Shannon Bennett – Restaurateur
Food aficionados owe a debt to Mrs Malcolm. She was the home economics teacher at Melbourne's Essendon Grammar School who, in the early 1990s, recognised rare culinary aptitude in a shaggy haired schoolboy called Shannon Bennett. Her guidance set him on course for an apprenticeship as a chef; less than a decade later he was the owner and creative genius behind one of Melbourne's best restaurants, Vue de monde.
At the age of 30, Bennett now presides over an establishment employing almost 50 staff. In June 2005, his restaurant moved to swanky premises in the heart of the city; just over a year later it was named Restaurant of the Year by The Age Good Food Guide, scoring an unprecedented 19 out of 20.
Alongside partner Madeleine West, a former Neighbours star, Bennett appears on the social pages as well as the food pages. Their daughter, Phoenix, was born in December 2005.
'Great food in Melbourne is not a fad or a fashion,' Bennett says. 'There is a tradition of great food here that you don't find in any other Australian city. I was lucky. I think Mrs Malcolm recognised that I had this passion, and it just went from there.'
Recipe for success
'I had a dream and determination, and I knew what I wanted to do,' Bennett says. 'Once you've got the handle on how to communicate your passion to those around you, both customers and staff, you've got a successful business. I'm uncompromising when it comes to quality. We buy the best ingredients, and when that is from local suppliers that is fantastic. Our local wine has a great future, getting better and better. We have all the iconic Victorian wines on our wine list.'
Energy and ambience
Bennett says the impeccable quality of the food and wine experience at Vue de monde is a constant surprise to international guests, many of whom also marvel at the great value-for-money. 'The equivalent food experiences in Melbourne are incredibly cheap by comparison with top restaurants overseas,' he says. Another appealing factor is the remarkable energy and ambience of Vue de monde. The kitchen in his Little Collins Street restaurant has sloping mirrors above the workbenches so diners can watch the chefs at work. 'If the kitchen is buzzing, the whole restaurant is buzzing,' Bennett says. 'Theatre is what some restaurants lack.'
Creative pursuits
'When I have time to design food it is fun, not work. Dealing with financial matters, offers to open other restaurants and so on, I'm not always comfortable but put me in a kitchen with great ingredients, I get excited, the creative juices flow and that's my release.'
