RALF Vogt is finding it hard to contain his excitement. The German-born kitchen maestro started in his new role as executive chef at Burswood Entertainment Complex just weeks ago, but he hasn’t wasted any time in familiarising himself with our abunda
“I am absolutely overwhelmed by the quality of WA product… it’s amazing,” he exclaimed.
Vogt brings an impressive CV to his latest posting, coming from Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he spent 12 years working for the Hilton hotel group, with a stint in Korea.
During his time on the sub-continent, he was also made “opening chef” for new resort launches in Bangalore, India, as well as the Maldives.
Among his other high-profile positions was executive chef at the Hilton Bay Tokyo, where he managed 704 rooms and 12 outlets, including French fine dining, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Italian and Indian restaurants.
Vogt said he was always encouraging of his younger offsiders to further their horizons abroad.
“When young chefs say ‘chef, sorry, I want to resign to travel’, I say ‘great, go out and see the world’.
“Some chefs travelled by working as cooks on ships, but I didn’t want that. For me, it was very important to see Asia and I believe all the experience I have collected, I feel it now coming to the Burswood.”
But it was in his grandfather’s family-run restaurant in a small town near Cologne that Vogt’s fascination with food was forged, after failing a test to become a police officer, like his father and brother.
Keen to further his skills, he left the restaurant and continued his apprenticeship at InterContinental Düsseldorf, where he became the youngest chef to gain his masters degree at 26.
From there he moved to Frankfurt InterContinental Hotel, before the lure of the rest of the world beckoned.
For Vogt, it was the Tokyo experience, in particular, that had the most profound influence on his food philosophy. “It shaped me in the way that I still think Japanese is the most interesting cooking of any cuisine,” he said.
As for what punters can expect from Vogt’s tenure at Burswood is anyone’s guess, but rest assured its food operations are in experienced hands.