Cooking was part of Jeremy Salmon’s daily routine as a boy growing up in Dubbo. His parents were shift workers and he honed his skills preparing family dinners.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
“My father has always been an ambitious home cook and this exposed me to a variety of flavours and techniques from a young age,” the newly-appointed head chef at Reserve told Food & Wine. “Cooking has always been something I’ve enjoyed doing but it wasn’t until I finished high school that I started considering hospitality as a career.
“Originally I was just looking for a job I could use to travel and decided on bar work, but as soon as I got a glimpse of the pace and energy of a commercial kitchen I knew that’s where I wanted to be.”
Salmon accepted an apprenticeship at a small restaurant in his home town and in 2010 says he “managed to land a position” at Bacchus under accomplished chef Tim Montgomery.
“Being part of the small team there gave me the opportunity to develop my skills in all areas of the kitchen,” he said. “After roughly two years there I decided it was time to travel, and in 2012 I worked my way into the yacht scene, cooking on private boats along the Mediterranean coast.”
He returned to Newcastle and, after stints at Restaurant Mason and Le Passe Temps, in 2014 was offered the head chef role at Fortunate Son in Hamilton.
“The venue allowed me to explore the interest in charcuterie I had developed while in France and Italy, and towards the end of my time there I worked alongside Nic Poelaert and began to adopt a more simple, produce-driven attitude toward menu writing,” Salmon explained.
He left Fortunate Son in 2017 and joined Montgomery and Thomas Robinson at Rascal – which he says is “easily one of the busiest venues in Newcastle right now”. When Salmon heard that Reserve head chef Jake DeLuca was moving to England, though, he threw his hat into the ring. He’s now in charge of the kitchen and has worked closely with owner Patrick Haddock to design a menu that is not only seasonal, but also works with the venue’s quality wine offering.
“I think Reserve is a really accommodating setting for any occasion,” Salmon said.
“Good food and wine should be accessible to everyone, and the team here has done a great job in creating a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere while still providing a high-end standard of service. That philosophy is really what I try to achieve when writing a menu: I want someone who doesn’t regularly eat out to feel just as comfortable as a more seasoned diner, and for both to be equally excited about what is on offer.
“I try to incorporate elements of comfort food or guilty pleasures into each meal, then refine it into a balanced dish while introducing ingredients or produce that I’m finding personally interesting each season. If you can get people on board with something they already enjoy, they’re more willing to trust you when trying something new.”