Mudbrick Chef Danny Round returns from and amazing experience at Charlie Trotter's internationally acclaimed Restaurant in Chicago.
"Awesome", says eighteen year old Danny Round, summing up his 6 week stint working in the kitchen of one of the world's top restaurants.
It certainly is a dream come true for an aspiring young chef from New Zealand. Danny's opportunity arose when Trotter, who was in New Zealand to judge the hospitality industry's annual awards, named him a runner up for Apprentice of the Year. He was so impressed with the level of contestants at the competition that he invited both the runner-ups and the final winner to receive this prestigious invitation to work in his restaurant.
Danny left on 20 May " it was the first time the eighteen year old who grew up on Waiheke, had ever been on a plane. The 35 hour flight was a gruelling introduction to air travel, and touching down in a city the size of Chicago, Danny described as "eye-popping". But the welcome he received was a warm one. Danny was expecting to stay in a hostel, but instead discovered accommodation had been arranged for him by a couple, both chefs at Charlie Trotter's. Their top-floor apartment was three minutes from the restaurant. "Very handy when you leave work at three in the morning and the streets are full of drunks and gangsters" Danny says. It certainly was a very different world to the beautiful white sand beaches and rolling country side of Waiheke Island.
On his first day, Danny was thrown in at the deep end. "They put me straight on plating up. I didn't know what was going on " I felt I would just get in the way but they were all so nice to me. They are a great team and they all work together really well.
"It's a very small kitchen and there are about 18 chefs on at a time. The majority of them are in their mid 20s. They made fun of my accent every day, as I did of theirs "they were very hard-case, and we had a lot of fun" but when the pressure was on, everybody helped everyone out. Charlie Trotter's produces three daily degustation menus: The Grand Menu, the Vegetable Menu and the Kitchen Table Menu.
Danny says the experience "was just wonderful, I was a complete sponge, just soaking it all in".
Now that Danny has returned back to the Mudbrick, we have eagerly adopted some of the tips and tricks that only inside knowledge behind the huge Charlie Trotter name could provide.
We are extremely proud of both his achievement to win a place there, and his work commitment and responsibility once working in one of the world's leading kitchens. He has come back with a glowing reference which we are sure will help to launch a long and successful career from this very talented young chef.
The Mudbrick is now hosting it's own degustation menu presenting a selection of 10 courses of exquisite tastes using seasonal ingredients, local seafood and produce from our own organic potager gardens. We invite you to come and sample, to explore and experience the unique ambience that is Mudbrick Vineyard.
