“I would describe myself as quite experimental when it comes to food, especially when it comes to fermentation, as it opens new and interesting flavour pathways when working with New Zealand beef and lamb.”
Originally from India, BJ acquired a love of cooking from a young age. He would forage for ingredients with his grandmother and spend hours watching his mum cook. At age 19 and after completing a Bachelor of Commerce he left India to embark on fulfilling his desire to become a chef.
With no formal culinary training, he worked his way around various kitchens in Malaysia, Singapore and the Maldives. He then moved on to London where he worked for the Gordon Ramsey group of restaurants. This is where he was able to build a foundation of skills and knowledge which set him up for a career as a chef.
BJ came to New Zealand in 2013 and has worked at various wineries, luxury lodges and hatted restaurants and been given opportunities to work with some amazing chefs. He feels truly inspired by these experiences and was delighted to have been able to bring his talent to Waiheke Island where he headed up the kitchen team at Mudbrick Vineyard. It was during his time at Mudbrick Vineyard that BJ was awarded the accolade of Beef + Lamb Ambassador Chef in 2022. In 2023 BJ headed up the kitchen team at Plume Restaurant in Matakana for a while before taking a break while he contemplates his next move. An experimental chef, BJ loves to push the boundaries with food and create new ideas for his menu.
BEEF DISH
Kombu aged beef eye fillet, beef cheek, onion textures, caulilini, beef tendon puff, bone sauce, leek ash.
“I started this dish without a real plan and it just evolved using the classic pairings of beef and onions. I wanted to add the umami flavour of kombu which adds an almost mushroom-like flavour to the beef. I also didn’t want to waste any of the onion off-cuts so turned them into several different variations of onion on the plate. Starting with the best quality beef is the backbone of the dish and I used eye fillet, beef cheek and beef tendons.
Each cut of beef on my dish is showcased in a unique and memorable way with all the elements coming together to create harmony in one delicious mouthful. The fillets are trimmed, wrapped in kombu and wet-aged for at least 30 days in a chiller.
Brown onions are prepared into different textures like petals and purée. The beef cheeks are braised and stuffed inside a poached onion and the puffed beef tendon showcases offal in a contemporary way and adds texture to the dish. I made a bone sauce which is glazed and poured over the stuffed onion finishing the dish with leek ash to give a burnt flavour and the cultured crème adds a citric note.”
LAMB DISH
Hawkes Bay Lamb loin, lamb belly and potato roulade, piko piko, lamb sweetbread, elderberry, burnt zucchini, pickled green walnut, lamb garum.
“I wanted to challenge myself with this dish to see how many cuts of lamb offal I could use and how they could all work together using different techniques. I wanted to incorporate the Japanese flavours of umami as I think it goes well with lamb. There is a lot going on with this dish so it was about achieving a balance and a fusion of Japanese flavours with New Zealand ingredients.
The Hawke’s Bay lamb loins are marinated in a Mudbrick red and port wine with juniper for an hour, then finished in the pan with juniper oil and butter. The wine and berry notes are designed to explode on the palate when you taste the loin. The technique of the lamb belly and potato roll is next level with the pulled belly rolled inside a potato sheet.
Foraged piko piko gives an asparagus-like flavour that is unique to any other ingredient that I have tried worldwide. Elderberry gives a bright, fruity, tart flavour which is contrasted by the earthy flavour of Lion's Mane mushrooms.
I wanted to feature sweetbreads which I coated with activated charcoal breadcrumbs and deep-fried. Burnt zucchini purée gives a rich smoky note and the lamb heart bottarga adds a savoury taste. Pickled green walnuts give a citric balance and the 50-day fermented lamb garum gives the umami punch which brings the whole dish together and a ‘snow’ is created from the lamb fat.”
Q&A WITH bj sebastian
What inspired you to become a chef?
I was inspired by my family when I was young. My grandmother used to take me foraging with her and taught me how good the plants were for our health. This was really my first impression of food, seeing a lot of pickles and fermentations being created by my family. My dad owns a seafood farm so we had access to seafood every day, and I had the chance to play around with all of these different kinds of foods when I was growing up.
I spent a lot of time watching my mum cook. She would let me help in the kitchen and I made a lot of mistakes but that was how I learned. I remember being excited by the smells and textures of the food my mum cooked. She taught me the basics of things like caramelisation and that is one aroma that stuck with me and inspired my cooking journey.
