Simon Furley on conscious cooking
When Rowlee Dining and Bar opened earlier this year, Simon Furley took to the helm as head chef. Furley has since established a menu that prioritises local produce, implements minimal-waste cooking, and ensures sustainable origins.
Originally from Bath, the chef cut his teeth at Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe, before working as a private chef for high-profile clients. After moving to Australia, he worked at Homage in Queensland, before building The Paddock on Beechmont Estate from the ground up, seeing it become a hatted restaurant.
With a deep love for nature and the environment, Furley says sustainable cooking is something he has carried across each kitchen he has run.
His team at Rowlee has taken an array of measures to be as sustainable as possible, “from trying to use everything from each ingredient, to only sourcing from responsible suppliers and farmers, cutting back on single use plastics, up cycling, and having our own kitchen gardens”.
In order to reduce waste by using every element of an ingredient, the Rowlee team implements a mix of fermentation, curing, smoking and drying methods.
“For example, we source leeks directly from the farmer Greg Kocanda at Block 11 Organics, and they arrive fresh every Wednesday,” says Furley.
“I wash them and cut the green tops off, which I turn into a green oil to go on our fish main course. The roots are dried and blended into a fine powder for crispy chicken crumb. And the main piece is used for our entree. Nearly all the dishes work this way to stop waste and create flavour.”
A similar process is taken with squid, which is Furley says is abundant at the moment. The squid is marinated in locally made koji and cooked over a wood fire. The trim and excess is charred and blended with salumi off cuts to create a spicy paste, and it is served with preserved lemon purée from the Rowlee orchard.
“The menu is completely designed to carry ingredients across from one dish to another,” says Furley.
Sourcing sustainable fish is another key element to Furley’s cooking, and the restaurant has been accredited on the GoodFish Sustainable Seafood Guide. The chef has worked with the guide for seven years, and ensuring his kitchen adheres to sustainable seafood guidelines is a priority.
“We are taking way too much from the oceans globally and if we can have an impact – no matter how small – it’s worth it. We will definitely never serve salmon or tuna on our menus. From the horrendous farming problems to overfishing, it’s against what we stand for,” says Furley.
The chef calls his method “conscious cooking”.
“Just be aware of where and how that ingredient came to be, and at what cost. It’s such a rewarding feeling knowing exactly where that apple, fish, or chicken came from.”
Rowlee Dining and Bar opened earlier this year in the hills of Nashdale, just outside Orange. It is an extension of Rowlee Vineyard, a producer of cool-climate, high altitude wines.
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