Neil Perry
Encyclopedia
Neil Arthur Perry is a prominent Australian chef
, restaurateur
, author
and television presenter. He also is the co-ordinator for Qantas
Flight Catering under his company Rockpool Consulting and has a food brand sold under his name, available at Woolworths Supermarkets.
Perry co-owns and is executive chef of a number of critically acclaimed restaurants in Australia. In Sydney
his current stable consists of three restaurants located in the city's CBD
: his flagship fine-diner Rockpool, modern Chinese restaurant Spice Temple, and factory-job steakhouse Rockpool Bar & Grill. The original incarnation of Rockpool Bar & Grill meanwhile is located in Melbourne
. Former restaurants operated by Perry include Wockpool and XO, both which have since closed.
and Drummoyne High School. At Newington he wasn't allowed to have long hair and so he used to grow his hair in the holidays and roll it up in combs when he went back to school. The school sergeant recognised what he was doing and sent him to the barber to have it cut off. In Year 10 he rang his mother and said; "I'm leaving school." So he left and went to Drummoyne High and didn't cut his hair for two years. That was how a ponytail became his signature look.
Prior to joining the hospitality industry Perry started an apprenticeship as a hairdresser before dropping out and working as a waiter. This is where he found his calling as a chef.
Perry's career in the hospitality industry
began with managing Sails restaurants at the Sydney
suburb of McMahons Point, and then at Rose Bay. This was where most of Neil's floor management skills were learnt. By the time he was 24 he found himself gravitating towards the kitchen, and realised his passion for cooking by working with, and learning from over the ensuing years, chefs such as Damien Pignolet
, Gay Bilson, Stephanie Alexander
, Steve Manfredi and David Thompson
.
Neil became head chef at Barrenjoey Restaurant, Palm Beach
and was given creative control over Perry’s in Paddington. In October 1986, Neil opened the Blue Water Grill at Bondi Beach which became an overnight success. He then opened Rockpool in February 1989 with his business partner and cousin Trish Richards.
In 2007, Perry opened Rockpool Bar & Grill in Melbourne. Less formal than Rockpool, the restaurant is an upmarket steakhouse
, located in Crown Casino
. High quality beef cooked over wood-fire grill, supported by a modern and international à la carte menu form the backbone of the food served. In spite of the riskiness of opening a large restaurant (serving up to 200 people a day) in a venue as high profile and lucrative as Crown Casino, the restaurant has proved a major success for Perry.Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne has also received positive reviews from critics since opening, including being awarded two coveted "chefs hats" in the Melbourne Good Food Guide.
Meanwhile this same year, having maintained Rockpool for almost two decades as a Sydney fine dining restaurant, Perry finally decided to close the restaurant and reopen with a change of direction as a "casual seafood venue" instead. Perry cited a lack of will to continue operating Rockpool at the demanding and highly competitive level he had been as the main reason for the change. The restaurant was renamed Rockpool (fish) and continued to receive positive reviews in its new form.
Though this new incarnation of Rockpool as Rockpool (fish) had only been open for a brief time, in mid-2008 Perry had a change of heart and suddenly announced that Rockpool would be returning to its original form as a fine-diner. As Perry put it: "Rockpool classic". The restaurant has since reopened, with an ethos and menu akin to its old form.
2009 saw the opening of two more Perry restaurants in Sydney, both located in the same art deco
building on Bligh St in Sydney's CBD. First to open was Spice Temple in the basement level. Like the now-defunct XO Perry opened in Surry Hills some years ago, Spice Temple represents another foray by Perry into more traditional Asian cuisine—specifically regional Chinese food this time—given a sophisticated polish. Spice Temple was soon followed by the opening in the above level of a sibling installment of Melbourne's successful Rockpool Bar & Grill.
Neil also heads a consultation team for the Australian flagship airline Qantas
, whom which he creates and controls in-flight menus. Menus are developed quarterly for International First and Business Class travellers, with the team overseeing the implementation and introduction to catering centres at key ports.
