“I am passionate about using ethical and sustainable food including offal and wild game. Knowing where my food comes from and making sure the animal is respected with nothing being wasted is very important to me. ”
MacLean Fraser is based in Wellington and is a Brand Ambassador for Lumina Farms. MacLean was named a Beef + Lamb Ambassador Chef in March 2022 while working as executive chef of Artisan at Bolton Hotel in Wellington. He grew up in Taranaki surrounded by dairy farms and enjoyed hunting and the outdoor life. After completing a Bachelor of Arts at Victoria University, he went on to enrol at Massey University in Wellington to do a cooking course. MacLean says he was very lucky to have amazing tutors such as Anita Sargison, who really inspired him. Along with the creative side of cooking, he also loved the structure, discipline, and hierarchy of the kitchen. He completed a City and Guilds course with distinction and set out on his new career path.
His first job at Bouquet Garni was inspiring and led to many career highlights. MacLean has also worked as a chef in the Cook Islands, run a hotel and resort kitchen in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and has worked on a private island resort in the Maldives. During this time MacLean was able to travel and try different food in different countries in both Asia and Europe.
MacLean joined Artisan at Bolton Hotel in 2014 and during his time there he collected multiple accolades including the NZ Chefs Association, Chef of the Year in 2018 and is a World Chefs accredited chef judge. MacLean is also a member of the NZ Chefs National team that came second at the international competitions in Singapore in 2018. In October 2022, MacLean took the next step in his career to become a Brand Ambassador for Lumina Farms.
Knowing where his food comes from, treating it with respect and minimising waste are all part of his ethos as a chef.
BEEF DISH
Grilled smoked beef tongue, eggplant and black garlic, sweetbreads, baby vegetables, foraged weeds, mustard jus.
This was the beef dish I put forward on my Beef + Lamb Ambassador Chef application and was always a very popular dish on my menu at Artisan at Bolton Hotel. The inspiration behind this dish came from the desire to give a real nose-to-tail experience to guests using beef cuts with different tastes, textures, and cooking techniques. I am passionate about reducing waste and respecting produce so in creating this dish I feel I have honoured that passion and are showcasing some interesting parts of the animal that guests may not have experienced before.
Tongue is a tough cut of meat, so I slowly braise it in stock with aromatics before pressing it and then cold-smoking it with Manuka. I keep the beef fat trimmings and render them out - a bit like you would with duck fat - but adding aromatics such as garlic, peppercorns, and thyme. I then grill and slice the tongue, finishing it off by brushing it with the aromatic beef fat and seasoning. The veal sweetbreads are poached in a court bouillon and then crumbed and fried to add a crunch.
To balance the dish, I’ve added a starch and a vegetable, cooking the potato in water infused with garlic and then sous vide the carrots with butter and thyme. Both these components are finished to order by roasting in a little beef fat.
The mustard in the jus gives a little kick which complements the beef tongue, and the gremolata adds freshness. The eggplant and black garlic purée provides earthiness, smokiness, and umami to the dish.
Locally foraged weeds provide additional freshness and colour and being locally foraged are sustainable with no food miles. The whole dish is covered by a cloche before pumping more Manuka smoke under the lid and revealing it to the guest at the table and pouring on the jus which adds a bit of culinary theatre to their dining experience.
LAMB DISH
Grilled lamb loin, duck fat potato, baby carrots three ways (salt-baked whole, puréed, pickled) peas (in pods, sprouts, and foam), layered slices of potato, and crisp bacon.
It’s tough for chefs right now with lots to think about when putting menus together. As a chef I always wanted my dishes to be approachable but not confronting, so it was important to stick with classic flavour combinations, but doing things in a way that is going to be surprising. For example, taking one ingredient and serving it in several different ways on the plate – like carrots three ways – it shows the versatility of that ingredient.
This lamb dish takes the classic simple combination of flavours - lamb, potatoes, carrots, and peas - but uses nine or ten movements on the plate – its deceptively simple with a layer of sophistication.
When I created this dish I used one of my favourite products, Lumina lamb short loin with the cap on. After removing the membrane and top layer off the cap I scored it and cooked it skin side down to render the fat until crisp, then seared and finished in the oven. Because the cap is left on the dish needs some acidity to cut through the richness of the fat, so I served it with pickled carrot ribbons, a silky carrot purée, and salt-baked baby carrots. This is like the aging process and intensifies the carrot flavour with a hint of aromatics which are added to the confit salt.
Potatoes Sarladaise are accompanied by sugar snaps, a pea foam infused with mint, and a garnish of pea shoots. The dish is finished off with a slice of crispy lamb bacon, a nasturtium leaf, and a delicious jus.
