He is as humble as he is talented, and now Muse Kitchen’s head chef, Sean Townsend is gearing up to battle it out in the ultimate Food Fight.
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The gifted young chef has been given the opportunity to showcase his skills and the Hunter’s culinary scene while raising funds for the Brett Graham scholarship, a program that sends aspiring young chefs to London to experience cooking in a Michelin-starred restaurant.
For the first time in its eight year history, the annual Food Fight event will see respected chefs Rob Kabboord, Gareth Williams, Aaron Ward and Sean go head to head in the kitchen. Hosted by Collin Fassnidge of My Kitchen Rules and Matt Kemp of Q Station in Manly, the cook off will see each chef prepare a one course lunch to be judged.
So how did Singleton’s Sean Townsend find himself cooking against some of the best in the business? Well, it involved a lot of hard work, dedication and determination.
Originally from Singleton, Sean found his feet in the wonderful world of food when he was just 17.
After a few cooking stints here and there, he managed to land a job at The Cellar Restaurant in 2007 and it was here that his eyes were first opened to the world of fine dining, and his passionate for it was ignited.
“Working at The Cellar was great for me because I was working weekends and nights,” Sean says.
“That kept me out of trouble.”
It wasn’t trouble as such, but rather the usual party antics, leisurely lifestyle and easy going attitude that comes with being a teenager. But his school days were soon forgotten and Sean’s talent saw him excel within the industry.
From Pokolbin to Newcastle and then down to Melbourne, the ambitious young chef quickly gained an abundance of experience in upmarket restaurants. Working up to 80 hours a week, Sean was well and truly equipped with the skills needed to produce five star dishes.
And so he eventually found his way back to the Hunter Valley where his role as head chef at Muse Kitchen allows him flexibility and freedom. This creativity is certainly translated to Sean’s beautifully plated dishes, which will no doubt be praised at the annual Food Fight event.
Sean will compete at the Crowne Plaza, Hunter Valley on June 6. To secure a seat at the event, email Kirsty at mail@hunterculinary.com.au.