Cheong Liew - whom the US magazine Food and Wine recently named one of the ten "hottest chefs alive" - learnt the basics of cooking in his native Malaysia, in the Kuala Lumpur kitchen of his grandmother. He came to Australia in 1969, working in a string of Melbourne pubs and cafés before settling in Adelaide. At the steakhouse Moos he turned heads with his use of Asian vegetables - then a novelty to Australian diners. He opened his own restaurant, Neddy's, in 1975, and continued to revolutionise the Adelaide scene. From 1995 to the present he has been consultant chef at The Grange at Adelaide's Hilton Hotel. It was at The Grange that he created his signature dish - "Four Dancers of the Sea", which features four varieties of seafood cooked in four distinct national styles. South Australia's best-known chef, Cheong Liew holds an Order of Australia Medal for 'developing and influencing the style of contemporary Australian cuisine.'
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2004
© Estate of Kate Gollings
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves: who we read, who we watch, who we listen to, who we cheer for, who we aspire to be, and who we'll never forget. The Companion is available to buy online and in the Portrait Gallery Store.
Masters of fare: chefs, winemakers, providores celebrates men and women who have championed the unique culinary characteristics and produce of Australia, enriching our lives with new ideas and new flavours over the past forty years.
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