Resident Chef - Château Montjoie, September 2025.

A two-week private dinner residency for an Australian group staying at a château in the south of France, with guest numbers ranging from twelve to eighteen over the course of the stay.

The clients were keen for food that felt rooted in place but not heavy — classic French dishes like coq au vin alongside brighter, more contemporary plates influenced by Mediterranean and Ottolenghi-style cooking. The emphasis was on generous sharing food and relaxed evenings around a long table, rather than formal restaurant service.

Each night began with canapés, followed by starters and main courses served family-style. Menus shifted throughout the fortnight depending on what was available locally and what the group felt like eating, balancing familiar French techniques with lighter, produce-led flavours.

At the clients’ request, I also sourced pastries and desserts from nearby boulangeries, including traditional French specialities such as croquembouche.

As the group wanted full table service during dinner, I arranged for a local assistant to handle laying the table, serving and clearing each course, and washing up afterwards, while I focused solely on cooking and running the kitchen.