Perry is a principal supporter of the Bestest Gala Dinner and has managed to secure the support of Chefs from around the world to donate time and resources for this charity dinner. In 2008 over 50 chefs from Australia’s best restaurants participated with teams from Matt Moran
(Aria), Guillaume Brahimi
(Guillaume at Bennelong), Philip Johnson
(E’cco), Shannon Bennet(Vue de Monde) and Scott Hallsworth (Nobu).
food program, Fresh and being a major presenter on channel the digital subscribers network, Foxtel
, on the LifeStyle
and LifeStyle Food
channels in Australia and on BBC2 in Britain. He has also recently starred on Martha Stewart's
shows. His series are promoted under the banners of:
, Karen Martini
, David Thompson
, Steve Manfredi and Tetsuya Wakuda
contribute to and provide information and opinions on the themes of each episode. He has also appeared on the MasterChef Australia (season 2)
.
. It shows the journey of Perry setting up a steakhouse venue in Melbourne. Perry deals with set-up costs of $4.5million.
The first episode shows before Perry opening up Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne, he was involved in expanding the Rockpool brand to London but had failed in a deal to establish a location in London. By the end of the series, he successfully opened Rockpool Melbourne and received good reviews for Rockpool Sydney and Melbourne. He was also looking to expand the brand into New York
or London.
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
, restaurateur
Restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of the restaurant business.-Etymology:The word...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and television presenter. He also is the co-ordinator for Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
Flight Catering under his company Rockpool Consulting and has a food brand sold under his name, available at Woolworths Supermarkets.
Perry co-owns and is executive chef of a number of critically acclaimed restaurants in Australia. In Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
his current stable consists of three restaurants located in the city's CBD
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
: his flagship fine-diner Rockpool, modern Chinese restaurant Spice Temple, and factory-job steakhouse Rockpool Bar & Grill. The original incarnation of Rockpool Bar & Grill meanwhile is located in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. Former restaurants operated by Perry include Wockpool and XO, both which have since closed.
Early life
Perry was born in Sydney and attended Newington CollegeNewington College
Newington College is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for boys, located in Stanmore, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
and Drummoyne High School. At Newington he wasn't allowed to have long hair and so he used to grow his hair in the holidays and roll it up in combs when he went back to school. The school sergeant recognised what he was doing and sent him to the barber to have it cut off. In Year 10 he rang his mother and said; "I'm leaving school." So he left and went to Drummoyne High and didn't cut his hair for two years. That was how a ponytail became his signature look.
Career
Perry's career in the hospitality industry
Hospitality industry
The hospitality industry consists of broad category of fields within the service industry that includes lodging, restaurants, event planning, theme parks, transportation, cruise line, and additional fields within the tourism industry. The hospitality industry is a several billion dollar industry...
began with managing Sails restaurants at the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
suburb of McMahons Point, and then at Rose Bay. This was where most of Neil's floor management skills were learnt. By the time he was 24 he found himself gravitating towards the kitchen, and realised his passion for cooking by working with, and learning from over the ensuing years, chefs such as Damien Pignolet
Damien Pignolet
Damien Pignolet is an Australian chef based in Sydney.Pignolet was born in Melbourne, Victoria. He is a fourth-generation Australian of French descent. He studied at the William Angliss College of Catering from 1966.-Early years and Adversity:...
, Gay Bilson, Stephanie Alexander
Stephanie Alexander
Stephanie Alexander is an Australian cook, restaurateur and food writer.After studying to become a librarian and traveling the world at the age of 21, Alexander's first restaurant, Jamaican House, opened in 1964. In 1976, Alexander's next venture was Stephanie's Restaurant located in the Melbourne...
