Shaun Hergatt, executive chef, Juni, New York

I was drawn to the big city, so moved to Sydney where I became chef de cuisine of The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton. When the same position came up at The Atelier in New York, I jumped at the chance. Five years later, I moved south to become the executive chef at The Setai in Miami, and then decided to go back to New York in 2009, where I opened up SHO in the Financial District. Which top chefs have you worked with and how have they influenced you? Gabriel Kreuther—my old chef at Atelier, at the Ritz-Carlton, Central Park—introduced me to foie gras and taught me to do all this crazy stuff with it. We had kilos of black and white truffles and he would shave white truffle over bruschetta with foie gras from the Hudson Valley. Foie gras was a big thing for him, but for me it was an education point. It was a product I was not familiar with and Gabriel was very patient with me. He taught me how to work. How would you describe your food style and philosophy? I’m a classically trained, creative modernist. My cooking is organized and technically precise and inspired by nature, art and my daily life in New York. At Juni I talk about seasonality. But for me it means so much more than four seasons. My food philosophy revolves around the many, many micro-seasons that occur throughout the year that can last for just a few weeks or a month. I pick the ripest and finest product available at that time and serve it as the star so ramps and apricots that are in season for about a month only appear on the menu during that time. To make it onto the menu, produce has to be at its very ripest and having grown up on a farm where I learnt how to cook straight from the earth, ‘ripeness’ comes as second nature to me. It is a really important thing for me to turn every meal into a special occasion for my guests. I want people to leave the restaurant having forged lifetime memories; as for me food is all about joy and experiences. How does having your own restaurant compare to working for others? For me, the most rewarding thing in the world is that our reputation here at Juni keeps growing and improving. It’s all about reputation. Ratings matter because I want to get people through the door but the most important to me is building my reputation and making experiences for people. If I die tomorrow and haven’t had a book out or opened 35 restaurants, I wouldn’t mind, as long as I knew that I was good at what I did. My main goal right now is for our team to be successful, to be rewarded and to enjoy what we have planted here at Juni. I’ve planted the seed here and want to see it grow. I do feel like I am in the immature stages of my career so you never know what is going to happen - who knows where things could end up! What made you want to be part of Obsession? The level of enthusiasm and attention to detail that Nigel and Lisa’s team at Northcote showed in the early stages of organisation was really impressive. The line-up is an absolute knockout too, so for me it was a non-brainer! Do you have a signature dish? My trademark, classic dish at Juni is a reimagining of my favourite chocolate bar from when I was a kid back in Australia- The Cherry Ripe. My homage to the Cherry Ripe is made of chocolate, coconut and cherries (as with the chocolate bar) but adds a very grown-up ingredient- foie gras. What do you think of British chefs and the UK’s cuisine at the moment? I am really excited about trying out The Ledbury when I’m down in London, I’ve heard such great things about Brett Graham over the years, so I’m pleased that I finally have the opportunity to go to the restaurant. All image credit goes to Juni’s website - www.juninyc.com 12 East 31st Street, New York, NY 10016, United States.