Chef Council

About

The Frenchmaid Chef Council brings together experienced chefs from across the Food Service industry to work directly with our team. We collaborate to test products in real Commercial kitchen conditions, gather honest insights, and develop flavours that actually perform under pressure. Their feedback shapes everything from product development to new flavour innovation - so our range keeps delivering for chefs, service after service.

Chefs

Tony Smith

Group Executive Chef, StarGroup Upper North

Tony has built his career across global dining establishments, from independent restaurants to large-scale hospitality groups. Having spent the last 16 years at StarGroup, he brings deep expertise in high-volume kitchen management, operational efficiency, and flavour consistency at scale.

Jesper Gustafsson

Head Chef & Culinary Consultant

Originally from Sweden, Jesper has lived and worked across Australia, Canada, and New Zealand - building his skills across a wide range of professional kitchen environments. Most recently Head Chef at SKYCITY Auckland, where he led multiple venues simultaneously, he now runs his own culinary consultancy working with restaurants across New Zealand.

Luke Nicholas

Chef & Culinary Consultant

Luke's career spans Super Yachts, 5-star hotels, and Michelin-starred restaurants across the globe. Now based in Auckland, he has spent the last five years managing national accounts in the foodservice industry - bringing a sharp understanding of what chefs need from the products they rely on.

Chef Recipes

Korean style rice bowl with gochujang beef and avocado ranch

The best cooking comes from instinct - from making what you feel like eating, not what you’re “supposed” to cook. When you build from that place, dishes come together naturally, flavours land more honestly, and your guests almost always connect with your palate. Today’s mission: create a rice bowl that’s nourishing, satisfying, and fast enough to fit into real life. No long prep lists, no complicated techniques. Just honest ingredients layered with flavour and freshness. At

Jesper Gustafsson

Loaded fries with Sriracha honey and lemon yoghurt

Every country has its pub‑food icon, but loaded fries? That’s the universal champion. In Sweden, we call these “trucker fries.” Why? No clue, but it feels right. Hearty, salty, messy, indulgent… the kind of food that keeps you going or knocks you straight into a food coma. Either way, it's worth it. This dish doesn’t pretend to be healthy. It’s here to deliver pure flavour with zero apologies. Remember the golden rule: Fat + Sodium = Flavour Town and if we’ve already accepte

Jesper Gustafsson

Pork schnitzel, hollandaise potatoes and tomato salad

Six years ago, fresh off the plane from Toronto and still finding my footing in Auckland’s culinary scene, I walked into SKYCITY for what I thought would be a casual chat and trial shift. What I didn’t know was that I’d also be thrown straight into an on‑the‑spot cooking challenge in a new kitchen, with unfamiliar ingredients, and a ticking clock. Normally, that kind of setup is enough to rattle even seasoned chefs, but thanks to a little divine intervention (and a bottle of

Jesper Gustafsson

Chef Council

About

Chefs

Chef Recipes

Korean style rice bowl with gochujang beef and avocado ranch

Loaded fries with Sriracha honey and lemon yoghurt

Pork schnitzel, hollandaise potatoes and tomato salad

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