Katherine Country Club head chef Graham Bumford, 38, has just been awarded best chef’s title in the NT. 

The Country Club chef of three and a half years has been in the industry since school, so it is no surprise. 

“The award is based on entire operations at the Country Club as well. We are imposed by different challenges being semi remote – the costs are higher, there was a cultural challenge to overcome when I arrived, and we have supply issues. 

“So to win was very rewarding. I missed out last year, and I was not confident this year at all,” he said. 

Starting out at 16 as a kitchen hand to fund training for a pilot licence, Mr Bumford fell in love with the lifestyle and decided to follow the new dream of being a chef. 

“I really fell into it,” he said. 

“And I’ve now had the opportunity to work in amazing places all over Australia. 

“We’ve made a lot of improvements over the last three and a half years. 

“I saw it as a personal challenge to bring our numbers up and top other clubs, build a reputation and a really solid team. 

“I didn’t change the menu, but I did make it better. 

“I don’t believe in changing something if it is not broken, the menu provided everything for the town,” he said. 

More than 520 people attended the Australian Hotels Association (NT Branch) gala event, the Aristocrat Technologies Awards for Excellence, held last Wednesday on the Lawns at Skycity Darwin, completing the 2018 Hospitality Trade week.

The Aristocrat Technologies Hospitality NT Awards for Excellence received over 350 nominations across 37 award categories from hospitality venues located throughout the Territory. 

“The highlight of the evening was to see hospitality venues being rewarded for their strong customer service, community links and hard work in a difficult year,” president of the Australian Hotels Association Paul Palmer said.

“It was also good to see venues that have been able to invest in renovations and redevelopment, to also be able to win awards and continue to grow hospitality’s standards of excellence.  

“It was also a time to recognise the workforce behind the hospitality industry and so the employee awards were crowd favorites,” he said. 

The award for Mr Bumford raises the bar. 

“It is satisfying to be recognised for what I have put in. 

“It is now about taking it a step further. We want to be continually improving, bringing in new trends. 

“I think Katherine is looking for a better dining experience – and I’m making that happen,” Mr Bumford said.