Pamela Valdes Pardo

reiterating the sentiment of his speech. “The only way forward for the industry – the only way we’ll stop this talent drain – is to be sensitive to what workers go through and what they need.”

Work/life balance was clearly important to lauded chef Analiese Gregory when she left Sydney’s Bar Brosé for central Hobart’s Franklin (franklinhobart.com.au) in 2017. The New Zealander, who wears a signature Rosie the Riveter-style bandana, has become known (and loved) as a foraging, diving and fishing chef – a paradigm once seen as hypermasculine. Shortly after taking the reigns at Franklin, she and the owners agreed to close for lunch. “We were doing crazy hours and I realised it wasn’t going to be sustainable,” she says. “And I wanted to have time to visit suppliers, forage, hike, dive, develop dishes and do all the things I moved to Tasmania for.”

Such clarity and determination must be inspiring to those following in her footsteps – young up-and-comers like 24-year-old Eilish Maloney, currently sous chef at Saint Peter (saintpeter.com.au) in Paddington, Sydney. She spent two years honing her skills and competitive instinct at Brett Graham’s two-Michelin-starred London restaurant, The Ledbury, and has been tagged by her boss, Josh Niland, as a star of the future. Determined to make her mark, she’s “ridiculously ambitious”, she says.