Q&A WITH Maclean Fraser
What inspired you to become a chef?
I grew up in Taranaki surrounded by dairy farms and enjoying the hunting and outdoor life. Both of my parents worked full time which meant as a kid I had jobs to do after school before they got home from work. This included getting dinner started which I really enjoyed. I would often watch cooking shows on the weekends and especially enjoyed watching Alison Holst – she is such an iconic kiwi cook.
Although I enjoyed cooking for the family when I was younger, I didn’t really see it as a career path. In fact, after high school, I went to Victoria University in Wellington and completed a Bachelor of Arts in classical studies.
After finishing my degree, I was thinking about my next step when a good friend of mine suggested I enroll in a cooking course that he was doing at Massey University in Wellington. Given that I had always been interested in creating things I signed up and loved it!
How did you train to become a chef?
My training was at Massey University in Wellington, and I was very lucky to have amazing tutors such as Anita Sargison, who really inspired me. Along with the creative side of cooking, I also found that I loved the structure, discipline, and hierarchy of the kitchen. I completed a City and Guilds course with distinction and my new career path was set.
From there I went on to my first job at Bouquet Garni in Wellington where I was lucky enough to work with chef Tony Smith. It was an amazing first job and really cemented my belief that I was on the right career path. I had lots of first food experiences while working there and I remember trying things like balsamic vinegar, Bluff Oysters, and truffles for the very first time.
Tony was a great mentor and helped to expand my culinary palate. Something that has stuck in my mind while working for him was when he was named a Beef + Lamb Ambassador Chef. That sparked an interest in me, and I was determined to achieve something similar in my own career.
How do you feel about being named a Beef + Lamb Ambassador Chef?
Really stoked! It’s been on my career bucket list to achieve this and looking at the line-up of finalists it’s amazing to get to this level with my peers and then to go on to be named as an Ambassador Chef – it’s just amazing.
HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOURSELF AS A CHEF?
I am passionate about using ethical and sustainable food including offal and wild game. Knowing where my food comes from and making sure the animal is respected with nothing being wasted is very important to me.
This comes through in my hunting as well – as a chef we have a duty to use as much as possible of the animal and that’s where you can get creative using all the offal and offcuts. Some of the most delicious things can be made from ‘the nasty bits’!
I value honesty and integrity and as a chef that’s what I look for when sourcing suppliers. I can make a bit more of an impact with my purchasing power by making good choices on which suppliers I choose to support. It’s important that I know where everything comes from and that I am supporting people who share those same values. Then it’s easy to tell their story to our customers through the food on the plate.
What motivates you to keep developing as a chef?
Not wanting to rest on my laurels - I tend to keep pushing forward and coming up with ideas to create new dishes. I can sometimes get stuck in my ways and doing things in a certain style but the best thing about cooking is you can keep exercising your creative brain which I find very motivating. While in the kitchen I liked to change the menu every three to four months with some tweaks in between but also keeping popular dishes on the menu with some seasonal adjustments.
What do you love about cooking with NZ Beef and lamb?
I believe New Zealand producers are some of the best in the world and it’s important for me to promote that through my food. It’s also very popular with our guests - everyone loves a good New Zealand steak or lamb meal. It's versatile and easy to fit into a seasonal menu. Each season has something that will go well with beef and lamb and you can get creative using different techniques and cuts that can create richer flavours for winter or some lighter robust flavours for summer.
New Zealand beef and lamb were always a staple on my menu and was always popular with the overseas tourists who particularly came in looking for New Zealand lamb. It was equally as popular with locals who knew the excellent quality of our beef and lamb. It really is an exceptional product and because I know where it comes from it is great to be able to tell the guests of its provenance which adds value to their dining experience.
I particularly love 55-day aged handpicked beef– it’s just amazing. It’s wet-aged which strikes a nice balance with an intensified flavour which is not too overpowering. It has great texture and is very tender. Because it is handpicked the marbling is excellent, and as a chef it’s important to start with a quality product like this so I have the confidence I will get optimal flavour and tenderness with my dishes.
What is your career highlight?
Right now, I would have to say being named a Beef + Lamb Ambassador Chef. Also winning the NZ Chefs Association Chef of the Year in 2018 was amazing. I was then picked to compete on the NZ Chefs National team in Singapore with our team coming second. It was an amazing experience to represent New Zealand on the international stage and to work with a talented team of chefs including Darren Wright who is a Platinum Ambassador Chef for Beef + Lamb NZ.
Appearing on Country Calendar has also been a highlight where I went hunting with Scott from Awatoru, one of our amazing local suppliers. It was great to have the opportunity to help showcase what they do and be part of that food story.
