New Hire: Engineer-Turned-Chef Kyo Kim Takes the Reins at Beaconsfield Wine Bar

Kyo Kim wasn’t always a chef. Before moving to Australia from Korea in 2019, Kim worked in industrial engineering.

After a stint in culinary school, he worked at top Adelaide diner Shobosho ; Madalena’s , where he honed his seafood knowledge; Lulu La Delizia , where he learnt the art of pasta-making; and then under James Cole Bowen at Gibney.

He’s about a month into his new gig as head chef at Beaconsfield Wine Bar , where he’s serving a menu he describes as a melting pot of Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Italian and French cuisine.

What’s your new job title?
I’m head chef at Beaconsfield Wine Bar. It is my first time working as a head chef. Before I started, I felt 50 per cent worried and 50 per cent excited. The first week was a bit hectic, but people enjoyed my food, and no one complained.

When did Beaconsfield approach you about the head chef role, and why did you say yes?
In July, I got a text message from Matt [Sharples, Beaconsfield Wine Bar’s owner]. I didn’t expect it was a job offer. I’ve never done a head chef role before, so I was thinking that it would be a great opportunity to step up my career.

Before I officially joined [Beaconsfield], I came here for lunch. At the time, chef Glenn [McCue of Jujube Dining] was doing his pop-up here. The food was nice, even though he only had two induction [stoves to work on]. He had a dessert on the menu too. I was quite impressed.

What’s your background, and what cuisines do you cook?
I was born in Korea, so I grew up there until I was in my mid-twenties. The first time I came to Australia, it was 2014 for a working holiday. I stayed a year and then went back to Korea to finish my uni. I thought that if I moved back to Australia, I might be able to pursue cooking, which I liked.

I started studying commercial cookery in 2016, then I started working at Shobosho , and learned how they do Korean cuisine to make Australians happy. I learned some Chinese and French techniques there too.

Now I’d describe my cuisine as modern Japanese, Korean and Chinese with some Italian, fish butchery, and a bit of French.

How do all those cuisines come together on the menu at Beaconsfield?
I want to do what I love, but also I want to add it to something that I haven’t done before to the menu. For example, I’m serving a mushroom udon. Most people believe the dish will be udon with a bit of soup and mushroom, but instead I use udon noodles and a bit of shiitake and oyster mushrooms, with a little bit of butter to emulsify and white soy for seasoning instead of salt. Most of the ingredients for the dish are Japanese, but the result would be seen as pasta.

Are there any other dishes you can tell us about already?
The tofu parfait. I believe tofu and poultry liver are quite similar. Both contain 70 per cent moisture and have a similar texture. So, I made a parfait with tofu, mushrooms and shallots. It cannot be the same as duck or chicken liver parfait, but it still tastes good, and it’s vegetarian. It is served with saké, yuzu jelly, edible flowers and crostini.

Before you were a chef, you were an engineer. Are there any engineering lessons you use in the kitchen?
My major was industrial management engineering. Using statistics and controlling resources to achieving better efficiency and output was a key aspect of my major. It has helped me a lot since I started working in the kitchen, especially when organising. I make a daily, weekly, fortnightly and monthly plan to share with chefs to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Your CV includes Gibney, Lulu La Delizia and Madalena’s. How has your time in those kitchens shaped your approach to Beaconsfield? Is there a lesson you learnt from previous mentors that has stuck with you?
I learnt a lot of things about seafood at Madalena’s, like butchering different kinds of fish [and constructing] raw and cooked seafood dishes, which is really helpful, especially when I was thinking about a crudo dish at Beaconsfield Wine Bar.

I learnt Italian cuisine at Lulu La Delizia. The gnocchi and panna cotta on my menu at Beaconsfield Wine Bar are inspired by Lulu La Delizia.

From Gibney, I learnt more about organisational skills.

I have never seen any of my previous mentors get mad or crazy when we were working together. They were always nice and gentle, trying to figure out the problem together. I really want to be a leader like them, too.