 CHEFS
GEORGE CALOMBARIS - as seen on master chef Australia
At the age of 30, George Calombaris is one of Australia's top chefs. His highly influential style
of cuisine has earned him many accolades (at such a young age) and much respect from
culinary aficionados in Australia and around the globe.
George's short career has been full of exciting moments. He completed his apprenticeship at
the Hotel Sofitel, where he won the Bonland National Apprentice of the Year Award in 1999.
Soon after, George found himself leading a team of 11 qualified and apprentice chefs at
Richmond’s Fenix Restaurant. Among the many accolades achieved during George’s time at
Fenix, the restaurant was honoured with the 2001 Restaurant of the Year Culinary Competition
for Victoria, as part of Melbourne’s Food and Wine Festival.
In 2003, George was selected to represent Australia at the Bocuse d’Or International Culinary
Grand Prix in Lyon, France. He achieved the best ever result for an Australian representative to
that time.
In the same year George was the mastermind behind the successful Melbourne restaurant
Reserve, where his own personal style was on show. His food was an often-surprising hybrid of
classical haute cuisine and experimental ideas. Quoted as “very out there”, George’s molecular
gastronomy has seen him become a much talked about chef in the international cooking circuit.
As a result, in 2004, the Global Food and Wine Magazine voted George as one of the Top 40
Chefs of Influence In the World.
In the Age Good Food Guide (2004), George was awarded with 'Young Chef of the Year 2004'
and Reserve won 'Best New Restaurant' as well as receiving two prestigious chefs hats.
Following these awards, George was swiftly approached to Guest Chef on many television
programmes and later taking on a regular appearance on Australia's popular daytime TV show
Ready Steady Cook.
In October 2006, at the age of 27, George opened his flagship restaurant The Press Club
Restaurant and Bar. This began a new era for George and has cemented his place as a
culinary star for his Modern Greek Cuisine - never seen before Melbourne; where modern twists
to traditional Greek cuisine has put this restaurant on the global map and has diner's wanting
more.
George’s 'Modern Greek' concept paid off. At the 2008 Age Good Food Guide Awards, The
Press Club was awarded two prestigious chef hats and named 'Best New Restaurant 2008'.
George was also awarded 'Chef of the Year 2008'. At the Victorian Restaurant and Catering
Awards also in 2008, The Press Club was named Best New Restaurant and nominated for Best
New Restaurant in Australia. It was also in 2008 that The Age Melbourne Magazine named
George Top 100 Most Influential People.
The success of The Press Club has taken George to new heights. In 2007 he was approached
by a 5 Star Boutique Hotel in Mykonos, The Belvedere Hotel, to use his much admired Modern
Greek Cuisine style in the luxurious surrounds of their hotel. In June 2008 The Belvedere Club
was born - a poolside restaurant, sitting opposite the world famous Nobu Restaurant. George
plans to take the world by storm!
With 2008 being a successful year for George, he was also fortunate to have launched his
successful first Cook Book aptly named 'The Press Club' and in February 2008 opened his
second restaurant Maha Bar and Grill, a Mediterranean Middle Eastern restaurant with good
friend and renowned chef Shane Delia. At its early age Maha is now one of Melbourne's 'hotspot'
eateries.
Today George has taken his traditional Greek heritage further opening his forth and newest
restaurant Hellenic Republic, a Modern Greek Taverna. At the helm of his career George has
also begun writing his second cookbook 'Hellenic Republic'. It is needless to say that George is
constantly pushing the boundaries and is never sitting still!
Dominique Rizzo
 A soul woman chef, Dominique possesses a passion for creative world food, fuelled by her Sicillian heritage and a deep desire to develop innovative cuisine using quality, safe, clean, fresh produce. Dominique has 15 years experience as a Chef and 7 years as Head Chef and business partner in the award winning Mondo Organics restaurant in Brisbane's West End. There's no time that Dominique can't recall when she didn't have a passion for cooking. "I can remember being about 3, and making my mum breakfast in bed with cups of coffee using the hot water tap in the bath, because I couldn't reach the one in the kitchen," she says. "I love everything about food - the flavours, the tastes, the textures and how it all comes together in an harmonious symphony." It all stems from her Italian heritage living on her aunt's farm in Palermo, Sicily, and the many years spent travelling and sampling cuisine from around the world.
