While food was a comforting constant throughout his childhood, chef extraordinaire Jake Nicolson was initially more enticed by a job that started early and left the afternoons free for surfing.
“As a young fellow growing up in country Victoria, I grew up on the beach in a coastal town called Warrnambool,” Jake says.
“In Year 9 and Year 10 when I had to make subject choices, I had a conversation with mum about which direction my career was going in. She said a baker would be a good career choice because you start early, you get most of the nights off and you can go surfing in the afternoon. It’s the same with being a chef - you get breaks in the middle of the day; you can go surfing then and I thought that was a great idea.”
“But also, my grandma and my mum were good cooks. My grandma lived past 100 years old and lived on a farm. She made beautiful scones and sponges, so I grew up enjoying food.”
“Food really has the ability of bringing people together around a table. Food puts smiles on people's faces and that's always been a great memory of mine.”
As Jake embarked on a culinary path, his passion for locally sourced produce and culinary innovation flourished which led to incredible opportunities all over the world.
Spanning casual to fine dining, Jake refined his craft as an apprentice to now overseeing teams as the Executive Chef for the Ghanem Group. His experience includes working in some of the most famous kitchens across the UK, France, and Australia.
“Early on I was an apprentice at the Lake House in Daylesford in Victoria where I was lucky enough to be under the wing of Alla Wolf-Tasker. As an apprentice, I was immersed in the use of local produce - you'd find wild mushrooms in the forest and bags of chestnuts on the side of the road,” he says.
“After completing my apprenticeship there just before the year 2000, I headed to England and worked at The Vineyard at Stockcross in the UK with another great chef, Bill Reid, who is now a good friend of mine – I got to hone my skills in a Michelin star kitchen. There was also Pierre Koffman at Le Montclair, and then Philip Howard at The Square in Mayfair.”
Every time Jake dons his chef whites, he wears them with pride, a sentiment he carries into his new role as a Chef Works ambassador.
“Entering a kitchen or any time I’m wearing my uniform in public, I’m proud of what I’m wearing. I spend time ironing my chef jacket - making sure that you're well-presented is a very important part of what you're doing. This is the first point of reference to how your attitude is towards your presentation and to your food, your produce and essentially to your customers and your work,” he says.
As an ambassador, Jake is honoured to wear the great variety of products that Chef Works offers.
“I particularly like the chef shirt because I can go between an office and the kitchen, and it still looks professional. The new sustainable workwear range, which uses recycled bottle material, sings a good tune with the ethos of the restaurants that we operate as well,” he says.
At Chef Works, we are driven by those who are inspired by all things culinary. Fueled by the belief that every culinary professional deserves the right apparel and tools to enhance the work they do. We understand that the recipe for excellence goes far beyond simple ingredients.
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