Charcuterie Excellence Awards Judges

Born in Dublin and trained by the legendary Raymond Blanc, Colin Fassnidge moved to Australia in the final days of 1999 and started to make a name for himself throughout the early naughties.

First at The Four in Hand Dining Room, in Paddington and then in his own restaurant 4Fourteen, in Surry Hills, Colin’s creative yet refined take on the nose-to-tail food philosophy turned each venue into an awarded and celebrated dining destination, listed in:

• Gourmet Traveller’s Top 50
• Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide – 2 Hats Four in Hand,
• Sydney Morning Heralds Good Food Guide 1 Hat 4Fourteen
• Australian Financial Review’s Top 100

Colin ventured back to London in 2003 for a short stint and was part of the opening team of chefs for Gordon Ramsey’s Boxwood Kitchen at the Berkeley Hotel London.

Back to Sydney – Colin’s latest venues take him back to his love of pub dining spaces and good honest no-nonsense cooking; Banksia Bistro part of the Banksia Hotel thrives as part of the local area and has become the go to place for the local community in the suburb.

Colin’s opinions and honesty led him to an 8 year appearance as a judge on Channel 7’s ratings winner ‘My Kitchen Rules’.

Adding author to his list of accomplishments, Colin’s first cookbook ‘Four Kitchens’, published by Random House, brought together his fine dining recipes from the Four In Hand – his sharing whole animal dishes from 4fourteen, casual fare from both the home kitchen and the bar kitchen.  His second book The Common-sense Cook was released at the end of October 2020 and promises to remove the stigma that cooking is hard, he keeps it simple and easy to follow for the everyday home cook.   Colin was creatively involved in all aspects of both books and both are something which he will cherish and look back to for years to come.

Colin has always believed in helping others, a tract pasted down from his parents.  He has a long standing relationship with Oz harvest, but has always done quite a bit off his own back as well.   A Saturday night tray bake was part of the prep list for chefs at both Four in hand and 4fourteen to help a local charity with their dinner program.  The start of the pandemic in March 2020 saw him create a local “soup kitchen” as he called it, for produce left over from the sudden shut down of venues, this continued weekly throughout 2020 and 21.

His profile as a no-nonsense chef keeps growing and his following expanding, again the pandemic of 2020-21 saw his business @byfassnige pivot and delve into the world of creating the @byfassnidge Cookery School, with private dining experiences and online cooking classes for both the corporate and public marketplaces, a YouTube channel where he has created a place to provide cooking advise and recipes but also some light entertainment thrown in for good measure as well.

After studying food technology and finishing his Master butcher in Germany, Thomas moved to Canada. He worked in a Poultry Factory in the R&D Department for 3 years.

In 2007 Thomas had moved to Australia. Since then, he’s worked in manufacturing companies as Smallgoods Development Manager as well as Production Manager. Since 2022 Thomas has worked for Columbit as Technical Applications Manager across ANZ and Thailand.

Ralf is a fleischmeister and runs Oakwood Smallgoods butcher and charcuterie shop at Castlemaine, where he also holds workshops for butchers and farmers. Oakwood brings the craft back to smallgoods. Traditional time-honoured techniques and carefully sourced ingredients come together to create high quality artisan smallgoods. 

Now 45 years spent in the business, Ralf saw everything changing into large scale production and the idea was born to go back to the old style. Using only free range ethically sourced pork, beef and lamb the raw meat is cured with attention to detail in wood fired smokehouses or dry curing room. Using traditional methods, Ralf’s passion and driving force is to produce quality products – his mantra is meat, spices and tradition!! 

Ralf was born near Dortmund and, like the men in his family, became a butcher. In 1987 Ralf was awarded the certificate of Fleishmeister, as was his father in 1960. Look out for the original certificate in the Castlemaine shop – his and his father’s are displayed as well as a picture of the old shop in Germany. He is very proud to be 1 of only 6 Fleischmeisters in Australia. 

