Born at Wangaratta and raised at Bright, Smith joined the team at Lake Moodemere Estate at Rutherglen last month to run Lakeside Restaurant.

Having worked at Melbourne’s Hellenic Republic, The Press Club, Mama Baba, Le Grand Cirque, Epocha and Elyros, Smith wanted to return to the region with his young family.

As head chef at Elyros, Smith gained a chef’s hat in his first year, which was retained in his following three years. He also represented Elyros on The Chefs’ Line on SBS in October.

“Elyros was a Cretan-inspired restaurant,” he said.

“The Cretan Diet uses what’s seasonal and lots of foraging; not unlike Lake Moodemere where we have the estate-grown lambs, the citrus and the beehives.”

Lake Moodemere Estate wines will be paired with a new menu at a launch at Lakeside Restaurant during April.

Smith will hold a series of masterclasses to share his skill, technique and experience in the near future.

What's your favourite summer dish?

Spaghetti bolognese. My Nanna put her homemade relish in it.

What's your favourite season?

Winter. I like rustic, home-style comfort food. People are happy to eat it and be nourished.

What are the staples in your pantry now?

The full range of vinegar and flour; I make my own bread and bits and pieces. I make lavosh for Lake Moodemere as well as our pickles and jams.

What is your earliest cooking memory?

Cooking with my grandmothers; one lived at Bright and the other at Porepunkah. Making pasties with my grandmother at Porepunkah. Generally gardening, shelling peas and peeling tomatoes for sauces and relishes. It shaped me as a chef.

Which ingredients do you grow yourself?

Figs, quinces, apples and plums

Which six people would you invite to dinner?

My wife Kate Smith, her parents and my parents, and our kids: Bryron, 2, and Billie, 9 months.

What are you bingeing on TV? If anything.

Antiques Roadshow

What did you have for dinner last night?

Lamb on the barbecue

What are you drinking at the moment? 

Lake Moodemere Rose or Bridge Road Celtic Red Ale

Details:

Lakeside Restaurant,

12 Moodemere Road, Rutherglen 

Phone: (02) 6032 9449

Opens Wednesday to Sunday, 10am-4pm.