New Head Chef - Charles James

Introducing HENRY, our new staff member!

Inspired to join the team at Henry in the Fox for two reasons, one - Henry had worked with Head Chef, Michael Fox at Vue de Monde and jumped at the opportunity to work with him again and two... the restaurant's name of course!


Originating from the midlands in England, Henry lived in Scotland and London before working on the QE2 cruise liner and migrating to Australia.  

Henry has spent 25 years working in the hospitality industry and recently enrolled in an advanced diploma in hospitality at William Angliss.



Getting to know Henry a little better...

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Being able to share my extensive knowledge of food and wine with the customers that patronise the dining room, having spent over a decade managing venues around Melbourne I have taken great pleasure in developing food and beverage operations, the teams that work in them and a loyal customer base to frequent them. 

What do you like doing when you're not at work?

Outside of work at Henry & the Fox I enjoy spending time with my partner Carol, listening to music, eating out, cooking at home, wine and beer appreciation, pilate's classes, swimming, walking, reading books, surfing, karaoke, watching TV, catching up with friends and family.

What is your favourite food?  Why?

When I am feeling lazy I go for Sausages with HP sauce, they are easy to prepare and gives me a sense of comfort - I think it is a British thing!  When inspired and energised, I like to create many different meals from roast lamb with all the trimmings through to Tom Yum soup. As Carol has a good appetite and loves her food we often make the most of the many eating venues available around Melbourne and again we are happy to snack our way through a variety of cuisines.

Is there any foods you dislike?  Why?

I dislike Bananas, I blame it on my mum she used to almost force feed them to us as children, now just the smell of them makes my stomach turn, so much so that when I worked at The Greenhouse Restaurant in Mayfair, London, I entered a competition with our pastry chef Mark Stone, the competition was to match desserts with wine. We were presented with 6 wines and had to create a dessert menu that showed a pairing of the selected brands and the chef's food. Upon presentation to the management of the restaurant we tasted all six choices with said wines. I opted not to taste the banana dessert presented much to the distaste of Mrs Levin the managing director a ferocious woman who didn't mix her words. With much displeasure I was told to taste the said plate, thank the stars I did the matching was wrong, back to the drawing board for the chef and I, the end result was that the retuned banana dessert became the customers favourite choice and won us 2nd place in the national finals!

Do you have a role model?

Currently my role models are the people that I share my personal and professional life with. As a child my role models were my family and the community that we grew up in, upon joining the work force my role models became the people that I worked with. At the tender age of 16 it was a group of hardened female waitresses with an average age of 65 who at no time suffered fools gladly and taught me some of my core work values. As my career progressed I moved onto work with managers, sommeliers, chefs, restaurateurs and wine makers that have all inspired me to achieve greater heights.

Welcome to the team Henry!

Head chef, Michael Fox named Runner-Up in ‘Electrolux Appetite for Excellence’ Young Chef of the Year

Head chef, Michael Fox named Runner-Up in ‘Electrolux Appetite for Excellence’ Young Chef of the Year

Michael Fox, head chef at Melbourne CBD restaurant, Henry and the Fox, has added another trophy to his awards cabinet being named as the runner-up ‘Young Chef of the Year’ at the national Electrolux Appetite for Excellence Awards.  

Competing against the best young chef talent in the country, Michael came in ahead of Kah-Wai Lo from Hare & Grace, Matthew Bugeja, Becasse, Michael Demagistris, Sorrento Golf Club, Nick Street-Brown, Coast, and Sarah Knights from Uccello.  Stewart Wesson from Bridgewater Mill in Adelaide took out the grand prize. 

Master of Ceremonies Jill Dupleix paid tribute to the next generation of culinary stars that made up this year’s Electrolux Appetite for Excellence Awards national finalists as she named the Electrolux Australian Young Chef, Waiter and Restaurateur of 2012 and runners-up, the guardians of Australia’s hospitality future.

The Awards, recognised as one of the industry’s most prestigious, were presented in front of the nation’s culinary elite including Giovanni Pilu, John Fink and Lyndey Milan. Aiming to inspire and encourage the future heavyweights of the hospitality industry, the Awards aim to retain culinary talent in Australia, despite the allure of overseas fine dining and Michelin stars.

Continuing the celebration of all things home grown, the role of guest of honour was shared by local multi-hatted and internationally renowned chefs Peter Gilmore and Mark Best, who share a passion for nurturing young talent and providing opportunities to hone skills, find inspiration and grow success right here in our own backyard.

In August last year, Michael Fox was awarded the 2011 The Age Good Food Guide Young Chef of the Year. At that time, judges described Michael as 'no flash in the pan' and 'mature, articulate and hardworking'.  This second award is further proof of this previous praise. 

Michael has a wealth of experience including a two and a half year stint as Sous Chef at hatted Melbourne restaurant, Cecconi's Cantina, as well as two years at Raymond Blanc's two-Michelin-starred restaurant, Le Manoir Aux Quat' Saisons.

Before making the move to Cecconi's Cantina, Michael worked two years as Shannon Bennett's Sous Chef at Vue de Monde.

Now Head Chef at Paul Mathis’ city venue Henry and the Fox, Michael combines European-inspired flavours to create a unique and modern Australian menu.

Paul Mathis said about Michael’s award, “Michael is a resilient and clever man.  He has the uncanny ability to make a poached egg spectacularly better and he can adjust to the varying climate and keeps his staff loyal - he is a truly an amazing chef and guy”.

Michael said about the award, “It is a privilege to be recognised amongst such a great group of young chefs and to be able to present my food to such a prestigious group of judges has been an honour. I am thrilled to have placed second amongst such a talented group and big congratulations to Stewart Wesson.”

For further information, an interview or photography of Michael Fox, please contact Gun Communications:

Rachel Robertson

Rachel@guncommunications.com

(0419) 881 791

Melbourne Dining Experiences

Our blogger dinner was obviously a fantastic success - there have been many fantastic posts. Here Melbourne Dining Experiences give their rundown of the evening.  

The World Loves Melbourne review

"The cuisine at Henry and the Fox is superb across the board, with no disappointments, only highlights." Goodness - we're blushing! Read more of the review here.

Blogger dinner - Nouveau Potato

Vegetarain blogger, Nouveau Potato, joined us for our blogger dinner on the 5th June - check out their post here.

Henry & The Fox @ Little Collins St, Melbourne CBD – A Fox’s Secret Den Revealed

We love hosting blogger dinners as they take fantastic photos and write about their experience with us. Take a look at The Chronicles of Ms I-Hua here.