Chef Luke Mangan

This past Christmas was the season for food books and amongst the many cookbooks that were released, there is amongst them an autobiography of chef Luke Mangan called “The Making of a Chef” published by New Holland. Luke Mangan is known as the chef behind Glass, Salt and the P&O cruise Salt restaurants as well as having the honour of being the featured Australian Chef at a Princess Mary of Denmark pre-wedding dinner. I was sent a review copy and sat down to read it one evening. The first thing that struck me was that it was written like it was a direct translation of Luke talking which took a little getting used to.

It’s best approached as a “how to become a chef” guide for an upcoming young chefs or kids inspired by the whole Masterchef phenomenon. He explains the pitfalls and highlights of being a chef. He is however a very different chef and it’s a different book than Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential. Luke Mangan uses celebrity names from the likes of Richard Branson, Princess Mary and Bill Clinton like Bourdain uses expletives. There’s no sex, drugs and rock and roll-well there is the latter in the form of Chris Isaak being a diner but nothing quite as juicy as one may have hoped.

Mangan can also polarise people-he writes of his time making enemies writing a popular food column but it appears honest, like it is making some amends and well as touched with a bit of chef’s trademark arrogance. From many reports he is also a very generous chef too. When I tell him of how I used to dine here at Glass when I worked in advertising he invited me back any time for a meal and I had heard of him extending similar invitations to others.

I was also invited along to the Sunday Magazine reader launch of his book at his restaurant Glass and see that Luke is busy flitting around and drumming up sales of the book. He tells me that the event sold out within hours (he is holding two dinners in Sydney and two in Melbourne) “I could have done four events here” he says excitedly. He greets everyone at every table with a handshake (and a pen for signing in the other hand) and he is friendly and warm if fleeting.

Bread-sourdough and fruit sourdough with Luke Mangan olive oil

The bread is excellent-warm and with a lovely light crackly crust my favourite was the slightly sweet fruit bread and is offered with the Luke Mangan olive oil which is a lovely drop.

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Photo credit: The Travel Channel

I am holding Anthony Bourdain’s cell phone number. Three years ago, when I started my blog, never, ever did I think I would be in this position let alone interviewing Anthony Bourdain. I deliberately don’t have cable TV at home because when I have it I sit in the hotel room and just watch No Reservations.

When I read other reviews of his new book Medium Raw, I was a touch confused. I checked my copy of Medium Raw to see whether we received some bizarre edited version in Australia but no, it was all kosher. It seemed that I had a different interpretation of it to many of the other reviewers who had read it. I thought that it was a kinder, gentler Bourdain whereas they focused on his heroes and villains chapter. He is a provocateur of course but he also makes many very salient points and like Simon Cowell, you may think that he is a bit blunt but he may just be right about things and he makes you think. He also champions the unrecognised in the industry as well as bringing chefs like the wonderful Fergus Henderson into the spotlight.

I was intrigued to find out what he was like. I knew he gave good quote and that his opinions had changed over the years on various matters and that he himself has said that he likes being proved wrong. I also knew that his life had turned around from his previous novel. And without blathering on any more about what I thought, without any further ado, here is my interview with the intriguing Anthony Bourdain.

Photo credit: The Travel Channel

NQN: I’ve read Medium Raw, loved it, but I get the impression that after the anger in Kitchen Confidential that underneath it all you’re a decent and sensitive soul. Is that bad for your reputation?

Anthony Bourdain: I’m real glad you think so. I had hoped that that was the case and I was trying to write a book that was more like that than the other thing. Here it’s been received as a lot more vicious and out of control in a lot of ways I guess because I went after a lot of the more recognizable names in this part of the world, the elder statesmen of food writing. Yes I hope so. I thought I was writing a kinder and gentler book. I’m very aware of the fact that I’m not working in a kitchen its been years. Of course I’m aware every minute and every day that I’m the father of a three year old girl. That’s who I am now. I just wanted to write about it.

NQN: My favourite chapters were the first one which was pure food porn about the Ortolan and the one where you tell us about how you managed to convince your little girl that McDonalds was evil in a rather clever way. Did you ever think that you would be a father?

Anthony Bourdain: I was determined not to be one until just a few years ago. I suddenly had an epiphany and I realised I wanted to have a baby now and I want to have a baby with this woman. I’m old enough.

NQN: What was your reaction when you found out you were having a daughter rather than a son?

Anthony Bourdain: You know it’s funny I do not believe in this metaphysical mumbo jumbo but I was away shooting an episode and I came back and I looked at my wife’s face and I knew it was a girl. And a few minutes later we went to look for an ultrasound and they told us it was a girl. I was thrilled. It’s all about girls for me and quite frankly I’d like another one. I’m really really, really enjoying being the father of a little girl. I am the sun and the moon to this little lady and I’m enjoying that feeling.

