Liam Downes has been at the forefront of Ballarat's changing hospitality scene, and hopes leaders can continue to encourage new talent into the future.
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As the opportunities in the city expand, he would like to see more young people encouraged to stay in Ballarat rather than needing to go to Melbourne to train.
"Especially in hospitality, I would love to see them train under our chefs we have here and open their own restaurants," he said.
"[That will] keep this movement in the food scene really evolving."
Previously the executive chef at Moon and Mountain and Ragazzone, where he won a Good Food Guide chef hat, Mr Downes has been a big part of the growing food culture in the city.
A family tradition
Mr Downes' love of food started at an early age.
His grandma was an "unbelievable cook" and his parents ran a pub when he was younger.
He would often help out in the family businesses and later went to work as a kitchen hand at Craig's Royal Hotel.
Mr Downes had a few back up plans if he did not like the industry - he deferred his teaching university course and also thought he might become a landscaper.
But in the end he said he fell in love with all things people typically dislike about being a chef.
"I just started cooking and I fell in love with the long hours and the pressure, intensity and yelling," Mr Downes said.
He spent some time in Melbourne working but eventually he and his partner came back to Ballarat before the birth of their first child to be closer to their families.
Growing Ballarat foodie culture
A mixture of talented chefs and a rising number of local producers is what Mr Downes said started the ball rolling on Ballarat's foodie scene.
"Eventually all that has to fall into place and the food scene has to kind of start to move with that," he said.
"I think it slowly did, and I think Moon and Mountain was a big part of that, and places like Mr Jones."
Mr Downes said he was proud to be a part of the growing scene in the city.
He said the sense of community between hospitality venues is what keep him in Ballarat.
"I think the hospitality scene did band together quite well to create what we've created now," he said.
"Going back at the time, you don't realise it's changing, but then when it changes you realise you were a part of it ... it's cool."
Taking on a tree-change adventure
When the opportunity came up to take over operations at the Black Cat Truffle farm in Wattle Flat, Mr Downes realised it would fulfil a lifelong dream of his.
"(The goal) in the back of my mind, since I've been a chef, was to have a property that grew its own food," he said.
At the start of 2023 Mr Downes and his family, including his wife, two children, three dogs, alpacas and 40 chickens started the process to make the 26 acre property their home.
But it has not been without challenges.
"I have this thing that I didn't ever realise I'd have, called farming anxiety," he said.
"When you put something in the ground and then hope the weather and all these factors give you the end result six months later, I know farmers have that but I've never felt that before."
"It's kind of daunting."
But on the flip side he said it was rewarding to do all of the work and then be able to present an end result in the restaurant.
"When you pull [the truffles] out of the ground, you wash them and dry them and you do all the stuff you have to do to a truffle and then put it on the plate, it's pretty cool," he said.