TELINA Menzies became a chef after her father told her not to – and she has never looked back.
The heavily tattooed and talented 28-year-old recently took the reins as head chef at the metro haunt, The George.
“My dad and my uncles were chefs, they told me never to become one because of the long hours, but as usual you do what your parents tell you what not to do,” Menzies said.
“Food is an art-form, it’s about being creative and taking the people who eat your food on a journey – that’s what I love about being a chef.”
Menzies has just returned from a stint in London, where she worked for a leading catering company for 18 months.
“I disappeared over there on the assumption the grass was greener on the other side,” she said.
“The whole lifestyle and travel aspect was amazing, the food was great, and fresh produce was just so accessible but it’s not a place where I’d like to settle down. It’s very hard work over there.”
Menzies has been touted as a chef with terrific prospects since she started her apprenticeship at the Hyatt Regency Perth in 1999, before moving to the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre.
She won Chef of the Year Award at the Oceanafest International Chefs competition in 2007.
These days, she enjoys taking a “funky” approach to cooking modern food, while not making her dishes “over the top”, for example, incorporating a cucumber jelly into a regular Greek salad.
“I love putting a bit of a spin on food, while not complicating it.”
As for her favourite foods, Menzies says she is easy to please.
“You can’t beat a great piece of fresh bread and some really good cheese, I could eat that all day,” she said.
Phil Hickey