How did you train to become a chef?
Coming from a family where my brother is an engineer and my sister is studying medicine to be a doctor, my parents encouraged me to be an accountant and get a degree before setting out into the world. So I completed a Bachelor of Commerce in India to keep them happy, but it didn’t really give me the inspiration or creativity that cooking did. At the age of 19, and without any formal culinary training, I left India and worked my way around various kitchens in Malaysia, Singapore and the Maldives.
I then moved on to London where I worked for the Gordon Ramsey group of restaurants. This is where I built my foundation of skills and knowledge which set me up for a career as a chef. It was tough, but I learnt the basics such as good knife skills and the cooking techniques that I needed. This foundation of on-the-job learning is critical for younger chefs – I see chefs coming through who don’t have this foundation of the basics and it’s hard for them. It wasn’t easy and the pressure I was under during those years toughened me up and made me the chef I am today.
How do you define yourself as a chef?
I love to experiment! I find that experimentation comes from necessity as I want to minimise waste, so it’s about how I can use every part of the ingredients I am using. I am always pushing the boundaries with food and love coming up with new ideas. For me attention to detail is very important, especially with the little things. Getting the little things right all adds up to making everything on the plate perfect and work together in harmony. I take things step by step with no shortcuts to ensure perfection, that’s just the way I like things to be.
How do you feel about being named a Beef + Lamb Ambassador Chef?
I feel overwhelmed and very happy. I had pushed the boundaries on the dishes for my application so was very happy when I heard the news. My parents were so proud that I have received such high recognition as a chef in New Zealand, even though their aspiration for me was to become an accountant.
What motivates you to keep developing as a chef?
Reading my favourite book – The Noma Guide to Fermentation. I can’t stop reading and referring to this book for inspiration and the development of new flavours and techniques for my dishes. As they say in the book fermentation really is the foundation of flavour.
Some of these techniques were used by my grandmother so I had those food memories already in my mind from my childhood. Fermentation is centuries old and obviously, things have changed, but food connects you to a history of traditions, using what is available in nature. As a chef, my experimentation comes from honouring those techniques from the past and taking them to the next level in my kitchen. I like to think of it as a ‘nature to plate’ philosophy and apply this to my cooking.
Can you give us an example of how you have experimented with fermentation?
Yes – let’s talk about lamb garum which is something that I love to create and use to add flavour to my dishes. Traditionally garum is a fermented fish sauce, left for a year to ferment with the micro-organisms and enzymes breaking down the proteins and creating an umami-rich amino acid.
I have brought this into the future learning that the same enzymes in meat are also in a grain called koji. Combining the koji and meat (I use lean lamb off-cuts and lamb tongue) together with some umami salt creates a delicious lamb garum. I find these flavours particularly lend themselves well to cooking with beef and lamb.
What dish are you most proud of?
The lamb dish I had on the menu at Archive Bistro at Mudbrick – I got so many questions and interest from customers and were often asked to come out to the dining room to explain all the elements on the plate. Guests were interested to know all about the dish. A great detail of preparation work is behind it and it’s nice that I got the chance to explain this to the guests, so they could see how I push the boundaries with my cuisine.
What is your favourite wine match for beef and lamb?
When I worked at Mudbrick Vineyards it would have to be their Syrah. I like the hard wines and feel they enhance the flavour of beef and lamb - especially when using a bit of the same wine to marinate something on the plate such as the lamb.
Who is your food hero?
My family - my mum and my grandmother - but as a professional, I would have to say it’s me! I have been developing myself day after day and my palate has changed over the years as I have learned more about fermenting and incorporating things from nature and using my nature to plate philosophy to put myself on the plate.
What advice to give to young upcoming chefs?
Build a foundation of basic skills first, be patient and you will be successful one day. Don’t rush things but concentrate on building your skills and learn from the best chefs you can find.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Be patient. I wasn’t patient but looking back I now see that you have to keep working to achieve your goals. Keep learning and pushing boundaries.
What is the next step for you?
I am quite ambitious and would like to achieve more recognition for the restaurants that I come to work in. Right now I am focusing on the next steps in my culinary career.
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If you have a question for BJ Sebastian or any of our Ambassador Chefs or would like to know more, please get in touch by emailing Lisa Moloney.