, Steve Manfredi and David Thompson
David Thompson (chef)
David Thompson is an Australian chef, restaurateur and cookery writer, known for his skill and expertise in Thai cuisine.He made his name at Darley Street Thai in Sydney, opened on his return from several years living and working in Bangkok...
.
Neil became head chef at Barrenjoey Restaurant, Palm Beach
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
and was given creative control over Perry’s in Paddington. In October 1986, Neil opened the Blue Water Grill at Bondi Beach which became an overnight success. He then opened Rockpool in February 1989 with his business partner and cousin Trish Richards.
In 2007, Perry opened Rockpool Bar & Grill in Melbourne. Less formal than Rockpool, the restaurant is an upmarket steakhouse
Steakhouse
A steakhouse is a restaurant that specializes in beef steaks. The same type of restaurant is also known as a chophouse.The steakhouse started in the USA in the late 19th century as a development of traditional inns and bars....
, located in Crown Casino
Crown Casino
Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex is a large casino and entertainment precinct located on the south bank of the Yarra River, in Melbourne, Australia. Crown Casino is a unit of Crown Limited....
. High quality beef cooked over wood-fire grill, supported by a modern and international à la carte menu form the backbone of the food served. In spite of the riskiness of opening a large restaurant (serving up to 200 people a day) in a venue as high profile and lucrative as Crown Casino, the restaurant has proved a major success for Perry.Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne has also received positive reviews from critics since opening, including being awarded two coveted "chefs hats" in the Melbourne Good Food Guide.
Meanwhile this same year, having maintained Rockpool for almost two decades as a Sydney fine dining restaurant, Perry finally decided to close the restaurant and reopen with a change of direction as a "casual seafood venue" instead. Perry cited a lack of will to continue operating Rockpool at the demanding and highly competitive level he had been as the main reason for the change. The restaurant was renamed Rockpool (fish) and continued to receive positive reviews in its new form.
Though this new incarnation of Rockpool as Rockpool (fish) had only been open for a brief time, in mid-2008 Perry had a change of heart and suddenly announced that Rockpool would be returning to its original form as a fine-diner. As Perry put it: "Rockpool classic". The restaurant has since reopened, with an ethos and menu akin to its old form.
2009 saw the opening of two more Perry restaurants in Sydney, both located in the same art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
building on Bligh St in Sydney's CBD. First to open was Spice Temple in the basement level. Like the now-defunct XO Perry opened in Surry Hills some years ago, Spice Temple represents another foray by Perry into more traditional Asian cuisine—specifically regional Chinese food this time—given a sophisticated polish. Spice Temple was soon followed by the opening in the above level of a sibling installment of Melbourne's successful Rockpool Bar & Grill.
Neil also heads a consultation team for the Australian flagship airline Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
, whom which he creates and controls in-flight menus. Menus are developed quarterly for International First and Business Class travellers, with the team overseeing the implementation and introduction to catering centres at key ports.
Charity work
Neil Perry is a Board Member of the Bestest Foundation for Kids. Bestest raises funds for children who fall outside the standard boundaries of the larger established charities and helps get these children support to battle an illness, obtain equipment for disabilities, gain access to education or provide urgent assistance to children at risk. 100% of all funds raised goes directly to children in need.Perry is a principal supporter of the Bestest Gala Dinner and has managed to secure the support of Chefs from around the world to donate time and resources for this charity dinner. In 2008 over 50 chefs from Australia’s best restaurants participated with teams from Matt Moran
Matt Moran
Matthew Moran,commonly known as Matt Moran, is an Australian chef also known for being a guest on various TV cooking shows.- Early childhood and education :...
(Aria), Guillaume Brahimi
Guillaume Brahimi
Guillaume Brahimi is a French-born chef based in Sydney, Australia. He is currently head chef of Guillaume at Bennelong restaurant located at the Sydney Opera House.-Background:...
(Guillaume at Bennelong), Philip Johnson
Philip Johnson
Philip Cortelyou Johnson was an influential American architect.In 1930, he founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and later , as a trustee, he was awarded an American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the first Pritzker Architecture...
