The Chef

Simon John Howard Yarham  H.C.I.M.A.

Simon like any passionate and creative chef,
works long and not exactly regular hours – but he says
that’s life, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
And you know he’s serious when in the same breath
he admits it’s not uncommon for him to spring out of bed
in the middle of what is often a relatively brief sleep –
to jot down inspirational ideas for menus.

Politely spoken and with a hint of shyness, he doesn’t fit
your stereotypical image of a chef at all. For a start,
despite the fact that he is head chef and co owner 
of 2 faces, Geelong’s premier restaurant, there’s not a hint of
arrogance or aloofness about him – more a splash of
youthful excitement when he talks about his vision for
food and how he goes about building each new dish.

Simon started the restaurant back in 1999 with co-owner
and partner Tim Mitchell, the 2 faces as they are known, and 
made their mark in ‘foodie’ circles very quickly – a testament
to their hard work and enthusiasm. But he says his menus
aren’t all about him – they also carry a distinct reflection
of his customers’ increasingly diverse tastes.
“Geelong diners are continually evolving in their tastes
and have become far more adventurous than they were
when we first opened the restaurant,” he said.

Now celebrating 10 years, 2 faces has been recognized annually by the Age Good Food Guide (most recently in the 2010 edition) and has received multiple Australian Achiever Awards and numerous industry commendations.

With Simon, as with many chefs you meet whose origins
lie outside Australia, there is a multitude of
influences on his craft.
Now a naturalised Aussie, he hails from Norfolk in England.
He worked as a chef extensively throughout his home
county and also in Europe. His first restaurant was
Romford House, located in the busy
Norfolk market town of Swaffam.
It is still as popular as ever and all these years on,
his creative influence still permeates the
menu there today.

He confesses he didn’t initially see himself as a
culinary artist, but he excelled in the area at school,
and it became clear he had real talent.
Food proved to be the one outlet for
his desire to be truly experimental.

He says food is endless,
and that he is constantly learning.
He draws inspiration from the fact that his
adopted country has such an array of quality,
fresh produce on hand.

Simon is constantly varying his menu and dishes
range from contemporary flavours to
Mediterranean and Asian influences, particularly Thai.
More recently he has been exploring
Middle Eastern themes.

Many speak of his ability to combine a complexity of
flavours and textures without losing the point of the dish –
a highly regarded skill in the industry.

While the process of creating a dish brings him
immense satisfaction, even more rewarding, he says,
is the finished work, and the enjoyment
it brings to the diner.

Simon recognises dining is very much an accepted
social activity these days. “Dining’s a much more regular
occurrence. People don’t just go out for special occasions or tea anymore. It’s about them sharing the dining experience
and being happy at the end of the day,” he says.

And even if the day ends for him 16 hours or more after
it began, he says it’s all worth it….
and something tells you he genuinely means it.