Michael Ryan is the chef and restaurateur of restaurant Provenance in Beechworth, Australia. Together with his wife Jeanette Henderson, they established their first restaurant, Range, in Myrtleford, in 2005. Jeanette is also a qualified winemaker, and Michael Ryan's background was in science. Provenance, opened in 2009, has received many accolades and awards in its nine years of operation, including two hats in the Good Food Guide for the last 9 years. Michael Ryan was voted Chef of the Year in the Age Good Food Guide in 2013.
Please introduce yourself to our members.
I have been a chef/cook for many years now, but it was a second career path, transitioning for science at the age of 27. I was a head chef way too early in my career, which meant I didn't work under many mentors. This was both a pro and con. I missed out on the depth of knowledge that you can attain from working under a skilled mentor. I created my own knowledge base through travel, collaborations and research. It also meant I never really experienced the abusive, dysfunctional side of a commercial kitchen.
I have been a chef and restaurateur for 19 years: 3 years with my first restaurant, Range, and 16 years with my current restaurant, Provenance. Both of these restaurants have had the good fortune of having my wife, Jeanette, heavily involved, and she is really the reason for our longevity.
Tell us about your current project.
Currently, as well as our restaurant and accommodation venue, Provenance, I also have another company, Beechworth Bitters Company, where I produce small batch amari, extensively utilising the local botanicals of the area.
Tell us about the restaurant scene in your city.
Well my current 'city' is Beechworth, a town of 4000 people. We do have some great pubs and cafes, but my closest city is the amazing food city of Melbourne. I get to Melbourne as often as I can. The cbd is vibrant, it's inner city villages each have their own vibe. I have recently been exploring Sydney Rd, a 4 km stretch that runs through Brunswick and Coburg, with so many excellent pubs, bakeries, bars and restaurants. Sydney Road changes its personality regularly over its length. From a section with more of a hipster vibe, with lots of bars and pubs, to a section that still has a strong Italian influence that the road has always been known for, to areas with a big Middle Eastern community. It is a road where you can still open your dream - there are a lot of idiosyncratic venues down this strip. As an area, Coburg is one of the outer 'inner' suburbs, and it has yet to be fully gentrified, and is at present a wonderful mix of the old and new. Bars and restaurants sit next to old school takeaways, random hardware stores, Islamic clothing stores and Mediterranean grocers.Hotel Lombardo is a little divey, and so good. An excellent Pina Colada here. At Ovens St Bakery i would recommend any of their pastries, but especially the Cardy B (a cardamom bun). Sweet Nectar Inn is the kind of local bar everybody would want as their neighbour.
What are your three favorite restaurants in Melbourne and why?
My favourites in Melbourne at the moment are the following three places, but I could easily add many more to this list:
- Vex Dining is one of Melbourne's best independent restaurants. Owned and run by chefs/foh with lots of experience in some of Melbourne's best restaurants. Creative, delicious food with an excellent wine list. Deserves more attention than it receives.
- Lagoon Dining is another stellar hospo owned restaurant. The food here borrows from Chinese traditions and flavours in clever, creative ways. Punchy, bright and complex flavours. The kitchen really knows how to build levels of flavour in a single dish. Again, an excellent drinks list.
- Lee Ho Fook - another restaurant focusing on Chinese traditions. Victor Liong, owner and chef, has been running Lee Ho Fook for over a decade, perfecting and refining his intelligent and delicious cooking. He is a perfectionist and it shows in every dish. The wine list of only Australian wines is admirable.
“My favourites in Melbourne at the moment are Vex Dining, Lagoon Dining and of course Lee Ho Fook. But I could easily add many more to this list.”
What’s a new restaurant or hidden gem in Melbourne that you think is doing great things?
Gemini Wine Bar- the wine bars of Melbourne, in so many press releases, are always referred to as 'New York' or 'Paris' inspired. With the depth and quality of the wine bars in Melbourne, I think we can drop this reference. Gemini, in Coburg, is a great example. Community focused, stylishly designed, it offers great casual dining and drinking, from breakfast to dinner. Coffee shop in the day, and a clever, concise wine bar in the evening, all in a beautifully crafted space. The sort of wine bar everybody wants as their local.
What’s your favorite kind of restaurant and why?
I am attracted to chef and front of house owned restaurants, where the personality of the owners is proudly on display. I also try to support restaurants doing the right thing for staff.
What are your three favorite food cities and your favorite restaurants in those cities?
Not including Melbourne, I would choose the following three cities and restaurants:
1. Tokyo, Japan. Ukiyo in Tokyo is a chef/somm driven restaurant offering precise, modern cooking with a Japanese aesthetic overlaid over ingredients from Japan and the globe. One to watch.
2. George Town, Malaysia. Tek Sen, in a place like George Town, Penang, home to possibly the greatest street food in the world, it takes a special restaurant to drag you off the streets. Tek sen is that place. Crazy busy, bookings a must unless you like queuing. I often think of their egg dish consisting of a steamed egg custard bejewelled with salted duck egg and century egg.
3. Paris. Les Enfants du Marché, Paris is a busy, open air restaurant inside a busy open air market. Dining here always has an edge of chaos, but somehow the staff always manage to pull it all together. Creative, contemporary food in a very casual setting. Excellent wine list. No bookings.
What is your favorite dish and where is your favorite restaurant to have it?
Hainanese Chicken Rice, preferably at a street stall in Penang.
Who is an up-and-coming chef you are keeping an eye on?
Toshi Akama from Ukiyo in Tokyo is doing some really interesting things, and it feels like he has lots more to achieve.
Who is a food expert whose restaurant recommendations you’d like to see?
I always keep an eye on Pat Nourse's recommendations. Food writer, festival organiser for Melbourne Food and Wine Festival and general man about town. His depth of knowledge on food and cuisines of the world is unmatched.