Photo credit: The Travel Channel

NQN: I read somewhere that your daughter is growing up eating prosciutto flavoured baby food.

Anthony Bourdain: (Laughs) Well baby food in Italy is very different than baby food here. She’s eating real food but she has unusual taste. Most of the time she eats like every other little kid like hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches but we’re in Italy a lot and her mother is Italian so she sees things on the dinner table that a lot of kids don’t see on a regular basis. She likes raw oysters and sardines and anchovies and pecorino. That’s kind of weird for a kid. I’m not trying to raise a foodie it’s just what she thinks looks good that mama and dada are eating.

NQN: You’re not going to put any raw oysters in her lunchbox at school?

Anthony Bourdain: Oh god no that’s just so wrong. Let her be a little girl. That’s just not my intention at all of course. I’m secretly very proud and happy when I see her reaching for something like an oyster I can’t help but think it’s cool but I think she’s like a normal Italian kid.

NQN: Will she ever get one of those evil chicken McNuggets?

Anthony Bourdain: She’s never had one and I will do my very, very best to keep her away.

“It’s like going to a mental hospital and picking on the patients”

NQN: What are your dreams for her?

Anthony Bourdain: All I can hope for is a happy, healthy kid with no self esteem issues who knows that she is loved. Weird would be good, if she’s a little weird then that’s good.

NQN: If she grows up to be a chef?

Anthony Bourdain: I would of course be mortified at the first mention of the possibility but then again secretly proud. Of course I’d be proud but I’ve lived that life. It’s a hard life. I would hope she would choose something else but I’m going to try to not steer one way or another. She’s going to make up her own mind no matter what I say so I just want her to be happy and feel good about herself.

Photo Credit: Royce Carlton

NQN: Does your wife Ottavia work in food?

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Chef Paul Brown with Prince Albert of Monaco at the Royal Palace in Monaco

When I read my fabulous friend’s interview with Paul Brown, the former Executive Chef to the King of Bahrain on her blog She Goes, I was so fascinated by the idea of being the chef for a Royal that I left this comment:

“What an interesting job! I’d love to see what it is like behind the scenes of a royal kitchen so I’d probably talk the poor man’s ear off “

Which led my wonderful friend to asking me whether I’d like to talk to Paul Brown myself and find out a bit more about working for a Royal and not just any Royal but a Middle Eastern Royal! Now the Executive Chef at Stamford Grand in Glenelg, Brown created one of the signature desserts featured in every Sir Stamford, the Chocolate Implosion and later Mr NQN and I got to try one of those too.

So, how did you arrive to be the Senior Executive Chef for the King of Bahrain?

The general manager of palaces was asked by his majesty to find a new Exec Chef. He wanted an Australian Executive Chef because his son the Crown Prince had one and he was very impressed by the way he turned the kitchen around. He asked who are the up and coming chefs in Australia and my name was dropped into the hat.

Club Des Chef Des Chef with chefs from Germany, Greece, Bahrain (Brown) and Canada

Was it a long process?

It was a very long process. It took months and months. First of all were the interviews and everything was agreed and then we were asked to come over. I resigned my position and we were waiting around and one month goes by, two months goes by and three months goes by and we’re wondering “What’s going on?”. I thought this isn’t going to go through so I actually accepted another job back in Sydney. So I was back in Sydney and I got a lease on a house and then they rang me up and said “OK we need you tomorrow”.

Tomorrow?

So I said no problems at all, chucked in the job and you have to lose 3 months of rent on the lease. They said you’re leaving on these flights and we pick up our tickets from Gulf Air because His Majesty owns Gulf Air and they said “No that flight left yesterday”. We changed over our first class tickets to bummy economy just to get over there!

Then we meet the General Manager of Palaces and he said “Welcome to Bahrain, Our Majesty is about to go away on a Summer vacation. We’ll be back in contact soon”. A month went by and we were staying at the Sheraton. They said everything is looked after you just have to pay for alcohol. One month went by with no contact from anybody at all. My wife was starting to stress and we’re wondering “Do we have to pay for this hotel room?”. Our hotel bill was $25-$30,000 but it was a short time later that I got the call saying “OK we need to sort out your medicals and we’ll send a driver around”.

Obviously there had to be background checks. Do they probe deep?

Yes they probe very deep, a lot deeper than you’d think they’d probe. They obviously look into the places you’ve worked for and family background.

Did you travel with the king?

The majority of the time we didn’t travel with the king. The kitchen had its own planes so we would travel separately so we’d try to be a day in advance at least or at least half a day in advance. We’d try and get to the destination and have everything ready for when he arrives. We would have multiple teams running to try and always be one step ahead of him. We had lots of planes we could use from the kitchen point of view.

Tell me about the King.

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