(E’cco), Shannon Bennet(Vue de Monde) and Scott Hallsworth (Nobu).
Television
Perry is also a notable food personality within Australia, appearing on Channel Nine'sNine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
food program, Fresh and being a major presenter on channel the digital subscribers network, Foxtel
Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
, on the LifeStyle
The LifeStyle Channel
LifeStyle is an Australian television channel. The channel launched on 1 September 1997. The channel has an emphasis on contemporary lifestyle interests...
and LifeStyle Food
LifeStyle Food
LifeStyle Food is an Australian food channel, solely dedicated to food, wine and restaurant society. The channel is a subsidiary of The LifeStyle Channel, which runs 24 hours a day on the Foxtel and Austar.-Programming:******-External links:****...
channels in Australia and on BBC2 in Britain. He has also recently starred on Martha Stewart's
Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart is an American business magnate, author, magazine publisher, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising...
shows. His series are promoted under the banners of:
Rockpool Sessions
Commenced in October 2004, the seven-part half-hour series profiles the restaurant Perry as chef. The series also features some of Australia’s most renowned chefs. Along with Perry who is the host, Armando Percuoco, Guillaume BrahimiGuillaume Brahimi
Guillaume Brahimi is a French-born chef based in Sydney, Australia. He is currently head chef of Guillaume at Bennelong restaurant located at the Sydney Opera House.-Background:...
, Karen Martini
Karen Martini
Karen Martini is an Australian chef, restaurateur, writer and television presenter. She is currently executive chef of The Melbourne Wine Room in fashionable St Kilda.Martini began cooking at a young age...
, David Thompson
David Thompson (chef)
David Thompson is an Australian chef, restaurateur and cookery writer, known for his skill and expertise in Thai cuisine.He made his name at Darley Street Thai in Sydney, opened on his return from several years living and working in Bangkok...
, Steve Manfredi and Tetsuya Wakuda
Tetsuya Wakuda
is a Japanese-born Australian chef based in Sydney, Australia. He is widely recognised as one of Australia’s most original, creative and successful culinary talents. His eponymous restaurant, Tetsuya's, is celebrated both nationally and internationally...
contribute to and provide information and opinions on the themes of each episode. He has also appeared on the MasterChef Australia (season 2)
MasterChef Australia (season 2)
Season 2 of the Australian cookery game show MasterChef Australia premiered on 19 April 2010 on Network Ten, concluding on 25 July 2010 when Adam Liaw was named the winner....
.
Food Source Neil Perry/Asia/New Zealand/Far North Queensland
Food Source is an insider's guide to food in Australia and features leading Australian Chefs, food and wine producers and over 20 recipes. The series began in 2001, with series 4 (Food Source:Far North Queensland) being filmed in 2004. It continues to be shown on the LifeStyle channel, the LifeStyle Food channel and BBC2.Neil Perry - High Steaks
The series premiered 21 May 2007 on The LifeStyle ChannelThe LifeStyle Channel
LifeStyle is an Australian television channel. The channel launched on 1 September 1997. The channel has an emphasis on contemporary lifestyle interests...
. It shows the journey of Perry setting up a steakhouse venue in Melbourne. Perry deals with set-up costs of $4.5million.
The first episode shows before Perry opening up Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne, he was involved in expanding the Rockpool brand to London but had failed in a deal to establish a location in London. By the end of the series, he successfully opened Rockpool Melbourne and received good reviews for Rockpool Sydney and Melbourne. He was also looking to expand the brand into New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
or London.
Books and media
- Rockpool (1997) ISBN 9781742570488
- Simply Asian (2000) ISBN 0670881635
- Food Source (DVD, 2002)
- The Food I Love (2005) ISBN 174045717X
- Good Food (2007) ISBN 9781740459235
- Balance and Harmony (2008) ISBN 9781740459082