The Terrace at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, California: Meet The Chef
We sat down with Executive Chef Shaun Anthony of The Terrace at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, California. Overlooking the lawns of Beverly Cañon Gardens, The Terrace has a unique setting with the charm of a European piazza, with white parasols, all-day dining, and a cascading fountain within earshot.
Image: The Terrace at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, California
The seasonal menus have a Mediterranean feel, offering an abundance of the very finest produce from California’s sea and shores, valleys and vines.
Tell us about what your morning routine looks like, and how you like to end your day?
I wake up at 5:45am to do a 45 minute HIIT Workout. Next, I go through my e-mails with an espresso, and water our home garden. After a shower and shave, I wake up my daughter to bring her to school. My wife generally makes our daughter’s breakfast and packs her a lunch. I do my best to maintain a work-life balance between the job and my family; not always easy! I arrive in the hotel at 8am and do a walkthrough of all kitchens to check on breakfast service and banquet production. I go through Receiving to inspect the morning deliveries then check on the Colleague Dining Room. Once all is in order, I go through the previous day’s purchases and food revenue figures and log them on a spreadsheet to track the food cost in all of our restaurants.
Image: The Terrace at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, California
The rest of the morning tends to be filled with meetings, team briefings, and preparing for events or food tastings. Emails start flowing in and I try to keep up with responses while moving through the kitchens. I usually try to leave by 8pm but often stay later to help plating in events or help the team through the dinner rush. When I get home I spend time with my wife and daughter discussing the day, then it’s story time with my daughter. In our story sessions we managed to read through the entire series of Harry Potter books although it did take us a few years :) Once my daughter is asleep I unwind by either playing guitar (through headphones) or watching a TV series.
Do you have any awards or achievements that you are you most proud of?
In my previous hotel we faced the sudden departure of the Chef de Cuisine in our Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant. This was potentially a disaster as it put the Michelin star at risk. In the following 10 months I personally stepped in to lead the culinary team and never missed a single lunch or dinner service. When the next Michelin guidebook was released the restaurant was thankfully awarded 1 Michelin star again. I have been fortunate to have worked in restaurants that have been awarded Michelin stars in the past however I was extremely proud of what we accomplished together as a team in this challenging situation.
Do you have a favorite chef that you look up to and what advice would you give to aspiring chefs?
I really admire Chef Arnaud Donckele. We did a promotion with Chef Donckele in Hong Kong several years ago; his reputation at the time was that he held 3 Michelin stars at La Vague d’Or in Saint-Tropez and that he was at the time the youngest 3-starred chef in France. I had presumed that level of achievement might cause a touch of arrogance in a chef but during our 10-day promotion I found Chef Donckele to be incredibly humble, hard-working, and charismatic. He was a very inspiring leader to his team and has since gone on to open Plentitude in Paris, which also won 3 stars.
Image: The Terrace at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, California
I like to tell young, aspiring chefs that everyone starts in the same position, but it’s really up to you where you’re going to finish; you may end up in a world-class 5-star hotel, or with your own Michelin stars, or you may end up in a dead-end job. Things like your choice of culinary school, background, etc., are unimportant when compared to attitude, ambition, and passion. Try to work in the absolute best restaurants that will hire you early on in your career and move on every 2-3 years or so to continue learning and growing. I also advocate working and traveling to gain a better understanding of the relationships between people and food.
What do you typically cook at home for yourself or your family?
I like to cook fairly simple foods at home. I like roasting whole chickens with roasted potatoes and vegetables, entrecôte, beef bourguignon, and salads. My wife and daughter were born in Hong Kong so we cook Cantonese dishes as well. I also enjoy baking bread and usually have a sourdough starter going. I like making sourdough as there is a certain amount of ‘feel’ involved in getting the temperature, humidity, moisture, etc., right. It’s a simple thing that I can be in control of with my two hands, which is a nice contrast to cooking at work where I am overseeing the work of the entire team.
What’s a food trend that you’re loving right now and why?
Fermentations; I’m a big fan of acidity to accentuate and balance flavors.
Image: The Terrace at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, California
What’s that strangest food combination you’ve ever tried? And, did you like it?
When I was working in London a few workmates and I traveled to Bray to The Fat Duck. This was the very early days of the restaurant when Heston was doing a lot of experimentation with ice creams and sorbets. The bacon and egg ice cream was great; the sardine sorbet… definitely not to my tastes!!!
What’s your Instagram handle so that readers can follow you?
It’s @chefshaunanthony.
Image: The Terrace at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, California
What cocktail or beverage do you enjoy most?
I like White Burgundies like Chablis and Puligny Montrachet for something light with seafood; for lighter meats I like Burgundy Pinot Noir, for stronger meats and cheeses I like Bordeaux Left Bank.
Have you ever cooked for a celebrity? Do you have a story to tell?
We tend to have a lot of celebrities visit The Maybourne Beverly Hills. One story does stand out though; during the height of the Super Mario Bros movie with the famous ‘Peaches’ song, Jack Black was at The Terrace for lunch. Knowing Jack Black’s incredible sense of humor, the kitchen team couldn’t resist… We sent out a plate with an artfully presented peach garnished with flowers and herbs. We asked the restaurant General Manager to serve the dish to Mr. Black and say: “This is compliments of the Chef; he heard you like peaches.” It was a hilarious for both the team and Mr. Black..!
Image: The Terrace at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, California
Tell our readers why they should visit The Terrace at The Maybourne Beverly Hills?
The Terrace is an amazing restaurant… The setting alone is fantastic, with a massive outdoor dining area overlooking Beverly Canon Gardens. We keep the food very approachable with many guests returning to dine with us multiple times per week. The vast majority of the menu is based around the ingredients of Southern California when they are in peak season, so you may find dishes such as Puglian Burrata with Californian Peaches, and Hamachi Crudo with Californian Citrus. Our new Chef de Cuisine Tyler Curtis is extremely talented and is adept at incorporating touches of acidity into dishes to make them pop. We are also one of the few hotels who still make all of our pastas in-house. The corn stuffed agnolotti with chanterelles and truffle is a hugely popular dish that will never be taken off the menu.