I would also say a highlight is being able to see chefs who have worked for me in the past and have excelled and taken on senior roles and knowing that I helped contribute to their career stories.
What does sustainability taste like to you?
Eating local produce reduces the impact on the environment which as a chef is an important way to keep sustainability front of mind. It also needs to taste good! It needs to be a renewable resource so it’s not impacting on the environment but not compromising on flavour.
How IMPORTANT IS IT FOR CHEFS TO tell the PADDOCK to plate story on THEIR menu?
I think it is very important for chefs to have a relationship with their producers and suppliers which enables them to showcase those products and tell the producers story. When restaurant guests love the food they eat, it sparks their interest and can be an opportunity to tell the paddock to plate story. Starting with an excellent product that is tasty is an easy way to showcase this.
As a chef learning as much as you can about the produce is important. And when you have these amazing high-quality ingredients sometimes less is more - you often don’t need to do too much to them. Keeping things simple but executing them perfectly is a great way to tell the story of the produce and allow the food to shine.
What dish are you most proud of?
My beef tongue dish is one of my favourite dishes! I had it on the menu at Artisan at Bolton Hotel and it ticked so many boxes for me and is the kind of food I love making. Taking a lesser-known cut and using multiple techniques such as braising, smoking, pressing and grilling creates such a unique dish which is full of flavour and colour. When this dish was on the menu it sold almost as well as a good beef fillet, so being able to bring an offal cut up to that level was amazing. I wanted to challenge people to try new things and this dish certainly did that.
We heard you were a bit of a craft beer man – tell us a bit about that.
I love craft beer and Wellington would have to be the capital of the world when it comes to craft beer - there are so many awesome breweries here. I do a bit of backyard brewing myself at home, entering the odd competition as well just to keep it interesting.
If I was to match a craft beer with beef or lamb I would probably go with something like a really nice Red Double IPA – ‘Red Five Standing By’ from Baylands – I reckon something like that could go really well with a good steak.
what do you like to do with your spare time?
I love spending time with my kids and being focused on doing ‘dad’ things with them. Taking them to cricket matches is great and I also enjoy hunting when I have time to get out into the bush. A bit of homebrewing is high on my list when I have spare time too!
What was it like running a hotel restaurant?
It was challenging – there are a lot of moving parts in a hotel! I have worked in all kinds of restaurants around the world from resorts, hotels, and standalones. I approach the restaurant as if it was a standalone establishment because sometimes hotels can get stuck in a trap creating something for everyone with a huge menu and end up not doing anything particularly well, so I stay mindful of not falling into that trap.
I also think hotel restaurants are moving back to being more popular and shaking off the stigma that had become attached to them. There are a lot of hotel restaurants doing amazing food now and no reason that they cannot be recognised with the likes of chefs hats.
Keeping staff in today’s hospitality climate was also very challenging. I liked to treat people with dignity and respect and recognising that everyone is different, so there is no one mould that fits all. Keeping a life-work balance is important for everyone, and I also tried to motivate my staff, finding out about them and what they wanted from me to help them out with their career.
Who is your food hero?
It would have to be Anthony Bourdain. He is my favourite and I loved how real he was. Chefs all around the world could relate to him so much. You could sit down and watch his TV show and it would feel like you have just done service with him – he really was a no-nonsense chef.
What is one restaurant in the world that is on your bucket list?
The French Laundry in the Napa Valley, California.
What is your favourite cookbook?
Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential and Thomas Keller’s books, The French Laundry and Bouchon Bakery.
How do you keep up with new cooking trends?
I never really followed trends but at the same time we live in a world with such free and instant information coming through the internet. Back in the day you would need to buy a cookbook but now if you follow the right people on social you can see some pretty cool things. Social media has opened access to everyone right around the world and it’s a great way to keep connected.
What advice to give to young upcoming chefs?
I would say work for the right people. We are in a time where demand outweighs supply and for chefs who are committed and passionate, there are some great opportunities out there. Working for people who treat you well and where you will learn and work with good produce is important. Don’t necessarily go for the money – that will come later.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
I would say have fun, enjoy your cooking, and take up opportunities when they arise. Follow your passion and stay committed to yourself. Give things a good crack but if it’s not right move on to the next thing.
What has been something that has kept you going throughout the pandemic?
It’s been so hard with lots of ups and down – hanging on to hope that things will get better and drawing strength from my family and kids has been important. Focusing on the positives like being able to spend more time with my family during the lockdowns was actually a silver lining. There has also been inspiration in seeing people adapt and overcome challenges.
What is the next step for you?
Taking each day as it comes and raising my family.
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If you have a question for MacLean or any of our Ambassador Chefs or would like to know more, please get in touch by emailing Lisa Moloney.
