Peter Gilmore Chef of the Year

After a $4 million renovation and menu overhaul in July, Sydney’s Quay was awarded three hats to make it 17 consecutive years The Rocks fine-diner has achieved the Guide’s top ranking. Quay’s Peter Gilmore was named Citi Chef of the Year.

“With Peter Gilmore at the helm, Quay has achieved just about everything there is to achieve in the restaurant world,” said Terry Durack. “A lot of chefs would start resting on their laurels around about now and go on the celeb-chef circuit, but Gilmore has drilled down instead. His artistic, perfectionist nature combines with his constant work as a gardener to create a new sort of chef.”

PETER GILMORE
CITI CHEF OF THE YEAR
Cue sound of a record breaking. This is the 17th consecutive year that Peter Gilmore has steered Quay to its coveted three-chef-hat status. In that time, he has introduced us to red speckled peas, tennouji turnips, hatsuka radishes, red orach, pea flowers, okra shoots and native violets. He’s the crackling king, creating crisp deliciousness from maltose, sea cucumbers, and even the frill of an oyster. He has produced the most acclaimed dessert this country has ever seen, with the extraordinary Snow Egg. This year, he threw his entire menu out the window and started again, creating future classics for a new generation – Oyster Intervention, Hand-Harvested Seafood and the airy, fragile White Coral. His cooking is luxurious, but still connects us back to earth and ocean, creating texture, harmony and surprise.