Where did you grow up and what brought you to Australia? 

I went to school and university in Cape Town, South Africa. I went to a very amazing university, but it’s not like my parents could afford to pay for it. I paid for my whole university fees upfront. I used to work five to six days a week during the holidays in hospitality so I had enough money by February to pay my first installment. And then I would have enough money by July for the next term. I finished my degree in economics and basically at the end of 2004, my mother came home to South Africa on a plane from Australia—they had moved here in 2001—and she said, ‘Get on a plane, you have to come to back with us to Australia.’ 

You’ve had a long career in hospitality, was that always the goal to end up owning your own place? 

I’ve worked in a lot of different industries in my life, I’ve never really had a single passion in that regard. I’d been in and out of hospitality since I was a young teen; when I left school I worked in fine dining, I worked in a cocktail bar, then I worked in a nightclub. So, I’d gone through different hospitality experiences at different levels and had worked with some really great operators and learned a lot. At one point I had a tech start-up business and during those five years, I was working in the restaurant Garfish in Manly the whole time I was running that tech business… as everyone knows, a tech start-up makes no money and living in Manly was expensive.

What role does cultural diversity play in enriching communities for locals and visitors alike? 

I think having more cultural diversity in a community just opens your eyes to the different ways people live, what food you eat, your experiences… there’s something awesome about going somewhere and there’s a row of restaurants from every nationality under the sun and it’s all family-run, handed down from family to family. And that’s what I love about travelling, is the food, new flavours, new experiences… I love finding fine food and wine I’ve never had before. It’s a great starting point for conversation, whether it’s food or wine, you don’t even need to speak the same language. 

What role do you think your South African heritage plays in your work ethic? 

I think if you come from South Africa and you are not willing to fight for anything, then you are going to end up at the bottom. That’s not where you want to be because there’s no support structure or way out, and you will find yourself on the streets, or worse, very quickly. So I think it’s good to have a work ethic, but for me personally, it’s a desire to win. To be on top, do the next great thing, or win something. That, to me, is more important than just working a lot.