Profiles

GREG DOYLE

Greg Doyle, widely regarded as one of Australia’s most talented chefs, decided upon his cooking career when he first left school at the age of sixteen. At the completion of his apprenticeship, Greg worked in a number of restaurants throughout Sydney, finally taking control of the kitchen at the Balmain Bakery. It was at Balmain Bakery that Greg was first discovered by Len Evans, with a rave review in The Australian newspaper that launched Greg onto the Australian dining scene.
In 1991 the famous collaboration with Pier and seafood was born. In 1994 Greg won a competition whose prize was a stint in a two Michelin star seafood restaurant in Paris. He returned inspired and enlightened, immediately applying a host of preparation and cooking techniques to Pier. A return to Paris and a visit to L’Atelier Joel Robuchon for his 50th birthday in 2004 sparked the idea for the Tasting Room.

Indeed, 2007 proved something of a watershed year for Greg. He was awarded Restaurateur of the Year, and Pier won ‘Seafood Restaurant of the Year’ at the National Restaurant and Catering Awards. Pier was awarded Three Hats in the Sydney Morning Herald ‘2007 Good Food Guide’ and Three Stars in The Gourmet Traveller “2007 Australian Restaurant Guide’.

Mid 2010 Greg and Pier’s new executive chef Steve Skelly decided to refine Pier back to a simpler dining style, with a more approachable price point.

STEVE SKELLY
It was washing dishes in the ‘crazy atmosphere’ of a friend’s dad’s restaurant to earn a bit of extra cash that Steven Skelly discovered the urge – and found the excitement -  to make cooking a lifetime career.

“This is where I discovered food and how much energy and effort went into peoples big  lights out; the hours were crazy and the staff were crazier and the restaurant was super busy – I was intrigued to find out what else was out there,” Steve said.

He made his first official step into the world of restaurants in May 1994 training as a apprentice with the Angel Posting House and Livery in Guildford, England, qualifying as a ‘Commis Chef/Chef de Partie’ and attaining the position of Sous chef.

“I spent three and a half years there. At the time it was the best place in Surrey and for me a fantastic learning curve; everything was made on the premises – croissants and pastries for the Courtyard café, bread for the dining room.

“I made my way around the entire kitchen until there was nothing left to learn,” Steve said. This was followed by a few short stints at several local restaurants before the bright lights of London called.

In October 2000 he moved to London for to the position of Sous Chef at Redmonds restaurant in the West End under the tutelage of owner Redmond Hayward who, Steve says, was a great teacher and whose recipes he still utilises.

This was followed by several months at London’s Quo Vadis as Chef de Partie which was suddenly interrupted when his visa for Australia came through.
“Who wouldn’t leave 17 hour days for sunshine and beaches – and of course it was a fantastic opportunity for me,” Steve said.

And so began his Australian journey! What better place to start than at Hugo’s Restaurant at Bondi where in May 2002 he commenced work as Sous-Chef.

“This is where I started to develop my own style of cooking. It was the first time I was given the freedom to play around and to create my own dishes.”

In March 2005 he made the decision to move to Bilson’s as the restaurant’s Sous-Chef. “Bilson’s was a massive learning curve for me. Tony’s knowledge is endless and I picked up a lot from him.”

After the restaurant won its third Hat, and after two years gaining more experiences in top level dining, he moved to the Pier Restaurant. “This was a fantastic time for me. I was learning and being encouraged to develop my own style.”

Following Pier was a stint at Sails in Lavendar Bay, before Steve has proudly returned to Pier in 2010 to take over the reigns as Executive Chef.