Jamie Gannon was raised in the small town of Golden Grove, located in Adelaide, South Australia. From a young age, his father instilled in him the importance of hard work and perseverance, inspiring Jamie to pursue his dreams. It was at the age of 15 when Jamie discovered his passion for cooking, which led him to join the Royal Australian Navy. During his service, he traveled the world and honed his skills in the kitchen, learning from five key chefs, including Colin Fassnidge, Steve Davidson, Manu Feildel, who have shaped him into the leader he is today.

Throughout his career, Gannon has remained dedicated to sustainability and local sourcing. He has collaborated with local farmers and producers to create menus that showcase the best of Australian produce. This commitment to sourcing quality ingredients from local producers is at the heart of Sinclair’s, the first premium dining restaurant in the Laundy Hotel group. The restaurant’s menu has been crafted using ingredients sourced from the Greater Nepean area, rarely extending more than 50km from the Sinclair’s dining room.

As the Group Executive Chef at Laundy Hotels, Gannon oversees a team of talented chefs and culinary professionals. He is responsible for creating menus and dining experiences that reflect the unique character and flavors of each of the 40+ hotel locations. Jamie continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the kitchen, inspiring his team and delighting guests with his exceptional cuisine.

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Anton Kunz is a highly experienced chef with a career spanning over four decades. He began his culinary journey in Switzerland in 1977, acquiring an apprenticeship and working in various establishments before earning his Master’s Certificate by the Swiss Culinary Federation in 1989. From 1984 to 1992, he served as Chef de Partie, Sous Chef, and Executive Chef at the 4-star Hotel Spinne in Grindelwald, Switzerland.

His culinary expertise took him to Hobart, where he held executive roles at Sheraton Hobart and Hotel Grand Chancellor. Anton then ventured into business, establishing and managing “Anton’s Best of Tasmania” and Coal River Catering. He showcased Tasmanian food and wine globally with promotions in Singapore and Hong Kong.

In recent years, he has been a chef manager at Aveo Derwent Waters Claremont. Anton’s prowess has been recognized at the Royal Hobart fine food awards, where he serves as a judge.

Adam Moore is ranked among the world’s top corporate chefs with qualifications in pastry, charcuterie and butchery, food styling and food photography. 

With more than 25 years in the industry to his credit, Adam has worked in restaurants, foodservice, retail, food manufacturing, marketing and sales. In the corporate sector, past employers include Mars Australia, George Weston Foods and the multinational Campbell Arnotts. He’s currently executive chef of the Cerebos Culinary Institute, focused on consumer-led recipe development, as well as product development and innovation. 

Adam is a Research Chefs Association Certified Executive Chef (CEC) and a judge for Clubs NSW Chefs Table, TAA chef of the year, AHA Chef of the year, Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, Sydney Royal Fine Foods and more. He’s an active member of the Australian Culinary Federation and the Global Research Chefs Association. He has lectured at the University of NSW Kenvale College and is a renowned industry mentor for young chefs. 

Adam is currently working on his first cookbook, centred on his love of pork. 

Marco began his career in butchery as an apprentice in 1981, progressing to earn a master’s degree in Switzerland and a meat technologist degree in Kulmbach, Germany.

In 1993, he relocated to Australia, applying his knowledge and skills in significant roles at major manufacturing companies. His positions included Research and Development (R&D) and Factory and Operations Manager.

In addition to his management roles, Marco dedicated several years to providing technical support for an industry supplier in Asia and Australia. Further recognising his deep knowledge in the field, he was invited to be a judge for the Sydney Fine Food Show.

Marco’s true passion has always remained in the development and manufacturing of smallgoods.

Shayne successfully completed an apprenticeship in Retail Butchery (Meat Processing) in a small community-based retail shop, which included tasks such as slaughtering, small goods (cooked & fermented), retail butchery, value adding, livestock purchasing, and customer service. During Shayne’s time employed as a butcher, he worked within both retail and smallgoods manufacturing, including developing products with Cess Wesselingh, a SA premier smallgoods consultant.

