Jeffrey Simonetta – Chef, australianflavours.com.au

Jeffrey Vincent Simonetta is an Australian–Italian Chef whom has worked under some of Australia’s most influential Chefs.
Even from a young age whilst cooking with his mother and grandparents, his greatest desire was to be a chef. It wasn’t until the age of 14 that he was presented with his first opportunity by landing a job in a bakery before school and on weekends. This path eventually lead to Jeffrey receiving two 100% marks, topping Australia in cookery, and landing him an apprenticeship at Rockpool, the best restaurant in Australia at the time, a year before he left high school.
His family background, thick with Italian culture,influenced the way in which he sees cooking and produce. It taught him that;
“To be Italian is to be passionate. It is to intimately taste wine, sauce, and ripe olives, as well as appreciating simplicity and nature, from the fragrance of the spring air, the skill of the sculptor, and the soul of the painter. It means to belong to a gene pool influenced by some of the most interesting cultures in history and translate those onto a plate”.
Growing up in Australia with such a multi-cultural food influence, his training in fusion cooking, and the easy availability of amazing produce have provided a perfect platform for Jeff to showcase his creativity.