Q&A with Sean

Sean Connolly

Birthday:
July 13

Place of birth:
Huddersfield, England

Occupation:
Chef

When did you decide that you wanted to be a chef?
At the age of 8

How many hours a week do you spend in a kitchen?
Not enough

What is your favourite dish to cook for your family at home?
Beef bourguignon

What was the last meal that you ate?
Smoked Salmon Omelette

If you had to prepare one dish to impress a woman, what would it be?
I do an awesome Caesar salad

Any advice for budding chefs?
Keep it simple and work very very hard

What in your opinion is the most underrated ingredient?
Salt!

And the most overrated?
Fresh truffles!

What made you decide to open a restaurant in Auckland?
Great people, great produce, huge opportunity!

Tell us a little about The Grill?
The pinnacle of my career

How do you feel about having this whole experience being filmed for a TV show?
Interesting, funny – hilarious actually and a little bit overwhelming

Meet Sean

Sean Connolly
Born in England (he still has a Leeds accent), Sean has wanted to cook, ever since he found out how to make a home‐made apple pie at school when he was twelve years old. Arriving in Sydney for a holiday in 1988, Sean fell in love with Australia and remained permanently. For the past ten years he has headed the Astral Restaurant, one of Sydney’s top restaurants. In 2008 & 2009 Sean was named Chef of The year by The Australian Hotel Association & GQ Magazine. Read More...