Joel Bickford on leading Shell House: consistency, standards, and teams that can repeat it

Shell House is often described through the lens of scale. Three venues, three energies, one building that rarely slows down. For executive chef Joel Bickford, leadership in that environment has little to do with size.

It comes down to standards, and how reliably those standards hold when the pressure is on.

Across Menzies Bar, the Dining Room and Sky Bar, the brief was not to create three competing concepts. It was to build three distinct kitchens that could operate independently while still feeling part of the same operation.

“The DNA that unites all three venues within Shell House is our commitment to quality and consistency,” Joel says.

Each venue serves a different purpose. Menzies Bar is built for pace and repeatability. The Dining Room is slower and more deliberate, designed for long services and special occasions. Sky Bar is driven by timing, restraint and flow. Leadership, in this context, is not about sameness. It is about being clear on what matters everywhere.

Making decisions that hold up in service

That clarity extends directly to the food.

The Tuna Cotoletta has become one of the most recognisable dishes in the building, but it was never conceived as a signature. It came from a specific problem during menu development for the annual tuna charity dinner held in the Dining Room.

“We had explored tuna XO with pasta, crudo, and our house-made tuna pastrami,” Joel explains. “But we needed a main course that didn’t feel like just another fish dish.”

The solution came from structure, not novelty. A classic veal cotoletta became the reference point, rebuilt using bluefin tuna loin, breaded and fried, served medium-rare with green peppercorn and brandy sauce, spigarello and bone marrow.

It is a dish that feels bold on the plate, but the thinking behind it is practical. Familiar architecture, executed with precision. Just as importantly, it is a dish that can be taught, repeated and held to standard across busy services.

Designing food teams can repeat

That repeatability underpins Shell House’s broader food philosophy. The menu sits deliberately at the intersection of Australian provenance and a Mediterranean way of eating.

Clean flavours. Cooking over coals. A focus on fish, shellfish and seasonal vegetables. Food designed to be shared and eaten socially.

“The challenge was to create a quintessentially Australian restaurant that spoke to the Sydney city dining scene,” Joel says, “while carrying a subtle Mediterranean influence.”

It was also a response to a shift in how people want to dine in the CBD. Guests still want quality and atmosphere, but without excess for its own sake.

“There’s been a move away from that gluttonous, over-indulgent feeling,” Joel says. “People understand what good food looks like now.”

For leadership teams, that shift is not theoretical. It affects menu composition, portioning, pacing and service rhythm. These are operational decisions, not branding exercises.

Hiring for leadership, not just skill

Running multiple kitchens sharpens how you hire.

For Joel, senior chefs are not judged solely on technical ability. Leadership starts with attitude and communication.

“For senior chefs, it’s about more than just cooking,” he says. “First and foremost, we look for good people with a great attitude.”

Teaching ability matters. Patience matters. So does the ability to lead calmly under pressure. In a large operation, senior chefs set the tone not just for food quality, but for how teams behave when things get busy.

A long view of the industry

That long view also shapes how Joel thinks about Australian dining more broadly.

When asked where the next leap is coming from, he avoids prediction.

“I don’t see a huge leap or dramatic change ahead,” Joel says. “Australia has been steadily getting better at what we do.”

Given the relatively short history of fine dining in the country, he sees Australia’s global standing as the result of consistency rather than constant reinvention. Slow improvement has been the strength of the industry.

Sustainability as daily practice

Sustainability at Shell House follows the same logic. It is not treated as a layer added on, but as a series of everyday decisions.

The group partners with small producers who prioritise hook-and-line fishing and carbon-neutral farming, and works with beef suppliers investing in reduced emissions, energy use and waste.

“These principles are embedded in our day-to-day operations,” Joel says.

The habits that shape leaders

Away from strategy, there are smaller details that reveal how Joel works.

His current essential ingredient is hemp seed miso. His idea of a final meal is roasted chicken with good mashed potato and vegetables. The most underrated kitchen tool is a dessert spoon, valued for how many jobs it can do.

When asked what advice he would give a 14-year-old starting in the dish pit, Joel answers from experience. He started as a KP himself.

“Bite off more than you can chew,” he says. “And chew like hell.”

It is blunt advice, but accurate. Leadership, at any scale, starts early. Set the standard, back yourself, and do the work required to keep up.