Mitch Collins spent most of his career in regional fine dining restaurants across Australia before moving to Hong Kong to work at Roganic, part of the Simon Rogan Group. After a year there, he relocated to the UK to join Simon’s flagship restaurant, L’Enclume. Mitch was drawn to the culinary world by many factors: the opportunity for creative expression, working with exceptional produce and producers, and most of all, the chance to create memorable experiences for diners.

Long-term goals

Mitch has a strong desire to work on sustainability within the industry, trying to strip away all the commodities chefs have grown accustomed to and rediscover closed-loop cooking. He loves the people he meets along the way whether that’s customers, producers, chefs or front of house. Having the ability to communicate something larger than himself through food is important to him and he believes it is such an amazing medium for creative expression.

Becoming a finalist

Mitch was extremely excited but also nervous on the day of the finalist’s announcement, knowing that if he got through, he would need to perform to a standard he could be proud of.

He loved the mix of classical techniques in this year’s brief but also the room to explore some new ideas that he hopes will pleasantly surprise the judges. It’s also a pleasure for him to be working with such fantastic produce.

Influences in his menu

There are definite influences in Mitch’s menu from some of the chefs he’s worked with through the years. His starter takes the most influence from his time in the Simon Rogan group. His main really expresses classical cooking techniques and has influences from French legends such as Robuchon and Koffmann, whilst his dessert is a reflection of the diverse influences he’s encountered throughout his career. He tried to think of some familiar components that would hopefully impress the judges including a few unexpected elements he hopes will delight them.

There were too many food heroes for Mitch to name, but he believes the ‘godfathers of cuisine’ influence most recipes, whether chefs realise it or not, everyone from Escoffier to Bocuse and Marc Meneau. As far as modern-day heroes, Mitch has mentioned many times that Ben Shewry is someone he deeply admires for his ethical leadership and commitment to hospitality. Douglas McMaster is a true legend and pioneer in zero-waste cooking and Magnus Nilsson’s ability to create the ultimate destination dining experience is something Mitch envies greatly.

Continuously learning

Knowing that he still has so much to learn drives Mitch constantly. It’s exciting for him to know that the next time he picks up a cookbook or the next day at work, he’ll learn a new skill or recipe to add to his repertoire.

Winning Young National Chef of the Year would be incredible for Mitch. The competition is incredibly tough this year, so to win amongst this year’s competitors would be a real honour. When not at work his favourite dish to cook is a curry. Whenever he’s on days off, it’s the ultimate comfort food.

Communication is key

The best piece of advice Mitch has received is: “Communication. The rest will come but if you can communicate effectively in a kitchen, you’ll be surprised how much easier everything will be.”