In conversation with Jason Saxby, Executive Chef, Raes at Wategos

Born? West Sydney and grew up in Bathurst.

Best kitchens worked? Quay – Sydney, Per Se, New York, The Ledbury, London, Pollen St Social, London, The Bridge Room, Sydney, Pilu at Freshwater, Sydney. However, the most valuable lessons aren’t always learnt in the best kitchens. Every kitchen has something to learn from, you just must look for it.

Favourite cheap eat? Banj Mi from Marrickville Pork Roll. It is one of the things I miss about living in Sydney.

What keeps you going? The creativity and excitement of cooking.  I love the kitchen and the adrenaline or maybe it’s all the coffee!

Advice to future young chefs? Do the hard work. Eat out at the best restaurants. Buy cookbooks. Talk to other chefs. Ask your senior chefs questions. Ask them to teach you things. Research. Practice and practice. You will only get out of this industry what you put into it.

Favourite kitchen tool? My microplane.

Most controversial menu item? I started serving raw kangaroo as my take on vitello tonnato back in 2013. It’s still polarising and about eight years ago it took a lot of convincing to get people to try it. I have never had a single diner not enjoy it.

Career turning point? Winning the Josephine Pignolet Best Young Chef Award in 2011. It didn’t change how I cook or change what I wanted out of my life or career. It did however change people’s thoughts of me. It puts you in good standing and catapults your career. But it doesn’t give you the career. You still have to work hard and push yourself to new limits.

Most useful cookbook? Stephanie Alexander, The Cook’s Companion for home. For work I love the Quay cookbook. I worked there when the book was being written and photos taken. It acted as a catalogue of the dishes I cooked. This makes it easier to remember ideas and recipes and also is a moment in time that was where I really decided to change my career and take it to a new level. And the book serves as a constant reminder or trip down memory lane. My mum and dad have copies as I am photographed in the book.

On classic vs modern cuisine? As a chef, modern. I get no real pleasure out of cooking food that others before me have already perfected.

How can we keep attracting chefs into the food world? We need the media to focus on the positives of the job. I have implemented a four-day working week in my kitchen that sees the chefs working three doubles and one single and have three and a half days off. That way, when they are at work, they work harder and faster, but also happier. This is the message we need to spread. We all listen to music, talk shit, have fun, make jokes, work hard. Surrounded yourself with some friends. It’s the best!

Obsession ingredient? Garum. The roman fermented fish sauce. You can make it yourself or buy it. The depth of flavour it adds to dishes is phenomenal. We put it in brown butter for our Bay lobster dish, in our tonnato dressing for our kangaroo dish. It’s so versatile.

Purveyor tip? Talk to your purveyors before taking their products. You will feel the passion and the love that they carry through to the produce.

Raes at Wategos bookings

6 – 8 Marine Parade, Byron Bay NSW 2481

Phone: (02) 6685 5377

Menu: www.raes.com.au