DARREN ROBERTSON

CO-OWNER OF THREE BLUE DUCKS, 42

Darren is a chef and the co-owner of Three Blue Ducks. He lives in Byron Bay with his partner Magdalena Roze and sons Archie and Charlie. What do you love about living on the coast? The clean air, the people, the ocean, the food, it’s amazing here. Describe your style. Easygoing. What’s your typical everyday outfit? Black pants, white T-shirts and sneakers. What are your wardrobe and travel essentials? My green army jumper, headphones, cookbooks and surfboards. Do you have any favourite clothing labels? Deus, Acne and Patagonia. What hair products do you use? Sea water. What do you never leave home without? A Keepcup and nappies (not for me!). Can you name any books, podcasts or shows you’re enjoying? I’m reading The Third Plate by Dan Barber and listening to The Pass podcast. I just watched The Magic Pill documentary, which I thought was brilliant. How do you manage your work/life balance? It’s a work in progress. I try to be as productive as possible at work, which in turn allows me to spend more time with the family. Who is your style influence? As daggy as it sounds, I think I dress like my dad. I hope he’d be proud that I’m flying the flag! How will you be spending Father’s Day? I’ll spend it with Mags and the boys. A sleep-in would be nice, but probably a little optimistic at this point! We might head to Three Blue Ducks for breakfast and let Archie see the tractors. Go home for the afternoon nap, and while everyone’s asleep, I’ll sneak out for a surf, come back and get lunch on. I’m hoping there’ll be a little present action happening for Dad, hoping for socks! What do you love about being a dad? I like the chaos of it all. It changes everything and forces you to relish the things you once took for granted. Everything is new to the little ones, so you too begin to look at the world through a different lens... It also gives you a new perspective on time; it suddenly becomes more precious, kids grow so fast and you don’t want to miss a thing. Ironically, with all the chaos, life becomes simpler, the small stuff we used to worry about goes out the window. Visit threeblueducks.com

CLOCKWISE, FROM ABOVE Darren, Magdalena and Archie, as seen in Magdalena’s book Happy and Whole; the Three Blue Ducks menu makes the most of seasonal produce; Three Blue Ducks at The Farm Byron Bay; pigs in the paddocks.