Young chef takes career-changing trip
The winner of Melbourne Food and Wine’s Hostplus Hospitality Scholarship has returned from three career-changing weeks in San Francisco, Paris and Tokyo staging in exclusive Michelin starred restaurants.
Sous chef Mark Bashinsky from Aria Restaurant, Brisbane was awarded the inaugural scholarship in July 2014 which gave him the exclusive opportunity to stage in three restaurants across the world and also connect with an Australian industry mentor. Mark’s impressive resumé now includes experience working with two previous Melbourne Food and Wine Festival presenters, Corey Lee, executive chef at Benu in San Francisco and Bertrand Grebaut, chef at Septime in Paris. His final week was spent in Tokyo’s renowned restaurant Ryuzu learning from executive chef Ryuta Iizuka.
Mark was fortunate to experience a variety of responsibilities during his trip. At the recently awarded three Michelin star Benu, he was introduced to new Asian ingredients such as bamboo fungi and rehydrated salted jellyfish. In Parisian bistro Septime he experienced working through a language barrier and left with a lasting respect for the French passion to source, create and enjoy impeccable produce. Finally, in Toyko’s Ryuzu, he was privileged to witness the precision and dedication that drives Japanese cuisine.
Now back on home soil, Mark is inspired to build on his invaluable experience and put his new skills into practice back in the kitchens at Aria Restaurant: “Taking the whole experience back to Aria Brisbane will allow me to share knowledge of cultures, food and flavours, whilst opening up new ideas and creations for menus to come. I hope to inspire others to travel and enter this scholarship so that they too can broaden their skills and open up new career opportunities.”
Mark’s career development will continue with a year-long mentorship with one of Melbourne’s most respected chefs Andrew McConnell (Cumulus Inc., Cutler & Co., Luxembourg and Supernormal).
