Bite-Size: A short Interview with Greg Feck
At La Vètta restaurant in Marnong Estate, Executive Chef Greg Feck, showcases his commitment to seasonal, sustainable and locally-sourced ingredients. In this short interview, we explore his creative process for menu creation, the pivotal role of suppliers and the essence of delivering an unforgettable dining experience.
How do you conceptualise and play with ideas when designing a menu – what’s your process for getting get an initial concept and then playing with it before it comes to fruition?
I think of stories, favourite trips, some great restaurant experiences, childhood memories. Things that conjure up an emotion for me. When I think about food, it’s an emotion. [Menu creation] stems from the person that’s creating the menu first and that needs to portray right through the crew.
A lot of chefs harp on about it, but to me it’s actually making sure it does happen and that’s working with your local producers – the best fishmongers, farmers who know where the cattle were raised, what farm they came from and what they were fed on. That, to me, is probably the most important thing.
Once I harnessed that, I built some brilliant relationships and wherever I go, I always bring them on board – and they’ve never let me down.
I think having those relationships are very important in terms of how you start preparing a dish, putting it on the plate and then giving the knowledge to your front of house team to carry that emotion over the pass and deliver it.
How helpful have suppliers been over the years to provide creative ideas for your menus and has that changed in recent years – has it been more or less influential?
It’s become a huge factor over the last two or three years. It’s huge.
Customers are becoming a lot more discerning when they’re dining and it’s up to us to deliver that. This will come from the relationships that I have.
I know that when I ask for something, I’m going to get it and that it will be good. It makes my job extremely easy, knowing that I can trust them.
What is something that is often overlooked by customers – or even other operators – but that you know is incredibly important?
I love the [French] term ‘je ne sais quoi’ (meaning ‘a quality that cannot be described or named easily’). [I] always believe somebody that leaves our venue and is driving up the driveway can’t really put a finger on what happened but that it was just the most amazing experience.
I think a lot of that comes down to our team. Leading from the top, our general manager, Carl Forrest, is absolutely incredible – so much experience. The structure of people that we have in place in Marnong Estate, filters through – and it comes down to me, I’m in charge of 60-65 chefs, kitchen hands, everything. The energy has to be high.
We have this feeling at Marnong Estate, you need to want this. It’s a feeling that it’s not a chore for us, it’s an energy that when we come to work it’s a ‘want’ factor. We want to make sure that every person that walks into Marnong Estate has their best experience ever. Just something that we just have within our whole entirety of staff. And I think it’s an incredible feeling to be a part of. It’s super rewarding to be part of a team that are striving for the same goal.
This interview has been edited for clarity and consistency.