In 2007, Dominique started her own chef/consulting business “Pure Food Cooking” with a focus and purpose to inspire and generate an awareness in cooking using natural whole foods, and fresh organic produce to improve health, balance and life vitality. Her unique style and a combination of simple, well-developed flavours is paramount in her menu designs, cooking presentations, demonstrations, product promotions, food styling and consulting work.
Dominique has also started a cooking school “Learn Cook Dine” in Brisbane where Dominique's innate enthusiasm and natural teaching abilities allow her to share her knowledge and passion for excellent food and nutrition quite easily.
Not surprisingly, Dominique is also a celebrity chef involved in the dynamic Ready Steady Cook series on Network 10. She has also appeared on “9am with David & Kim”, Lifestyle Food’s “Fenton Fires Up”, “Great South East”, as well as being featured on Food Lover's Guide to Australia and ABC Radio.
"I love the essence of clean, simple whole food cooking. There are still so many flavours that I have yet to explore. It is so wonderful to be a chef and to have available at my fingertips an amazing palette of different flavours and textures to create what I like to call little mouthfuls of flavour explosions." Dominique Rizzo.
You can also visit Dominiques website at http://www.dominiquerizzo.com for more information on her philosophy, background and her latest venture Pure Food Cooking.
 Tobie Puttock
International award winning chef Tobie Puttock began his career working in Melbourne’s ‘Caffe e Cucina’ before travelling to the picturesque Lake Como in Italy to work for ‘Hotel Florence’. After many years of perfecting his Italian language and culinary skills Tobie found himself on English shores where he began working at the world famous ‘River Café’. It was here he worked with and became great friends with Jamie Oliver.
Returning to Australia in 1999 Tobie set up his own restaurant ‘Termini’ in Melbourne which went on to win 'Best Italian Restaurant 2002' by the Young Australian Achiever Awards. But it wasn’t long before his old mate Jamie had a bigger challenge for him and so it was in 2001 Tobie returned to the UK to become Head Chef of the first Fifteen Restaurant, a venture that teaches under-privileged young people how to become Chefs. Tobie seized the opportunity and was instrumental in helping 'Fifteen' - London achieve its status as ‘Tatler's-Restaurant of the Year' in 2003.
In 2005 Tobie returned home to Australia to make his own dream a reality and in September 2006 Australia’s first Fifteen Restaurant and Foundation opened in Melbourne. Here Tobie continues Jamie and the Fifteen Foundations work by each year giving 15-20 under privileged Australian youths the chance to become qualified Chefs.
Since his return home, Tobie’s honest but light-hearted approach and passion for topics such as organics, sustainability, seasonality, ethical eating and children’s health, has seen him in high demand as a guest on some of Australia’s favourite programs; ‘9am with Dave and Kim’, ‘Good Morning Australia’ and ‘Ready Steady Cook’ and at all Australia’s major food events such as the ‘Good Food Show’s’, ‘Organic Expo’ ‘Great Barrier Feast’ and ‘Gluten Free Expo’.
With his Channel 10 hit series ‘Jamie’s Kitchen – Australia’ in 2006 and Lifestyle FOOD TV series ‘Tobie and Matt - Europe and Asia’ in 2008, the launch of his two best selling cook books ‘Daily Italian’ in 2006 and ‘Italian Local’ in August 2008, his monthly column for Delicious magazine and a 6 month maternity cover stint as Food Editor for Sunday Life - the last 4 years has seen Tobie and his wild head of hair fast become one of Australia’s most well known and loved celebrity chefs.
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