During COVID, I was trying lots of different things, even with baking. I remember trying out croissant panettones!
My favourite part of a kitchen is the pasta section. I love making handmade pasta with fillings and sauces, and creating entrées.
What’s your favourite dish to eat or cook?
I love savoury dishes! But my first love is pastries, and I always say that pastry is passion, consistency, precision and technique. It’s like love – when you’re in love with someone, you need to be consistent, you need good technique, and you need passion as well.
With pastries, it’s like maths. You need to follow the procedure and weigh up the ingredients, and you need to have a very good eye for presentation.
Still, I am feeling more drawn to creating savoury dishes, mainly with pasta as mentioned, because you can do so many different things. With savoury food, you can create with salumi, with bread, with mousses and toppings. There’s much more room for creativity whereas making pastries is more about perfection.
What do you love about being IN Noosa?
It’s lovely at every time of the day. What I love about Noosa is that in the morning, when I wake up, there are so many people up early and you can go straight into the sea. There’s an energy here that feels like it’s healing your soul. It brings a sense of peace inside.
It’s a very peaceful place. People are nice and polite, everyone talks to everyone. It’s like living in one big family. I feel like it’s a big community.
The national parks are stunning. We went to Granite Bay for sunset the other day. Oh my God – I told my mum I’m in love with it here.
I get goosebumps. I’m in love with this place!
Any advice for young chefs?
Follow your heart and instinct always. Your gut will never lie. Experiment. Have patience.
What’s your favourite kitchen utensil?
My whisk!
What’s your favourite ingredient?
Eggs! Because with eggs you can do almost anything. Mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce, tiramisu.
You can make both sweet and savoury dishes, and they are so versatile. With the whites, you can even make meringue!
What’s a Sardo Noosa ‘must try’ dish?
Our Seafood Fregola. Toasted, handmade Sardinian pearl pasta, with prawns, calamari, barramundi, mussels, fresh tomatoes, lobster bisque and bottarga. That is our best seller!