Shayne has owned and managed his own successful retail business, making and selling an extensive range of various smallgoods to not only the public but also to other businesses. His skills and knowledge have been employed in the Middle East’s Abu Dhabi Co-operative, setting up retail outlets, teaching, and training numerous nationalities in all aspects of the meat trade, including the production of beef-based smallgoods products catering to the Muslim community.

These skills and knowledge enabled Shayne to become a qualified trainer and assessor for TAFESA, covering all aspects of the meat sector. He has trained not only apprentices and trainees but has also had the responsibility of training and developing programs for iconic smallgoods companies such as Conroys, Chapmans, and Blue Ribbon, among others. Shayne’s attributes have been recognized by partners in the industry, providing him the opportunity to judge and help develop consistent, safe products for customers.

Awarded 2019 Chef of the Year by The West Australian Good Food Guide, Melissa Palinkas is head chef and co-owner at one-hatted Young George and executive chef at Ethos Deli + Dining Room, both in Perth. Palinkas shows a particular mastery in house-made charcuterie, among many other talents.

The food produced by Melissa Palinkas has been lavished with praise by reviewers who describe her food as ‘inventive, fun, smart, original and drop-dead gorgeous’.

Melissa prides herself on running a sustainable kitchen at her restaurants. Her ‘nose to tail’ or ‘root to shoot’ approach to cooking means that nothing is wasted – the trimmings of vegetables and meats are used in stock, leftover vegetables are fermented or used for preserves and spent fruit rinds are converted to cocktail bases and house made cordials.

Melissa’s first kitchen job was at the Brass Monkey in Northbridge. She worked overseas in London and Dublin then took on the head chef role at The Cabin in Mt Hawthorn for four years before setting up her first restaurant, Young George, with wife Susan.

Melissa was honoured to receive her first Hat at the 2020 Good Food Guide Awards and to be named the 2019 West Australian Good Food Guide Chef of the Year.

At the end of 2020 Melissa and wife Susan opened Ethos deli and dining room. A sustainable kitchen with an emphasis on no waste, where Melissa’s handmade nose to tail charcuterie takes centre stage.

 

Michael studied Food Science and Technology, graduating with Honours at Victoria University, and has worked in the Australian Food Industry for more than 10 years in technical and development roles.

Joining the team at Chr. Hansen in 2015, Michael has worked extensively across Australia and New Zealand, supporting NPD and troubleshooting with salami and smallgoods manufacturers.

His active participation in Chr. Hansen global meat networks enable him to bring cutting edge solutions while unlocking the power of good bacteria to the ANZ industry. Chr. Hansen fermentation cultures combined with the strong technical support are highly regarded and new culture solutions allow spoilage reduction and pathogen protection.

In his spare time Michael indulges in his passion for all things meat and low and slow BBQ, using some of Australia’s finest products, gratefully enjoyed by his family and friends.

Rodney is the owner of Four Leaves Food Store, a cafe, delicatessen, bakery, wine shop and provedore all-in-one. Four Leaves has grown from being one of the best cafe restaurants in Melbourne’s northern suburbs to being a purveyor of fine foods.

Rodney has led the team at Four Leaves since 2016, serving the very best of chef-prepared seasonal food to the local community.

Four Leaves Food Store includes a fully stocked delicatessen with cured meats and marinated vegetables, a fresh bakery and an abundant wine shop, and the team produce a wide range of home-cooked quality meals.

From working with some of the finest chefs in New York, Rodney has become a well-known personality in his community.

Rob Warman has a notable career spanning nearly half a century in the meat industry. His journey began with him owning and operating his own retail butcher shop for a decade. This shop specialised in high-quality small goods, garnering him numerous awards and recognition in the field.

In addition to his retail experience, Rob also has a wealth of knowledge and practical involvement in the wholesale sector of the industry.

For the past 10 years, Rob has further contributed to the industry by serving as a judge in South Australia. His role has allowed him to evaluate entries in both regional and city-based small goods and Sausage King Competitions. His keen eye for quality and his extensive experience in the field have been crucial to his judging role, enabling him to provide balanced, informed assessments of the competitors’ offerings.