Kenny’s story is what he describes as “a typical immigrant story”. Born in Manila in The Philippines, he came to Australia on a student visa. For him, studying cooking was a way to start a new life abroad. But it was the pace and theatre of the bustling restaurant kitchen that won him over; he had discovered his passion.

Working in pubs while studying in Melbourne, the senior chefs could see his spark and fed him high-end cookbooks and the Good Food Guide in quiet moments. When the time came to do his restaurant placement, he knew he didn’t want to be a cog in a huge machine, stuck peeling potatoes.

He sent a love letter to some of the best in the country and packed his bag for Brae restaurant, where he learnt dedicated habits for farm-to-table dining that saw him begin each day at 8am harvesting the ingredients for service that day. Next, he set his sights on The Boathouse Daylesford, spending the final year of his diploma working there and commuting into the city to attend school. Then, he went deep into foraging at a stagiaire at Biota in the NSW Southern Highlands.

Kenny was still fresh at Polperro Vineyard Dining, having started in 2019, when the covid pandemic sent them into lockdown. With no customers to serve, the Polperro team went out and worked on the farm.

For Kenny, it was a valuable opportunity to learn about the growing seasons in Australia, and it was a time of growth as a chef. After the return to business as usual, Kenny stepped up as Sous Chef under Gayan Pieris’ mentorship.

Kenny thinks of himself as a lifelong student, collecting mentors along the way. Reaching back into his heritage, Kenny credits Gayan as helping him find his voice as a chef.