Right now, some of Sydney’s most significant new kitchens are still hiring.
The new Sydney Fish Market has opened with more than 40 food operators and over 25 restaurants, cafés and bars, creating one of the largest concentrations of new kitchens in Australia. For chefs, that means dozens of brigade positions being filled across multiple venues at the same time.
Unlike a single restaurant opening, this scale creates movement across the entire industry.
Several chef-led venues are already operational or preparing to open fully, including Hamsi Taverna led by Somer Sivrioğlu and Lua Restaurant and Bar from Luke Nguyen. Both kitchens have been actively recruiting senior roles, including head chefs and sous chefs, as they establish their brigades.
Not all venues opened immediately. Some kitchens are still assembling their teams now, with recruitment continuing weeks after the precinct opened.
For chefs across Sydney, this creates opportunity.
New Kitchens Change How Chefs Move
When one restaurant opens, it hires a brigade. When more than 25 kitchens open in one precinct, the effect spreads far wider.
Head chefs hire trusted sous chefs. Sous chefs bring cooks they’ve worked with before. Junior chefs leave established restaurants to join opening teams. Vacancies appear across the city as brigades shift.
This movement rarely happens publicly, but it reshapes the industry.
Opening teams carry influence. Chefs who join early help define prep systems, workflow and kitchen culture. Those foundations often determine how the kitchen operates long term.
For chefs ready to step into leadership roles, these openings create opportunities that might otherwise take years to reach.
Working Inside the Market Changes Kitchen Perspective
Fish markets operate differently to traditional restaurant environments. Access to product becomes immediate. Chefs work closer to suppliers. Product turnover is faster. Menus can respond more directly to availability.
This proximity requires discipline.
High-quality seafood leaves little room for error. Execution must remain consistent. Chefs develop stronger product knowledge and technical control.
For chefs building careers in seafood-focused kitchens, this environment accelerates development.
Brigade Formation Is Still Underway
Even after opening, brigade recruitment continues. New kitchens take time to stabilise. Leadership teams refine structure. Additional chefs are brought in as service volume increases.
The scale of the Sydney Fish Market ensures this process will continue over the coming months.
For chefs, these moments define career progression. Some step into senior roles for the first time. Others join experienced leadership teams building kitchens from scratch.
Before the precinct fully settles, dozens of chefs will have moved roles.
Sydney’s newest kitchens are not just open.
They are still being built.
