Chefs work in all different ways. For some it’s a job, and for others a passion. Even more blessed is the person who not only loves being a chef, but they see food as their calling. Their life is completely enmeshed in their work, their passion evident in how they perform their role, and in the meals they bring to the table. Working with food gives them purpose, meaning, and fulfillment.
Gary Jones, the owner-chef of Jonez on Ephraim has his own way. Gary has been a chef for 56 of his 70 years and hopes to continue for many more.
“All my life has been about food,” Gary tells me. “I am passionate about it and the routine of my life is based around it. I have never wanted to do anything else.”
It’s Monday morning, yet even though Jonez on Ephraim does not open that night, Gary has been here from 7am creating the extras that help make his food so special, such as handmade pastries, pastas, stocks, brioche, and chocolate. He follows the same routine every day, through rain and sunshine, including during Covid and lockdown. Even more extraordinary is the fact that Gary has not had a day off sick since 1978.
The son of a Yorkshire coal miner, Gary’s passion originates from his own humble family table in the house where he grew up.
‘Before the dish there were the memories…’: his mother and grandmother preparing wholesome, homecooked food for the family using vegetables, rabbits and chickens from their rambling garden, their meals cooked in an open coal-fired stove.
At fourteen, Gary began work in the kitchen of the local pub, moving to Claridge’s Hotel in London at 17 to complete his chef apprenticeship. He gained inspiration from senior chefs along the way, most notably when he moved to France to work. It was to be a turning point in his life.
“I have learned from the best, absorbed so much, and seen many changes in hospitality. I gained my passion from working under great chefs in Michelin star restaurants, savouring the taste of the wild, fresh produce from the earth and sea when it came in, learning French techniques of cooking in culinary centres like Lyons and St Tropez.
I have experienced changes to food culture through my career, from the vibrant freshness of Paul Bocuse’s nouvelle cuisine of the late 1970s to a more scientific approach and embracing of international flavours of the 1990s. Now it’s a mixture of everything.”
So, how has Gary found the inspiration to keep creating through changing trends, the ups and downs of Covid lockdown and beyond?
“I’m over trying to be fashionable,” Gary laughs. “I go back and try to replicate the exact flavours of dishes such as bouillabaisse or saucisson in brioche that I hold in my memory. I look at traditional dishes in magazines, experiment with them and make small changes to ingredients. We dine out in capital cities, and I come back with ideas and tweaks I could make to dishes. I keep focussed and take time for ideas to brew.”
“You must have good foundations first,” says Gary. “Good French technique and knowledge of Japanese cuisine, plus great Italian pasta stands you in good stead. The freshest seafood from Australia and New Zealand prepared simply shows off the quality of the produce. We need to have great food to bring people back to restaurants, otherwise we won’t survive.
Australia has a different hospitality structure to both the US and the UK. We need to pay superannuation, wages, suppliers etc. first before we do anything else, running a tight operation with minimal waste.
Covid presented hospitality with a challenge and taught us to think outside the square, to adapt to survive, to create takeaway dishes that would service our clientele.”
Gary talks of the necessity of the owner being fully present and committed to service, how a healthy lifestyle and a sound routine help maintain focus, as well as the ethical integrity of how you run your operation.
“I feel disappointed in owners who go broke and don’t pay their bills. No business goes broke overnight. Flexibility and adaptability help you survive. If you can’t go into your kitchen and do the dishes, then you shouldn’t be running a restaurant,” he says. “Why bother owning a restaurant if you aren’t willing to get in and help your staff?” he adds. “You need to manage your business well so that when you face a challenge, you can adapt and make your business work.”
“The hospitality industry has many advantages in Australia,” Gary says. “People go out a lot, and they eat a wide variety of foods. We are open to many cultural influences, making our food scene one big melting pot. We can all learn from each other.
Diversity also acts as a crucible for experimentation with food, providing a ‘Wow!’ factor in restaurant food, but it’s labour intensive and comes at a cost. It needs strong financial and culinary foundations underneath the glamour.”
Though humble about his achievements, Gary has gained recognition for his achievements in the industry. After looking back on two highlights of Gary’s career, keeping a Michelin star at Walton’s Restaurant, Knightsbridge in London in 1987, and being awarded Gourmet Traveller’s Restaurant of the Year 1994 for his restaurant San Lorenzo, Perth, I ask about his future plans.
“The Olympic Games [Brisbane 2032] will be my last big meal,” he replies, smiling. “It’s coming and, judging by the incredible turnover in the Sydney Games [2000], the Brisbane Olympics will be a game changer; a huge opportunity that we need to prepare for.
Australia will get international attention from the Games, then investment will follow. We need to get ready, with transportation, accommodation, staffing, quality of service, and food meeting the expectations of international guests. People will stay here, eat here, play here and spend money. We need to deliver.
I want to be a part of it, to soak up the ambience of it. We’re hosting this once-in-a-lifetime event, so we should enjoy it.
Until then, I want to keep cooking, doing service, meeting customers…It keeps my brain going. It’s what I love. It’s my life,” he adds, smiling.
Jonez on Ephraim, 4216 Ephraim Island Parade, Paradise Point QLD 4216 Ph: 07 5577 8500