Meet Ryan

Say hello to Canterbury’s newest Executive Chef, Ryan Liu! He joined the Canterbury team in 2016 and since then has been instrumental in all the amazing food coming out of the Club’s kitchens.

1.  What are the responsibilities for an Executive Chef compared to the regular chef team member?

There are lots more responsibility being an Executive Chef as I have to complete all of the food ordering as well as stocktake control, staff rosters and complaints. The paperwork associated with it has become a huge part of my job, especially when you compare it to the responsibilities of being a regular chef.

2. What got you interested in cooking and working in the hospitality industry? 

When I first came to Australia, I got a student visa and the chef course was the easiest to apply for. I kept at it and improved my cooking skills and realised that I could make this my profession.

I continued this as my career because I enjoy the challenge, as well as the opportunities to meet and interact with patrons and staff from all different walks of life.

3. What is your favourite thing about being a chef? What is the hardest?

Being a chef brings different challenges every day but I like to see how I tackle them. It also helps improve my people communication and works the side of my brain that does problem-solving. I enjoy creating new and interesting dishes for both Bakehouse Cafe and The Bistro, and it brings me great joy when they are well-received by customers and staff.

The hardest thing about being a chef is receiving negative feedback from patrons however I try to take this as a chance to improve the dishes that we serve.

4. What is/was your favourite dish to cook at Canterbury?

I don’t have one favourite dish but I really enjoy cooking and creating dishes with any type of seafood as a major component.

5. Who does the cooking in your household? Is it automatically you since you are a chef? 

I used to do all the cooking at home, which is one of the main reasons my wife married me! But since I have become Executive Chef, my wife has had to step up to the plate and take on the role of house chef.

6. Do you follow any celebrity chefs as your inspiration? 

I follow Gordon Ramsey as he is very passionate about his cooking and can get very fired up if a dish isn’t done correctly which is very similar to me.

7. What is a secret tip that chefs always do that you’d like to see more home cooks do?

The main thing for home cooks is to always have good quality products – don’t buy something because it’s a bargain! Always make sure the quality of whatever you are using is the best you can get; you will enjoy you meal a lot more if you follow this rule. Whoever else eats will also really appreciate this.