TONY BILSON - 2006 

Regarded as the “Godfather of Australian cuisine”, revered chef Tony Bilson has been educating and delighting palates for over three decades. His restaurants have been milestone in the advance of Australian gastronomy and he has dedicated his life to the pursuit of excellence. “I regard food and wine as an essential element of a nation’s culture.”

Tony’s influence on cooking is profound. With his encyclopaedic knowledge of cooking techniques, his restaurants have been bastions of cooking styles that have shaped trends in Australia and overseas.  Many of the country’s leading chefs are among his protégés.

Tony’s celebrated career began in Melbourne at the end of the 1960s. He first shot to culinary stardom when he entered the kitchen at Lygon Street’s Albion Hotel feeding the local bohemian community absolutely unconventional counter lunches of Pot au Feu of veal shanks, noisettes of pork with apricot and Dijon mustard and other French inspired dishes – they loved it.

Tony then shifted his focus to Sydney and opened Tony’s Bon Gout in the early 1970s. The restaurant was highly acclaimed by food writers and soon became a firm favourite with the Labor Party – moving them into a new world of sophisticated eating.  Berowra Waters, a world class restaurant on the edge of the Hawkesbury followed.

In 1981 Tony moved back into the city, converting Kinsela’s – then a funeral parlour in Taylor Square – into a theatre, bar and restaurant. Described as robust and theatrical, this establishment attracted one of the first appearances of the Sydney Dance Company while feeding and entertaining a steady stream of glitterati.

Tony then opened the “first” Bilson’s at Circular Quay, overlooking spectacular views of the harbour – Sydney at its 1980’s opulent best. After three years at the much loved Fine Bouche he took over the stoves at the Treasury Restaurant in the Hotel Inter-Continental before opening another chic restaurant – Ampersand at Cockle Bay, which attracted the international clientele brought by the Olympics who were keen to sample famous local flavours. Then came classic bistro cuisine at Canard in Double Bay.

His latest restaurant, opened in June 2003 and aptly named Bilson’s is in the five star Radisson Plaza Hotel Sydney and continues in the tradition of his past restaurants – celebrating local and seasonal produce with an emphasis on French flavours and cooking techniques, coupled with a wonderful collection of Australian and French wines.

Tony has always paid tribute to the classics of French cuisine while continually reinventing them and placing them in a contemporary Australian context. “My respect for French cooking has been somewhat out of step with the enthusiasm for fusion cuisines. The fact is that all cooking is influenced by other cultures, some good some bad. My cooking is light and with clean but complex flavours”

Bilson’s has been awarded 16/20 by the Sydney Morning Herald’s Matthew Evans who commented, “For those who hanker for the gentleness and finesse of proper dining, there’s a lot to love.”

Tony Bilson was inducted into the Restaurant & Catering Hall of Fame in 2006.