CHEF OF THE YEAR Josh Niland Saint Peter, Sydney

You might recall Josh Niland appearing in this very awards rundown this time last year when he scored the Best New Talent prize. (The keen-eyed reader may also recall that his seafood attire of choice on that occasion was socks decorated with pictures of sharks.) In what might well be the fastest turnaround of its kind, he has been catapulted straight to the top of our peer-voted award this year. The mechanics of the award are simple: we ask the chefs of last edition’s top 100 restaurants which chef working in Australia today they respect most. Whether it’s his humility, work ethic or sui generis seafood skills, there’s something about what Josh Niland does at Saint Peter that is as captivating to his fellow professionals as it is to us diners. Not content with simply opening one of the best seafood restaurants the country has seen, he is now trying to rework seafood retail at his neighbouring Fish Butchery. Niland’s skill in the kitchen will be abundantly clear to anyone lucky enough to dine at Saint Peter, but his larger gifts as a chef – running a team and keeping them in tip-top condition – are just as worthy of emulation. Part of his motivation in finding brilliant ways to minimise the waste from the fish he buys has been to put the savings he makes into giving his chefs better working hours. “Our staff at Saint Peter have hobbies beyond eating and drinking themselves silly and sleeping all day,” he says. “To me, that means we’re doing something right.” Saint Peter, 362 Oxford St, Paddington, NSW, (02) 8937 2530