People

Chef Martin Benn

Martin Benn began his cooking career as a Chef at the Oak Room in London learning French gastronomy under Michel Lorrain. From there Benn moved to work at the Landmark and later the Criterion, where he came under the tutelage of Marco Pierre White.

Relocating to Australia in 1996, Martin spent two years at Sydney's Forty One Restaurant. In 1999 he then gained a place at Tetsuya's, learning the fundamentals of Japanese cuisine from Chef Tetsuya Wakuda and mastering them to become Head Chef at the age of twenty five. In 2004, Benn moved to the Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay as executive chef, returning to Tetsuya's before a brief move to Hong Kong to undertake restaurant consultancy work.

Martin opened Sepia Restaurant in 2009, collaborating with renowned seafood supplier George Costi of De Costi Seafoods to supply the restaurant with the best quality seafood available.

In 2011 Martin was awarded the coveted 2011 SMH Good Food Guide - Chef of the Year and Sepia Restaurant awarded 2011 SMH Good Food Guide - Two Chefs Hats