Pier One Sydney Harbour is laying speculation to rest this week announcing the appointment of highly acclaimed international Executive Chef Chris Irving.
Canadian born, Chris possesses a diverse culinary background having cooked for Her Majesty The Queen of England as well as The Spanish Royal Family and four years with Gordon Ramsay Group.
As the hotel transitions through an exciting beautification process with the new lobby and bar recently opened, the welcoming of the highly anticipated Executive Chef is the next stage in the process with the new restaurant concept due to be trading by mid December. Chris is already in Sydney sourcing sustainable Australian paddock to plate produce to create an innovative food experience for Walsh Bay diners.
His progression as a chef has taught him that the food is truly the main star of the dining experience, explaining, “my passion has always been regional, seasonal and sustainable; with focus on giving respect to individual ingredients. Allowing their amazing unique flavors to shine without overworking their natural integrity; whether it be a heirloom tomato or a hand-reared suckling pig. I thrive on cooking beautiful, uncomplicated, approachable food, and aspire on making rustic tradition relevant to contemporary life.”
Chris is no novice to upholding the finest quality experiences ahead of global trends having recently been guest chef at Marriott Sukhumvit, Bangkok serving experiential Chef’s Table creations. Prior to this he worked alongside Gordon Ramsay as Executive Senior Sous Support Chef for the Gordan Ramsay Group, responsible for the menu creation, set up and execution of services for restaurants across the UK including The Savoy Grill, Claridges, Maze, Bread Street Kitchen, York & Albany, Maze Grill, Foxtrot Oscar, Plane Food and The Narrow. Earning his place in Ramsay’s spotlight, Chris was then appointed Private Chef to David and Victoria Beckham in their private residences across the UK and USA.
In only nine years, Pier One Sydney Harbour’s new Executive Chef has maintained a career only few can compare. A jump-start at Restaurant Petrus London with the extreme honour of cooking for Her Majesty The Queen of England, he then followed his dream opening his own successful restaurant in Vancouver Canada called Pourhouse. During the creation of Pourhouse, while completing most of the demolition and construction himself, Chris kept his love of fine wine and food alive by immersing himself into sommelier training, becoming Wine Spirits Education Trust certified. But travel beckoned and a position came up allowing him to sail the Mediterranean so he stepped in as Executive Chef on-board a private Super Yacht. From there, the highly respected chef was then offered the great honour of trusted chef-consultant to the Spanish Royal Family, of which he continues today.
Now he has set his sights on Sydney, arguably one of the leading gastronomic global destinations. Pier One Sydney Harbour is delighted to welcome Chris to the hotel, encompassing the very best of world class dining with true innovation.
“I am extremely excited to get my hands onto what Sydney has to offer,” he said. “Australian agriculture and seafood has an undisputed reputation of being world class, so I am thrilled for this opportunity to be able to work in such a geographically dynamic location! Working with local, independent farmers and purveyors of all kinds of specialty ingredients, Pier One Sydney Harbour will be the perfect platform for me to showcase what Sydney has to offer.”