Jason Gould talks picking up a family tradition, Sunday sauces and tartan carpets. Photos: LDK.
Who are you?
My name is Jason Gould, I’m the executive chef at LDK Amberfield here in Canberra.
Tell me about your role at Amberfield LDK
I’m the head of all things culinary here at Amberfield. We are a seniors’ living village, so our purpose is to bring a hospitality focus to seniors’ living. We have high-class staff across our departments, especially across hospitality, and we deliver the best of what we can to those who are older. We have a lovely five-star village here that has beautiful restaurants, and we have a couple of cafes. We are all about making our residents’ experience with food and beverage the best it can be.
There are lots of guys in my team that I’ve worked with for years and we’ve all come from high-end dining restaurants. I always preach the idea of, “Why not?”, “Why can’t we do this?”
How did you get involved in your industry?
I’m a second-generation chef. My father was a chef. I grew up exposed to lots of restaurants from a young age. I remember being six or seven, standing on a milk crate peeling potatoes, so food was always a big thing in our house. I idolised the industry somewhat. My old man had a segment on Channel 7 back in the early ’90s. I grew up with his VHS tapes around the house, watching them, going, “Oh wow, Dad was on TV, this is amazing, being a chef is so cool.”
As I got older, I helped out a little bit more with the family business in the kitchens and it went from there. I’ve fallen in love with it over and over.
What is your favourite or must-use ingredient when cooking?
The purist in me would say butter. But seasonally, I love stone fruits. I look forward to summer. I’m a Queenslander as well, so summer always means exciting times for me. Whether it’s mangoes, white nectarines, peaches, that sort of thing, I can eat them until I make myself sick. As they taper off, I tend to ferment a heap of them so I can use them in winter. That’s what gets me out of bed most days in summer — a big focus on stone fruits. Pickling, fermenting, fresh, roasted, pureed, any which way.
As a Queenslander, Jason says stone fruit gets him out of bed in summer.
What’s your current favourite meal to make?
It goes against the lightness of summer, but I love a Sunday sauce. I love Italian food and that’s been one of my biggest exposures in the earlier parts of my career. My early career mentor was Italian. It’s good to get up early on a Sunday, cook off some short ribs with some different sausages, throwing it all in the pot with heaps of tomatoes, letting it cook all day, then having it fall apart, throwing in some pasta. It’s a great way to end the week.
Are there any upcoming projects you’re working on?
We’ve always got different things on. Day to day, we are starting with some information forums, trying to get people to the village to see what LDK is all about. We have industry events with hospitality people so they can see how we do things differently around here.
Who has been the biggest influence in your career?
That would be an Italian chef I worked with years ago, Salvatore Silvestrino. I first crossed paths with him on the Gold Coast — typical Italian chef, larger than life. I learned a lot from him, more so about managing and leading people. He had a wealth of knowledge and I took a shine to Italian cuisine. Working under him was good. It was good to see someone with a lot of experience; he was well travelled and he knew how to approach different aspects of being a chef.
I was lucky enough to work with him again in Far North Queensland. It was a complete coincidence. He had come back from the Middle East and came to Port Douglas, where I happened to be. We are still in touch now.
What’s your morning routine?
I’m up pretty early. My wife and I are both early risers and I’m usually one of the first people here on site. I come in, normally when it’s quiet, I catch up on admin, look over what might’ve happened the previous day, reading the reports. I tend to walk around, stickybeak into the kitchen, check what the guys have got on for the day, what prep needs to be done and get started on those jobs. Like this morning, I had to butcher some meat and get a few pork bellies roasting. Then I’ll pop over to the cafe, check out what the breakfast chef is doing. Then pop back to the main office, catch up with the other heads of departments and see what’s coming up in the next few days and dive into what needs to be done.
What’s your favourite book?
One that I really quite like at the moment is Always Add Lemon by Danielle Alvarez. I love flicking through it, especially this time of year when it’s warmer. It’s a good read and it brings a bit of home into the food when I need some inspiration. If I’m writing a menu and I want to add some pop, I read the book and come up with some hidden heroes.
Outside of cooking, there’s a series I read years ago called Diplomacy of Wolves, which was quite a good read.
Where do you like to go out for coffee in Canberra?
We make great coffee here at Amberfield, so I’m a bit biased. Outside of that, I’m an inner-south guy, so I go down to Wildflour. It’s close to home and they always do good stuff. You walk in and you’re greeted with all the breads and the pastries, which gives a real warming sensation.
As a lover of South-East Asian cuisine, Jason plans to visit Vietnam soon.
When you can’t be bothered to cook for yourself, where do you go and what do you eat?
I love going to the old part in Kingston, so last night I went to Bui’s, a little Vietnamese place on Giles Street. It’s always good. You don’t struggle to get a table. The owner there knows me, so she makes sure I get looked after and the food is always hot, fresh and delicious.
Where are you travelling to next:
I’m trying to organise a golf trip to Vietnam with some mates. I’ve not been and I don’t see anything better than having a banh mi every day and having a round of golf. I’ve had mates go over and say the food is amazing and I’ve always loved Vietnamese food, so I’d like to check out its origin and get some cheeky rounds of golf in.
What are three words you would use to describe Canberra?
It’s a quiet achiever, it’s really a hidden gem. It’s definitely a surprise. Canberra is different.
What’s your advice for someone starting in their career?
Don’t be nervous. One thing I look for in younger chefs is someone who is passionate and engaged, someone who wants to learn. There will be times where you wonder if it’s really for you and there will be times where you will love it and it’s a rollercoaster in between, but stick to it if it’s something you’re passionate about.
You will meet people who share your same mentality. Stick with them, learn as much as you can, keep your head down and always try to do 1 per cent better than the day before.
If someone had 24 hours to spend in Canberra, where should they go and what should they do?
I would base myself in the city. Try to find some locals, do all the political and national sightseeing. You can knock that over in a few hours. When it comes to food and wine, hopefully have a full appetite. Bar Rochford’s always great for a nibble. I quite like going to Bar Beirut, they have Guinness on tap. Have a pint there and a snack. Then come southside to the Kingston Hotel; it’s a Canberra heritage site, if you ask me. Have a game of pool, have another beer, enjoy that lovely tartan carpet they have there. That’s what I’d do. Wrap up with a walk around the lake and some Messina [gelato].
