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Fine dining principles without the fine dining fuss — exceptional produce, honest cooking, relaxed experiences and zero waste.

TWO CHEFS

Daniel Leoni & Ben Liaw

Two chefs. Two journeys. One shared belief: great food starts with great ingredients, respect and hospitality.

Our cooking comes from two very different backgrounds, but with a shared obsession for produce, technique and the experience around the table.

Daniel grew up in Italy surrounded by food. His family farm produces fresh cheeses and charcuterie, while his mother runs the family restaurant where Daniel began cooking alongside her and his grandmother from an early age. His grandfather was a norcino, travelling from house to house helping local families process their pigs and prepare salumi and preserved meats for the winter. That tradition instilled in Daniel a lifelong respect for ingredients, traditional techniques and using the whole animal.

Ben’s journey began in Australia, shaped by both Brisbane and Singapore before moving to Sydney to train at Le Cordon Bleu and begin his career at Quay under Peter Gilmore. He later worked at Bentley Restaurant + Bar, before spending four years cooking on remote tropical Queensland islands, where he developed a deep connection with fishing, spearfishing, seafood and the natural environment.

Our professional paths have taken us through some of Australia and Italy’s most respected kitchens, including Davide Scabin’s three-Michelin-starred restaurant, NOMAD, Il Bacaro, Society, Gaea, Quay and Bentley, as well as years cooking for intimate private groups and within Melbourne’s premium dining scene.

We met through Gaia & Society, where our shared approach to food and hospitality quickly became clear. While our backgrounds are different, we cook with the same philosophy: respect the ingredient, keep technique purposeful, embrace seasonality and let exceptional produce speak for itself.

Through Two Chefs, we bring that philosophy to long, generous private dinners inspired by Italian and European cuisine, combining traditional food-making with contemporary fine-dining technique and exceptional Australian produce.

Our dinners are designed to feel like having your own restaurant for the evening — thoughtful food, good wine, conversation, genuine hospitality and the personality of the two chefs behind it.

Two Chefs is more than private dining. It is our way of bringing our stories, our experience and our love of food to your table.

TWO CHEFS. One table. Two stories. An evening worth remembering.