Chef Kyle Johns was born in South Africa and cut his teeth in upmarket Sydney kitchens (like Flying Fish and Otto). But after a road trip around Australia, where he worked short stints at a cattle station, a burger truck at a WA rodeo, and destination fine diner Appellation at The Louise hotel, it was the Barossa that captured his heart.
After almost a year of van life Johns and his wife Kayley returned to the Barossa, where he became executive chef at Appellation. Then late last year he joined the team at Hentley Farm (following the departure of acclaimed executive chef Clare Falzon). Though city folk mightn’t know it. The softly spoken, modest chef has kept pretty quiet, preferring to let his food speak for him. And word’s getting out.
At first glance his food appears as humble as he is – particularly in a fancy fine-dining setting. There are no tweezed garnishes or foams or billows of dry ice. Instead you might sit down to deeply comforting, buttery charred cabbage with briny capers and fermented fish sauce; cubes of fried potato with sour cream, smoked salmon and chives; wholesome market veggies swiped through pepita miso; rustic pan bread with umami-packed French onion butter; and lettuce wraps of kangaroo, mint and burnt citrus glaze. It’s unpretentious and delicious stuff, with subtly complex flavours.
“For me, every part of farm produce is special,” says Johns. “By using the rarely celebrated ingredients we can actually bring a higher quality to the dish in its entirety.”
We took five with Johns to learn more about his cooking style, his love for Barossa produce, and how his South African and Portuguese roots have impacted his culinary approach.
What drew you to the Barossa Valley, and to take up the head chef role at Hentley Farm?
I did a long trip around Australia in a van and we stopped here to work for a short time. We met some people and built new friendships. We continued our trip for another six months but ended up coming back to the Barossa to live and start a family. I only started at Hentley Farm late last year and it has been amazing, especially the team.
I was immediately drawn to the Barossa because eating and drinking is a way of life here. The entire region is bursting with passionate farmers and growers; presenting their produce to our guests is a true privilege.
How would you describe your cooking style these days?
Simplistic but complex flavours. There are so many ways to embrace food. I look forward to showing diners what is possible and the exciting nature of food.
What effect does the setting – the kitchen, the garden and wider Barossa landscape – have on your creativity?
I am always presented with new or exceptional produce and that really drives my menu decisions. The setting of the environment grounds me and keeps me focused. I find creating menus in this landscape is much easier than the big city. I love working closely with our farmers and winemakers, educating the team on our products by connecting with those who make them. We want to showcase all they’ve done to get it to us.
Does your cooking draw on any influences from your birthplace of South Africa, or your Portuguese roots?
My cooking does draw from my roots sometimes, but it isn’t the leading flavours or methods. I tend to notice my family and upbringing influence my ethos. My menus can be very diverse at times, but is always driven for the simple reason “to make people happy”, whether that’s trying something new, an ingredient they thought they could never like, or being brought together with people they want to share it with. If our guests are smiling, I’m happy too – our job is done.
What dishes are you most excited about on the menu right now? Are any of them likely to stay on as signatures?
Yes, at the moment I have a cabbage dish that is roasted and then blackened, finished with capers and seasoned with a Tommy Ruff fish sauce I made two years ago – simple but challenging. It’s one of the guest favourites, and likely to stay on for a while (at least with minimal seasonal tweaks). It’s well balanced and goes well with all of the white wines Hentley Farm produces.
Minimising food waste is integral to your cooking and the Hentley Farm ethos. Can you share some examples of how the kitchen avoids waste?
It all starts with menu planning – if the dish produces too much waste then it doesn’t make the menu. We have a course on the menu now using the outside leaves of butter lettuce and then we serve the middle of the lettuce as a side with the last savoury course. We also collect food scraps for the chickens onsite and compost heap. The compost from the kitchen then gets put back into our garden beds. We also feed food scraps to the lambs grazing within our vineyards. Now more than ever food wastage shouldn’t be an option anymore.
