Michael Ryan is one of Australia's most respected chefs. With partner Jeanette Henderson, he is the owner of Provenance Restaurant in Beechworth, North East Victoria.
After initially studying science at the University of Adelaide and working in chemistry for several years, Michael was drawn to cooking. He opened his first restaurant with Jeanette, Range, in 2006. Range won a succession of two hat awards in The Age Good Food Guide, as well as Country Restaurant of the Year in 2008. Provenance opened in early 2009 and has since gone on to receive two hats every year since. In 2013, Provenance won Best Regional Restaurant and Michael Ryan was named Chef of the Year. Michael has a long-term interest in Japanese cuisine, and this is reflected in the techniques and flavours used in the Provenance menus. He also hosts small group guided tours to Japan each year.
Luke Burgess finished his apprenticeship at renowned Sydney restaurant Tetsuya's before embarking on a career in freelance food and travel photography. In 2006 Luke and his partner moved to Tasmania in search of a culinary adventure and soon after opened Pecora Cafe, about 45 minutes south of Hobart. A couple of years later, inspired by a stint at Copenhagen's Noma, Luke and business partners Katrina Birchmeier and Kirk Richardson opened Garagistes in Hobart. In 2011, Luke won Best New Talent in the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards, and Garagistes scored two stars in the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide and was listed in Australia's top 100 restaurants. Since closing Garagistes in 2015, Luke has cooked in eight different countries, run Sydney's 10 William St for five months, and started a company consulting to emerging hospitality ventures. His plans for the future include a farm-based business facilitating the division between kitchen and garden, while exploring what can grow in Southern Australia.
