flying south
AFTER LANDING A JOB AT JOSEF CHROMY WINES, CHEF NICK RAITT MIGRATED TO TASMANIA, AND HAS FALLEN IN LOVE WITH THE FOOD AND LIFESTYLE.
WHEN NICK RAITT decided he wanted to be a chef at age 17, he thought his chosen career would allow him to travel the world. He certainly never dreamt he’d end up in northern Tasmania, but he’s now extremely glad that he did. As we talk, he’s sitting outside the restaurant at Josef Chromy Wines, just south of Launceston, where he’s been head chef since September 2016. “The leaves on the vines are all red and yellow, and they’re just harvesting the last of the grapes from the lot in front of the restaurant,” says Nick, now 37. It’s a beautiful location — the vineyard is planted on grassy hills that slope down to a small lake with a pretty rotunda on the shore. Overlooking this scene is the restaurant, a modern addition to the cream-coloured 1880s weatherboard cottage that houses the Josef Chromy cellar door. Although Nick never tires of the view, after 19 months on the job he was beginning to take it for granted. A recent work trip to Sydney brought it back into focus — the crowds in the CBD and around Circular Quay had him wishing he was back in Tasmania, and confirmed that moving his young family from the city to Launceston was the right thing to do. Originally from Wellington, New Zealand, Nick went to high school in Nelson and boarded with a local family. “Geoff Mclean, the dad of the family I lived with, was a chef. I was disinterested in school and found a bit more interest in cooking,” he says. Geoff taught Nick some basics and regaled him with stories of his time working in the US. The lifestyle appealed to the unruly teenager — he dropped out of school and enrolled in a hospitality course, then moved back to Wellington to do an apprenticeship. In 2000, at the age of 19, Nick relocated to Sydney in search of adventure and job opportunities. “The head chef at the Wellington Plaza International had a cookbook of great Australian chefs, like Philip Johnson at E’cco in Brisbane, Neil Perry at Rockpool and Dietmar Sawyere at Forty One,” recalls Nick. “I couldn’t believe people were doing food like that. I jumped on a plane and landed in Sydney with little money in my pocket and no contacts.” His enthusiasm and perseverance paid off, and the young chef was rewarded with a job at the highly regarded Forty One. Nick later spent two years in London, where he “learnt a hell of a lot”, then returned to Sydney to oversee kitchens at restaurants such as Watermark, Public Dining Room and La Scala. By 2016, Nick was the father of two boys and trying to juggle family life with the demanding schedule required in a top restaurant was proving difficult. His friend Richard Ptacnik, executive chef at Otto Ristorante, put him up for the job at Josef Chromy Wines. “I hadn’t been to Tassie before I interviewed for the position with Joe,” says Nick. After a lot of consideration, Nick and his wife Melissa, a news producer with Channel 7, decided to take a “leap of faith” and move to Tasmania. “People are always talking about the great lifestyle in Tasmania — it’s about the time you get to spend with your family,” says Nick, who is father to William, six, Leo, four, and one-year-old Sonny. But it’s not just the lifestyle that appeals to the chef, who has fallen in love with the outstanding produce Tasmania has to offer. “I really enjoy the herbs and leaves, and the baby root vegetables, such as carrots and radishes, are so delicious,” says Nick. And then there’s the amazing tomatoes grown by Annette and Nevil Reed at their farm in nearby Selbourne. “They grow something like 123 tomato varieties and the pride in their produce is so high.” Nick says he’s inspired by the team of passionate winemakers, led by Jeremy Dineen, that he works with. “My food is quite understated. I don’t overcomplicate things, and I keep the flavours light and subtle so they work with the wines.” He’s also found a mentor in Joe Chromy and says working with the 87-year-old entrepreneur is one of the best things about his job. “He’s a phenomenal person and I’ve learnt a lot from him. How hard he still works is a great example.” Josef Chromy Wines is at 370 Relbia Road, Relbia, Tasmania. (03) 6335 8706; josefchromy.com.au