Sydney-based chef and restaurateur Neil Perry has been shaping Australian hospitality since the 1980s. In conversation with his peers, 50 Best charts his influence on the culinary world
Neil Perry is a Member of the Order of Australia, which means he’s already a revered figure in his homeland. At The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 awards ceremony in Las Vegas, the veteran chef took the stage to a rousing ovation to accept the Woodford Reserve Icon Award, reflecting the high esteem in which he is held across the international culinary community.
Perry has been refining and reinventing Australia’s cuisine, restaurants and, ultimately, its entire culinary identity over decades. He is responsible for era-defining Australian restaurants including Bluewater Grill, Rockpool, Rockpool Bar and Grill, Spice Temple and now Margaret and its Sydney suburb neighbours: Next Door, Baker Bleu, Song Bird and Bobbie’s. Beyond the plate, he has nurtured some of the finest restaurant professionals in the country and has shown the world why produce – and the people who grow, fish and farm it – matter most.
Here’s why Perry’s peers, colleagues and customers will follow that famous ponytail wherever it leads.
He changed the way Australians – and the world – see Australian cuisine
In the 1980s and 1990s, much of the elite Australian restaurant scene felt like Europe lite. An affable and endlessly energetic young chef called Neil Perry was certain that Australian gastronomy could be its own beautiful beast, one that put a strong focus on seafood and bright Asian flavours, both of which made sense given Australia’s climate, geography and produce. 
Neil Perry focused on fresh seafood in the early stages of his career
“He has never tried to be on-trend but always followed his heart and his long-held belief that Australia is the greatest country on earth and that we have the best seafood in the world,” says renowned restaurant critic and cookbook author Jill Dupleix. As a self-taught cook, he has never been tied to strict traditions or parameters. “He just did what he thought was right by the produce and presented it in a pared back, punchy way,” she says.
Even Perry’s dining rooms, while upscale and refined, have an unmistakable Australian warmth. “Neil had this way of bringing together elements of European fine dining, dusting it off and putting a pair of RMs on it,” says Saint Peter chef-owner Josh Niland, referring to R.M. Williams work boots, an emblem of Australian country craftsmanship. “His ability to marry Eastern and Western cultures in a seamless way that doesn't feel like you're in a Chinese restaurant or a French one is a unique skill. I don't think too many have been able to do it so easily or elegantly since.”
Fellow Australian chefs Josh Niland and Kylie Kwong (above) have been hugely influenced by Perry and his legacy
He makes producers the stars of his menus
When you scan the vast menu at Perry’s flagship Sydney restaurant, Margaret, you might think you’ve stumbled across a copy of the chef’s personal phone contacts. “Elena’s buffalo mozzarella” begins a typical entry; “Bruce’s King George whiting” is another. The producers – in this case buffalo dairy farmer Elena Swegen and fisher Bruce Collis – are heroed even before the dish is described. “Everybody does it now, but 30-plus years ago that never happened,” says David Blackmore, who remembers Perry as the first Australian chef to namecheck Blackmore’s namesake wagyu beef on a menu, as early as 2006.
Seafood consultant John Susman from Fishtales has been supplying Perry’s restaurants for 35 years. “There is no one in the seafood world who comes close in regard to his commitment to producers,” says Susman. “Seeing Neil champion their products on his menu acknowledges their hard work and dedication but also validates their commitment to quality and sustainability.”
Producers have long been championed on the prolific chef’s menus
That championing goes well beyond the page. Perry was the first chef to bring restaurant teams out to Blackmore’s farm in Victoria, to learn how his wagyu cattle were raised. “One time he sent out three whole busloads,” remembers beef producer Blackmore. “It meant so much because it meant the staff could promote what we do, because they were fully involved.”
