HOT TALENT AWARD
PINPOINTING FUTURE STARS OF THE RESTAURANT SCENE
ACME
Analiese Gregory had been working at Quay for five years and had risen to the rank of executive sous chef – Peter Gilmore’s number two. And then in 2013, she gave it up and travelled around Europe doing stints in Michelin-starred restaurants, including the development kitchen at Mugaritz in the Basque Country and her self-proclaimed “Holy Grail restaurant,” Michel Bras in Laguiole, France. She even did a pop-up in Fez, Morocco, “just for fun.” Now she’s at ACME, working underneath co-patron and head chef Mitch Orr – who, incidentally, won this same award back in 2011 when he was at (now closed) Duke. “She doesn’t realise how good she is,” says Orr. “And every time she pisses off overseas, it’s a loss to us. That’s why I wanted her to come work here: to keep her entertained in Sydney rather than feeling like she needs to run away.” Gregory has no prestigious title at ACME, but that’s exactly why she likes it. “At Quay everything needed to be planned,” she says. “Whereas [at ACME] it feels very fluid: you can literally put a dish on right before service. It’s very free in that aspect.” She and Orr work together to develop and create dishes for the menu, and some of the best dishes spring from this relationship, like spaghetti tossed with fermented chilli paste, pork, calamari and nori, or the astonishingly good rice cream on their latest dessert (see Restaurant of the Year). “I had lunch with David Chang,” she says, “and he told me that I was only a fine dining chef and that I would always be a fine dining chef.” That was when she went to Europe. “I was like, ‘I can do other stuff too!’ But I need to be creatively fulfilled.” Enter Orr. “Hopefully it’s with us,” he says, “But whatever she does next, it’s going to be amazing.” 60 Bayswater Rd, Rushcutters Bay 2011. 02 8068 0932. www.weareacme.com.au. Dinner Tue-Sat from 6pm; lunch Sat noon-3pm.
ANALIESE GREGORY