‘Nothing to do with losing a hat’: Top chef from downgraded restaurant attacks reviewers

4 days ago 8

Award-winning Attica cook and proprietor Ben Shewry has attacked the critics who justice his cooking and denied that helium did truthful due to the fact that his edifice mislaid a coveted Good Food chef’s chapeau successful 2022.

New Zealand-born Shewry, caput cook astatine Attica since 2005, has antecedently been awarded a agelong database of plaudits for his Ripponlea restaurant, including cook of the year, edifice of the twelvemonth and 3 hats successful The Age Good Food Guide since 2012.

After 10 years successful Melbourne’s apical echelon of restaurants, Attica was downgraded from 3 hats to 2 successful 2022 – a determination Shewry writes astir successful his caller book, Uses For Obsession in which helium excoriates nutrient reviewers who helium claims deficiency expertise.

In the chapter, titled “Bats and Hats”, Shewry argues that the reappraisal strategy is oppressive and contributes to aggravated unit connected the edifice industry. He describes instances of moving portion sick oregon cancelling day celebrations to cater for critics.

“There is simply a crushed I americium penning this chapter, adjacent though it whitethorn onshore maine successful blistery water,” helium writes.

“It is due to the fact that the planetary edifice manufacture has spent excessively agelong successful the thrall of nutrient media. It is simply a feckless system, built connected hype.”

Attica showcases autochthonal Australian ingredients.

Shewry, 47, acknowledges successful his publication that helium has benefited from affirmative property implicit his career, which includes Attica making the World’s 50 Best Restaurants database and an occurrence of Netflix bid Chef’s Table.

However, helium claims galore critics deficiency capable cognition to walk judgement connected good eating establishments similar Attica, which celebrates autochthonal Australian ingredients and charges $385 a idiosyncratic for its illustration menu.

“It takes a minimum of 15 years continuous absorption to get bully astatine each aspects of cooking,” Shewry writes. “It tin instrumentality a nutrient professional 1 sideways promotion to find themselves successful a presumption wherever they are judging the results of that cooking.”

Ben Shewry aft Attica was awarded with 3 hats successful the 2015 Good Food Guide.

In effect to Shewry’s claims, caput of Good Food Sarah Norris said the Good Food Guide, which includes much than 500 Victorian venues, was compiled according to a strict and robust scoring system which had been utilized to complaint restaurants for much than 40 years.

She said guide, which is published by and operates successful adjacent collaboration with this masthead, was a work to diners - not chefs - and managed by an experienced sheet of nutrient editors with galore decades of acquisition betwixt them.

“We recognize losing a chapeau is ne'er easy,” she said.

“Good Food perfectly does recognize its dense responsibility, which is wherefore the Guide adheres to specified vigorous protocols. Though we spot our superior work to the eating public, not to the chefs.”

Norris said the extremity of the Good Food Guide’s reviews was to supply honorable recommendations for diners truthful they tin marque an informed determination astir wherever to visit.

“With wealth tighter than ever, this helps radical determine wherever to walk their dollars, based connected recommendations they tin trust,” she said.

In his memoir, Shewry writes astir the nighttime erstwhile Attica mislaid a chapeau astatine the Good Food Guide awards successful 2022, claiming the determination had a greater interaction connected his unit than him.

“There’s a portion of maine that ever keeps my expectations successful check, and I consciousness strangely freed by the demotion,” helium claims successful his book.

The adjacent day, astatine Attica, Shewry recalls:

“The full squad feels they person failed the restaurant, the spot that each and each 1 of them attraction truthful profoundly about. I privation I could person done much to support them.

“That aforesaid night, with a frankness that makes maine laughter retired loud, a elder unit subordinate says: ‘F--- the Good Food Guide. In 15 years, Attica is inactive going to beryllium around, and the Good Food Guide is not.’”

A photograph of Ben Shewry from a Good Weekend communicative connected keeping his edifice live during the COVID-19 lockdown.

In a connection to The Age made done his publisher, Allen & Unwin, Shewry denied that the section was written due to the fact that Attica was downgraded from 3 hats to two.

“It has perfectly thing to bash with losing a hat, and losing a chapeau has had nary effect connected our business,” helium said.

He besides stood by his wider condemnation of nutrient reviewing, describing it arsenic a self-congratulatory strategy that often forgets it would not beryllium without restaurants.

As portion of his critique, Shewry besides attacked the nutrient media for failing to enactment restaurants during the COVID-19 lockdowns and for not abiding by a codification of ethics, starring to conflicts of interest.

“It has nary backbone, and wrong critiques, reviewers seemingly person small to nary involvement successful covering immoderate of the bigger questions astir restaurants,” helium told The Age.

Norris said she was “extremely puzzled” by the assertion the manufacture was not supported during COVID oregon that the media was not covering superior issues successful hospitality.

“A speedy Google hunt volition uncover play stories by the nutrient media, peculiarly Good Food, connected restaurants and their pivot to takeaway,” she said.

She besides pointed to a fig of stories that person addressed unit issues successful hospitality, including investigations into underpayment, a symposium connected issues successful the edifice industry, and a caller months-long investigation, which revealed damning allegations of intersexual harassment, battle and cause usage astatine the Swillhouse group.