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Luke Mangan is an Australian Chef, restaurateur, author, and television personality. He is also the consultant chef for Virgin Australia, is a co-founder of the Appetite for Excellence hospitality awards program, and has a range of products sold under his name throughout selected food stores.

Contents

1.	Early life

2.	Career

3.	Award programs

4.	Television

5.	Consultant chef projects

6.	Books and media

7.	Food products

1.	Early life

Mangan was born in Victoria; his family were of Catholic descent and he was the youngest of seven brothers. His father was a bank manager and his mother raised the seven boys, giving Luke his taste for hearty, home-cooked food. “Mum was the queen of stews, stocks and soups,” : Mangan comments in his autobiography. He admits hating school and after being encouraged by his Woodwork teacher to bake a cake and bring it in for his classmates, completed two weeks work experience at South Yarra restaurant Two Faces, under owner Hermann Schnieder.

2.	Career

Luke Mangan left school at 15 and began a four year apprenticeship at Two Faces and Roesti Bistro. He also completed his apprentice theory at TAFE institute William Angliss College. After completing his training in 1990, Mangan persuaded Michel Roux of the 3 Michelin starred Waterside Inn in London to take him on as a trainee chef. He packed his bags and left for London, spending two years working in the kitchen of the renowned restaurant and developing a strong foundation in French cooking. Mangan then moved on to work as Chef de Partie at Kensington Palace, a new restaurant specialising in modern British cookery owned by Rowley Leigh. He also worked as junior sous chef at another of Leigh’s restaurants, Launceston Palace.

Mangan returned to Australia in 1993, and after a chance meeting with entrepreneur John Hemmes (owner of the Merivale empire of properties and restaurants), he was offered the role of head chef at their new restaurant,CBD at the age of 24. The ambitious new business was housed in the four-storey former National Bank building in central Sydney. CBD opened on Valentine’s Day in 1994 and soon became a hotspot for high profile diners – Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman celebrated a birthday at the restaurant, and Mangan was soon a media personality. It was at CBD that Luke created his famous liquorice parfait – a dish which is still served in his restaurants to this day.

After four years at CBD, Luke launched his own restaurant, Salt, housed in Sydney’s Kirketon Hotel, a boutique building in Darlinghurst. The restaurant had a turnover of $5.9million in its first year of trade,” and was awarded two chef’s hats. Mangan was developing his signature menu style; "simple dishes, full of flavour, with key locally-sourced ingredients" ,”. Restaurant critic AA Gill and chef Jamie Oliver dined at Salt, as well as Virgin Group owner Richard Branson. Shortly after the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Mangan opened Bistro Lulu, a Parisian-style brasserie in [|Paddington], and then Moorish under North Bondi RSL – a Moroccan style restaurant. In 2004 Mangan cooked for the Danish royal family. In 2005 Mangan launched glass brasserie, his Sydney-based restaurant in Sydney’s Hilton Hotel. In 2006 he opened Salt in Tokyo, and in 2008 he was invited to launch the Salt concept aboard three P&O luxury cruise liners, the Pacific Jewel, Pacific Dawn, and Pacific Pearl.

Salt grill Surfer’s Paradise was launched in the Gold Coast Hilton in 2011, and Mangan runs two restaurants in Singapore – Salt grill and Salt tapas & bar – with plans to launch Salt grill in Jakarta in late 2012.

3.	Award programs

In 2005, Luke Mangan and Lucy Allon established a national initiative with the hope of addressing the skills shortage in the hospitality industry by motivating, inspiring and educating young talent. They recruited a group of 24 inspirational leading restaurateurs from around Australia to become the judges. Now in its 8th year, Appetite for Excellence is the only national awards of its kind in Australia continuing to grow from strength to strength to include young chef (2005), young waiter (2007), and young restaurateur (2009), creating a holistic awards program that rewards all aspects of the industry.

4.	Television programs

Luke Mangan is also a notable food personality within Australia; he is currently a resident chef on Channel 9’s TODAY Show, and has appeared on various international stations.

5.	Consultant chef projects

Luke Mangan is the consultant chef for Virgin Australia. He has also cooked for Richard Branson and guests on Branson’s private Necker Island in the Caribbean.

6.	Books

Luke has released five books; BLD (1999), Luke Mangan Food (2002), Luke Mangan Classics (2004), Luke Mangan at Home and in the Mood (2009) and his autobiography The Making of a Chef (2010).

7.	Food products

Luke Mangan has a signature range of retail products, including oils, spices and vinegars, which are available to buy from his website and in Thomas Dux stores throughout Australia.