Dan Hunter does not need to look far from his kitchen for inspiration: the restaurant makes its home on a 30-acre farm that is managed using regenerative farming techniques and produces vegetables, fruits, free-range eggs, honey, and olive oil for Brae. The tasting menu is created daily based on what is at peak then, turning Brae into one of the top restaurants in Australia, ranked on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list as of 2017.

Dan Hunter’s professional cooking career began in Melbourne, Australia. His passion soon took him around the globe and into the kitchens of some of the world’s most acclaimed restaurants. A highlight includes being head chef under Andoni Luis Aduriz at Mugaritz in Spain. Upon returning to Australia, Hunter spent six years leading the kitchen of Dunkeld’s Royal Mail Hotel. His first solo venture, Brae, opened in 2013. Set in Victoria’s Otway hinterland amongst 30 acres of vegetable plots and orchards, Hunter leads a team of chefs and gardeners committed to a sustainable method of farming and cooking.

His approach
At Brae and its adjacent farm, organic principles are employed to produce seasonal vegetables, stone fruits, citrus, nuts, berries, and olives for organic extra-virgin oil from an established grove of more than 100 trees. Resident chickens supply free-range eggs, while bees produce honey and assist with pollination. Each day, a range of the highest quality ingredients is carefully sourced and selected from the property, local farms, and ethical, sustainable producers in Victoria and beyond. With the greatest respect, these ingredients are transformed into a daily set menu, served over a period of three to four hours, for both lunch and dinner.