Allan Doert Eccles, our new Head Chef
It's always a pleasure to welcome the return of an old friend. We're so thrilled that Allan Doert Eccles has recently joined the team as our new Head Chef. Allan is certainly no stranger, and brings a wealth of experience from working at Cutler, Marion, Embla and Gimlet, as well as at Jayden Ong’s winery in Healesville. Through these kitchens, Allan has reaffirmed the importance of collaboration from the restaurant floor to the pass - conducting services that are more about engagement and community, than ego.
Allan’s cooking is informed by the seasons. He says that placing peak season, quality produce on his menus means there’s no need to overcomplicate the ingredients he loves. Simplicity means the ability to highlight the direct flavours of a perfectly ripe tomato, just-sprouted cime di rape or catch of rock flathead. It’s just the style of cooking that’s reflected in his recipe for roast chicken on toast with Roman beans, or in his favourite Cumulus Inc. dish, ‘a Silk Purse from a Sow’s Ear’.
Some of the producers we work with have already started Allan’s creative cogs whirring. It’s one of the reasons he was drawn to Cumulus Inc. in the first place. While there’s much to look forward to from the likes of Somerset Heritage Produce and Days Walk Farm this year, it’s the fields of radicchio from Oliver at Ramarro Farm and hand-foraged Macedon Ranges pine mushrooms that Allan can’t wait to cook with.
There’s no doubt that through sixteen years of operations, we’ve been through many services, and Allan has paid witness to a fair few as a guest at the marble bar. He says one of the most memorable ones was in the early days of spring last year, over a late afternoon meal with his wife - “the light was streaming in, the vibe was great and we had the time and headspace to really enjoy the food being cooked by the passionate team in the kitchen.” If he’s not directing the pass or cooking for a bespoke lunch upstairs, you’ll find him in the larder section in front of that same bar, chatting to our guests as he plates up a tuna tartare or two.
We’re so excited to welcome Allan to our team, to see how the seasons change our menu, and taste the many delicious dishes surely coming our way.