He feeds those who need it most
When Ronni Kahn AO founded OzHarvest, Australia’s leading food rescue organisation in 2004, Perry was one of the first to support her work. “From joining our CEO CookOff events over the years to providing cooked meals to support our emergency food relief programme during Covid, many hungry bellies have enjoyed a delicious meal thanks to him,” says Kahn. “Nothing is ever too much trouble for him, despite how busy he is.”
Legendary US chef Thomas Keller of Best of the Best restaurant The French Laundry has fond memories of joining Perry to cook at the Australian’s ‘Ultimate Dinner’ events in 2006 and 2009, to support the Starlight Children’s Foundation. Aside from helping to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the charity over several years, Keller says the standout moment was being allowed to give Perry’s trademark ponytail a brisk trim. “There was a roar and chant of ‘Cut it!’” recalls Keller of that hair-raising night. “Neil was terrified that we’d cut it too short, so Heston [Blumenthal] and I took pity on him and spared his precious hair, cutting only a few inches.” That sacrifice alone netted the charity a cool $50,000.
Thomas Keller with Perry during the fundraising night where the Australian’s famous ponytail was trimmed
He transformed the way we eat in the air
If you ever find yourself in Qantas’ First Class Lounge at Sydney Airport, order the salt and pepper squid. Across the airline’s four international lounges, they plate up a gigantic 350,000 serves per year, and with good reason. Served with a green chilli dipping sauce and aioli, it’s simple, accessible and packs the flavour equivalent of a jet engine. In other words: it’s delicious and trademark Perry.
The chef has been Qantas’ food, beverage and service director for 27 years, and is famously hands-on – he has been known to pop into an aircraft galley mid-flight to check the temperature of the butter, or ask the crew if this or that dish is a hit or a miss. “Neil isn’t the kind of chef to slap his name on something and call it a partnership,” says Kirsten Galliott, former editor-in-chief of Qantas magazine. “He is testing dishes in the air, tinkering with them until they are right. He cares about it as much as he does his own restaurants.”
He ensures generosity and care sit at the head of his table
Australia’s restaurant scene is scattered with Perry protégés, and when they describe their former boss, the words ‘generous’, ‘care’ and ‘respect’ come up repeatedly. Kylie Kwong, who would become an Australian culinary icon herself, remembers her time as a mature-aged apprentice at Rockpool, 30 years ago. “Kwongie, do you realise how lucky you are to be born into Chinese heritage? Chinese cuisine is one of my biggest favourites – it’s so sophisticated, refined and delicious,” Kwong recalls her new boss saying to her. “These generous words transformed my own viewpoint,” she explains. “Having Australia’s best chef at the time embrace my cultural diversity, instilled a deep sense of pride and inner confidence.”.jpg){kind=icon}
The winner of the Woodford Reserve Icon Award is described as generous, respectful and caring
Corey Costelloe, who worked under Perry at Rockpool Bar and Grill and has recently opened his own Sydney venue, 20 Chapel, says his mentor always led by example. He was never too busy or important to get out his knives, and even today – at the age of 67 – you’ll still see him on the pass at Margaret or up early with the bakers at Baker Bleu. “At big events, he’d be back there with us, doing prep,” Costelloe remembers.
But perhaps the thing that cements Perry as an icon above all else is the fact he is widely acknowledged to be that greatest of Australian accolades: A Good Bloke. He runs his restaurants on what he calls his ‘care’ philosophy: care for his suppliers, care for his staff and customers, and care for the community and the environment. “Icon, mentor, role model, influencer, teacher… These are just some of the words we all use to describe this extraordinary man, a man who has given so much to his family, friends, country and our profession,” says Keller.
“So much of Neil’s continued success stems from his wonderful ability to celebrate others,” says Kwong. Costello adds: “He’s just a very generous man. If he was down to his last 50 bucks he’d sit you down, share a meal with you and buy you a glass of wine. That’s just the sort of person he is.”
The list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, was announced at a live awards ceremony on Wednesday 5 June from Las Vegas. To stay up to date with the latest news, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube, and sign up to our newsletter.
