Maxime Gnojczak 2016 NextGen Chef

Chef Maxime Gnojczak (28), was born and educated in France. After working throughout Europe he arrived in New Zealand in 2013 and has been living and working in Wellington ever since.

Maxime is active in culinary competitions and has won many accolades throughout his short time in New Zealand. In 2016 Maxime applied for the inaugural Ōra King Next Generation Mentoring Programme. His application was successful and he was placed under the tutelage of Chef Darren Johnson at MASU restaurant in Auckland.

We’ve asked Maxime some questions about his experience on the NextGen programme and any tips he may have for young chefs applying in 2017.

 

Why did you apply for the 2016 Ōra King NextGen programme?

I was looking for my next challenge when my Head Chef Chetan told me about the programme and that it was worth giving it a go.  After considering it I decided to take his advice and submit an application.

 

Tell us about your week spent with Chef Darren Johnson at MASU in Auckland?

Working alongside Darren was an awesome experience. He is a top bloke, great chef and an enthusiastic teacher. I arrived at MASU hungry for knowledge and ready to absorb as much as possible – my week passed by too quickly.

On day one I learned about and tasted all of the different miso, soy sauce and dashi that MASU use, and I tried around two dozen dishes that I had never even heard of before. And it just got better as the week went on……

In addition to learning about the history of Japanese cuisine and Darren’s work experience in Japan, I learned how to temper rice – I didn’t know this was even a thing before I arrived at MASU. I knew you tempered chocolate but not rice. I also mastered a new and unique technique to scale whole fish. Cutting the scales off was a technique Darren had learned in Japan and this is how it is done at MASU. It takes a lot of practice but I enjoyed learning this new skill. I also had the opportunity to show it off when I met up with the other NexGen chefs during a demonstration Darren did to them and their mentors.

I also had the opportunity to participate and contribute to the new MASU menu tasting – what an experience! Darren also presented just for my pleasure a selection of MASU dishes with sake matchest after service on the Saturday evening.

Outside MASU, I enjoyed some great experiences too. On a dark morning at 5am, I met with Norissa Bibby from Ōra King salmon, to visit Fish Wonderland (aka Leigh Fisheries). There we had a tour of the facilities and viewed the vast range of sustainable, premium seafood Lee Fish distribute to NZ’s top restaurants. 

That evening, after a day shift at MASU, we had the degustation dinner at The Grove – what a treat! 

 

When you took part in the NextGen programme you were working with Chef Chetan Pangam at One80 Restaurant in Wellington, what has changed since then?

After almost 3 years working at One80 Restaurant with Chetan, I decided that it was time for me to move on. I was waiting for the best opportunity to push myself in a new challenge.   Living in Wellington, it is not hard to find some very talented people to work with and learn from.  

I had been lucky enough to spend a lot of time at Leeds Street Bakery, who produce the best organic sourdough bread I have eaten. One day Head Baker James told me about a new diner due to open soon.  After a few meetings with Chef Shepherd Elliott, I was offered the role..

The idea behind Shepherd restaurant is to offer the unexpected, push the boundaries of food further and learn as much as we can.  It is a long process and we are all taking it a step at a time with a new team and new kitchen.

I am currently running the ‘hot’ section, however, in reality we all do a bit of everything and that is a great way to learn. 

I can’t begin to mention how many new techniques I have encountered or relearned.  I’ve spent the first few weekends off reading Shepherd’s book collection from ‘Bar Tartine’ to the ‘Modernist Cuisine’.

 

What inspires you as a chef?

My inspiration comes from a lot of different subjects. I was lucky to grow up with my Italian Grandmother and spent until the age of 6 years old in her kitchen and playing around her vegetable patch.  So my Mediterranean background has a large influence on my food and cooking style. But I’m also inspired by my surroundings, I love to let life bring new stuff to me; one of my latest Ōra King dishes has been fully inspired from my weekly run through the native bush on Mount Victoria. 

 

What are your goals as a chef?

My goals are to keep learning and keep pushing myself hard, opening my own place in the long run is also a must. 

 

What advice would you give young chefs thinking about applying for the 2017 NextGen programme?

I say go for it and don’t think twice! I had the chance to see and learn new things, I was exposed to parts of the industry I wouldn’t otherwise have had the opportunity to see and of course, I got to meet a lot of great people from the industry. It also forced me to push myself further.

 

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing young chefs in New Zealand right now?

Education is a big issue – finding the right catering school or the perfect apprenticeship is essential as these will condition the foundation of your cooking and catering knowledge. I am more than happy to help young apprentices or work experience chefs that I have met through One80 or Shepherd, to achieve big things. And I believe there are big things happening here in New Zealand in regards to food.  

 

Last year you took the silver medal for Chef of the Capital at Wellington’s Culinary Fare – congrats! Tell us about your competition experience.

Yes, thank you, that was great fun. I was working with Chetan at the time and he is always encouraging his team to go further and push themselves. He did motivate me to enter the competition. 

To create my menu, I first chose my favorite ingredients from the Wellington region. Then I considered my favorite techniques, finally it was just a matter of blending them together. After my week spent with Darren at MASU, there was no question about what my first course would be –  Ōra King Tataki and pumpkin textures.

If I have the time to prepare myself, I will enter again. It’s a great occasion to have fun with cooking. 

 

 

You recently cooked for New Zealand’s top Chefs  the Ōra King Awards lunch event in Nelson, tell us about that – what did you enjoy most?

I had the opportunity to be part of the event and I grabbed it with no hesitations.

It was an absolute dream experience. Cooking with some of the best chefs around and meeting a lot of great names in the business – I felt like I was taking part in some kind of New Zealand ‘Sirha’ event. 

My favorite time was the Ōra King Awards lunch itself, when I got to work alongside Thomas Barta (NZ), Elijah Holland (Aus) and Nick Honeyman (NZ). Three young chefs doing out of this world things! 

What next for Maxime?

 For now I will carry on my duties at Shepherd, learning and challenging myself. There is a lot going on and many exciting projects in the pipeline.