UK-born Darren Robertson moved to Australia in 2001 and worked with Tetsuya Wakuda for eight years, including three as Head Chef. In 2010 he started the Table Sessions, a “guerilla dining” organisation that ran pop-up dinners, and was one of the founding members of the Taste of Young Sydney (TOYS), which celebrated experimentation and collaboration in the kitchen and wonย the Innovation Award in the SMH Good Food Guide 2010.
In 2011 Darren joined a group of friends to open Three Blue Ducks in Bronte,ย a beachside suburb of Sydney. That empire has continued to grow, and now includes a restaurant on an 80-acre farm in Byron Bay and an inner-city restaurant in Rosebery.
Engaged to meteorologist and TV presenterย Magdalena Roze, Darren is a regular at food events around the world, has written two cookbooks and is an ambassador for Cancer Council and OzHarvest. His Australian TV credits include co-host of Channel 10’s “Recipe to Riches” and more recently his ownย show on Lifestyle FOOD, “Charcoal Kitchen”.
I sat with Darren in the lead-up to last year’s Margaret River Gourmet Escape, where we chatted about his views on fame, and whether he would be returning to TV…
Welcome back for your third Margaret Riverย Gourmet Escape.
We didnโt do it last year because we were pregnant. We did the Feast in the Forestย with Matt Wilkinson a couple of years ago which was hilarious. This year Iโm doing one with Nelly Robinson, which will be interesting because our food is polar opposites. ย Then theyโve got me on stage with David Thompson. Iโm terrified, because heโs a genius.ย
Weโre based in Byron now, and there are so many similarities with Margaret River. Thereโs something that draws people here. Iโm not sure what it is, but thereโs a different tempo here to the city. We go to Sydney a lot, and when we go back to Byron itโs kind of like this.
This year’sย line-up isย less focused on household names, except Nigella Lawson of course.
Thatโs the irony sometimes, the guys that are the most established in my world no-one would evenย recognise. Itโs changed now because heโs been on the cover of Time magazine, but Alex Atala is not a household name. My Mum probably hasnโt heard of Alex Atala, but to me heโs like a god. He could probably walk down the street and no-one would bat an eyelid.
Do you get recognised?
It depends on where you go. If youโre at a food festival then itโs an established crowd and youโll get a bit of attention. If youโre at the restaurant, everyone assumes they know you. I think in Australia weโre a bit more respectful of peopleโs space. I did a show in Indonesia last year with MasterChef judge Rinrin Marinka, and it was like there were no boundaries at all. We would go anywhere, we could be eating, and it was ย – whoom – selfies!ย
Mags gets recognised occasionally because sheโs done a bit of TV and sheโs absolutely mortified. She gets so embarrassed. Itโs nice being a little bit anonymous, to be known within the community for what you do, and thatโs enough. I think celebrity is an interesting thing, itโs evolved into a weird monster.ย
Will you be doing any more TV?
In saying that, I might be. Because I really like it, and itโs a very powerful medium. You do get given a voice, and maybe some influence to inspire people or make small changes in our industry – not going all Che Guevara. And itโs good for the business. People like to see you onย the barbecue or in the kitchen. Iโm not saying weโre on the line every day, but weโre certainly active in our business rather than out playing golf.
How do you manage that?
Itโs tricky. I remember Tetsuya Wakuda saying to me โone of the things I regret the most is actually calling my restaurant my name, because thereโs this expectation that itโs Tetsuya Wakudaโ. It stuck with me.ย I love the fact that the Ducksย is the brand, itโs the name, weโre behind it – it’s collaboration. That being said, people still want to see you around so it is a bit of a balance. Now that Iโve got a kid, Iโm not going to be doing 80-hour weeks.
How has social media changed things?
Iโve been toying around doing some bits and pieces with my partner Mags. I listen to a lot of podcasts and itโs interesting to see where different opportunities in our industry are unfolding.ย I remember sitting next toย a professional Instagrammer from Singapore who made 15 second films in restaurants. Three years ago that never existed. Whoโs to say he’s not as passionate about food as I am at cooking?ย It happened in fashion as well, the bloggers are like royalty.ย Twitter is old-school now, but it changed the game.
Whatever you do, the cream always rises to the top. If youโve been doing it for years and youโre making a living out of it then you must be doing something right.
Darren Robertson joins the team of Channel 7’s My Kitchen Rules at 7:30pm on Wednesday, February 22.
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