final he felt unusually calm. “I wasn’t forcing anything. I trusted my preparation and my instincts,” he says. When he plated his last dish, he knew he had cooked with clarity.
Cooking with instinct, not noise
Ask Richmond what instinct looks like on the plate and he pauses before answering. It is not improvisation. It is not guessing. It is the sum of years of repetition, mistakes, mentorship and refinement.
Instinct is trusting the ingredient. It is stripping back the unnecessary. It is confidence in seasoning. It is knowing when to push and when to stop. It is allowing memories and technique to merge into something clear.
“Instinct keeps the dish honest,” he says. “When the flavour leads, the dish speaks.”
Leading a kitchen built on culture and purpose
At Aanuka Beach House, Richmond’s leadership is defined by culture more than control. He cooks with intention, but he also builds teams with intention. He teaches his chefs how to think about flavour, not just how to reproduce it. He focuses on communication, trust and respect for ingredients.
His team feeds his approach as much as he shapes theirs. Their creativity, energy and commitment sharpen his instincts and push him forward. “Winning Chef of the Year was as much about them as it was about me,” he says.
He values kitchens where learning is part of the rhythm. Young chefs are expected to grow, question and explore. He wants his team to find their own voices, not imitate his.
Flavours that honour the past and push forward
Richmond’s signature dishes often connect back to home. His modern take on his grandmother’s pork curry is an example of how he balances memory and technique. The foundation is traditional but the produce is local, the method refined and the flavour bold without being crowded.
His style draws on Mediterranean coastal flavours, seasonal Australian produce and the primal depth of cooking over wood, smoke and heat. But fire is not the story. Flavour is.
He is driven as much by people as ingredients. Growers, artisans and producers who care about their craft inspire him to do justice to their work. Simplicity and boldness sit together because they serve the same purpose: clarity.
Cooking with responsibility and connection
Beyond flavour, Richmond is deeply committed to sustainability and ethical cooking. He works with local producers, sources responsibly and minimises waste. Not as a trend, but as a responsibility.
“Food should tell a story,” he says. “It should be bold, grounded and memorable. But it should also respect the ingredient and the person behind it.”
The next chapter
Winning Australian Professional Chef of the Year has strengthened his direction, not changed it. He wants to keep pushing fire-driven cooking, working closely with growers and building menus with seasonal integrity. He is also committed to mentoring young chefs to help them develop their own instincts and identities.
“I’m excited about new menus, new collaborations and continuing to grow,” he says. “Awards are fuel for the fire. But the real joy is cooking with purpose.”
Final words to young chefs
His advice is simple:
Trust yourself. Respect the ingredient. Let experience become instinct. Do not cook to impress. Cook with clarity, heart and purpose. If you do that, the food speaks for itself.
