Executive Chef
After working in some of the world’s most prestigious restaurants, including cooking for the late Princess Diana, Shaun Bowles now calls Melbourne home – heading a team of 31 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Born in Tasmania, Shaun was just 21 when he had his first foray into hotels, moving to Port Douglas to take up the role of Commis Chef at the Radisson Royal Palms Resort.
His love of travel and cooking led him to Canada, London and Ireland. It was during his time as Chef de Cuisine at the Shelbourne Hotel in Ireland, part of the Le Meridien Hotel chain that he began to challenge tradition, by insisting old menus be replaced by fresh, seasonal menus.
Shaun’s approach proved successful, with Le Meriden Ireland excelling in all areas of food service and catching the eye of the team at Le Meridien Hotel in Melbourne, Shaun’s next destination.
Here, he worked closely with executive chef Jake Ward to create inspiring, European-style menus for the hotel’s restaurant.
Since 2003, Shaun has been at MCEC – a venue which has scooped many national and international awards, including the top industry award for food and wine – taking out the state and national MEA (Meetings & Events Australia) Awards 2008.
His cuisine has been lauded by celebrity chefs including Gordon Ramsay who called it ‘brilliant’ and one of Australia’s leading chefs, Guy Grossi, who described it as ‘perfect’.
Speaking at:
Turning water into wine - creative catering on a budget