Herb started out as a chef simply because he liked food. As for his cooking style, it’s contemporary: “I like to keep it simple,” he says, “only using two or three flavours to finish a dish, and making sure they complement each other – you don’t want too many conflicting flavours.”

Although new to his position as Head Chef, Herb Faust is no stranger to e’cucina, having served his apprenticeship here in the 1990s, under head chefs, David Hamilton and Graham Arthur. Since then he’s worked all over Australia, cooking in such varied locations as Yalingup, Thredbo, and even a stint on Kerry Packer’s polo ranch in New South Wales.

Growing up with a Thai mother, who was herself a good cook, gave Herb a great appreciation for flavoursome food. “I learned a lot about authentic flavours from my mother,” he says. “You don’t have to use expensive ingredients to make a dish really exciting, often it’s all in the cooking method.”

At e’cucina, Herb applies both his philosophy and background to creating a dish. “I look at what constitutes a dish and make sure it’s seasonally available, so that the ingredients are at their optimum,” he says. “It also needs to be appealing to the eye, so the colours have to be well balanced. And I think it’s very important not to overprocess foods.”

Herb’s new menu at e’cucina is, as one might expect, exciting and fresh, but he has retained a number of e’cucina favourites, including the hallmark e’cucina salad, risotto and pasta of the day – items that have been customer favourites for the last eight years.

What Herb brings to e’cucina, apart from his exceptional skills, is his enjoyment of the whole creative process, from conceiving a brand new recipe to sending it out as a finished product for the customer to try. “And of course,” adds Herb, laughing,“ I enjoy the compliments that flow back to the kitchen!”

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