Brian Cole on open fire and African flavour in Perth

Brian Cole is Chef de Cuisine at Hearth Restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Perth. He blends West African heritage with Western Australian produce, cooking over open fire.

His food is bold, layered and disciplined, with a clear goal: bring African fine dining to the Australian stage. 

From West Africa to Western Australia

Brian grew up between Sierra Leone and Ghana. Cooking was a daily ritual led by his mother and grandmother.

“They would add different spices but the overall flavour comes out the same.”

He learnt that consistency is judged on the plate, not by strict recipes. In his community, men prepped ingredients, then stepped aside. Brian wasn’t satisfied with that. He started sneaking ingredients to cook in secret.

When his family moved to Australia at 11, food helped him stay connected to home. A high school cooking competition changed everything. He cooked a three-course meal, including a failed chocolate soufflé, and still won top score.

“In my culture, cooking wasn’t seen as a real career. But after that competition, my teachers helped me see I could make it one.”

They arranged a two-week placement at Crown Perth. Brian went from schoolboy to apprentice. He proved himself quickly, moving through the brigade and learning every section. A mentor, Robert Ryan, had him write down two goals: become a head chef by 30, and open a restaurant by 35. He hit the first at 29.

Defining a personal style

At first, Brian kept the menu he inherited at Hearth. He didn’t want to rock the boat. But it didn’t feel right.
“People don’t want someone else’s dish made by somebody new.”

 “When you become true to yourself, people notice.”

He started introducing his own food. The shift was gradual but clear. Diners responded to the new energy. His style began to take shape: modern Australian with French technique, Asian influence and African soul.

He embraces the word “fusion,” despite its baggage. For him, it reflects the reality of Australian kitchens.

“You can walk into an Italian restaurant and they’re using soy or fish sauce.”

His personal cooking style is built on layering. He draws from West African methods, where flavour is developed slowly and intentionally. Spice blends, ferments and traditional ingredients like cassava and plantain are part of his broader repertoire. While not yet featured at Hearth, he hopes to see African ingredients become as familiar as native Australian ones.

By leaning into his heritage and instincts, Brian has shaped a style that is both personal and precise. It’s a voice that continues to evolve, but one that always puts flavour first.

Fire, flavour and fine-tuning

At Hearth, everything revolves around wood fire. Brian treats the fire with as much care as any ingredient. The open grill is his favourite tool. Nearly every dish is touched by flame.

“Open fire cooking is the most primal way to cook.”

He teaches his team to treat fire like an ingredient. The type of wood, the arrangement of logs, the heat of the embers – all of it matters. A fish fillet needs a different ember spread than a steak. Fire is both technique and theatre.

One of his signature dishes is dry-aged duck from Wagin, marinated in koji and cooked over fire. It’s a dish that relies on precise control of heat and timing to achieve the right texture and depth of flavour. It also reflects his belief in simplicity, balance and letting the fire do the work.

Brian’s menus are driven by Western Australian produce. He works with farmers, foragers and Indigenous food educators like Paul “Yoda” Iskov. Through Yoda, he learnt to follow micro-seasons across WA’s vast regions. A fruit might be in season in the Kimberley, then weeks later in Albany.

He often starts with the native ingredient, then builds the dish around it. Lemon-scented gum, found all over Perth, is a favourite. He uses it in oils, broths and desserts.

For Brian, developing new dishes is trial and error. One early Hearth dish – beetroot with lemon myrtle, black rice and kimchi – took weeks to balance. When it finally worked, the restaurant manager called it “too well balanced.”

Vegetarian mains have been his biggest technical challenge. He once created a vegetable wellington with root veg, nori and pastry. It was complex and satisfying, but few guests ordered it. A simpler mushroom risotto, by contrast, became a hit.

“Do I cook something that challenges me, or something people will actually order?”

That tension between creativity and approachability is something he navigates every day.

Teaching the next generation

Brian leads his team the way he was trained. He adapts his teaching to how each chef learns. Some need to see. Others need to do. He encourages ownership and experimentation.

“If you find a better, faster way that gets the same result, then you’re responsible for teaching the whole kitchen.”

He gives young chefs responsibility early. If they develop a new technique, they become the trainer. It builds confidence and starts their leadership journey.

His kitchen culture is focused but relaxed. There’s room for jokes and music during prep. But when service starts, everyone locks in. It’s a rhythm he learnt from mentors who knew when to have fun and when to get serious.

Building a future in African fine dining

Brian’s next goal is clear: open his own restaurant. It will be rooted in West African cuisine, shaped by his heritage and refined through his experience in fine dining.

“It’s time for Australia to see what African food has to offer.”

The concept will centre on live fire, with traditional ingredients like fermented corn dough and suya spice blends, presented with modern technique and polish. He wants to create a space where African flavours are treated with the same respect as any other cuisine on the fine-dining stage.

He’s been watching the rise of African restaurants overseas and believes Australian diners are ready for something similar. His vision is to bring a new cultural voice to the country’s top-end dining scene.

For now, Brian continues to lead Hearth while building towards that future. He sees fine dining evolving, not disappearing. To him, the future lies in diversity - more cuisines, more stories, and more chefs cooking from lived experience.

His advice to young chefs is simple: stay true to your background and let it guide your food. That’s what has shaped his journey, and it’s what he hopes will define the next chapter.