Owen is well known amongst industry peers as a quiet achiever; the dishes he creates have always been left do the talking. His culinary skills have been taught and learnt from the gastronomic temple of France. “I like to concentrate on good technique, sourcing fresh produce, then preparing them to produce a dish of my own; I don’t like to replicate other chef’s dishes.”

Although Owen has served as an apprentice and has over 18 years of experience, he is proud to say he is largely self taught,  has constantly refined his own style and tries to stay at the forefront of new trends.

The results speak for themselves, from humble beginnings as an apprentice,  he was crowned New Zealand’s best chef under the age of 23 and was flown to Europe to compete on the international stage. As Executive Chef at Circa Restaurant, Owen won no less than eight state and national awards including restaurant of the year in 2001.

Previous experience opening other establishments will be drawn on to guarantee that Gianni’s latest venture at Portside will be a success from day one.  Proven results such as preparing a seven course dinner for 450 people at Parliament House in Canberra, will also be highly valuable.  Not to mention function and banqueting skills learnt in five star hotels and the training from 3 star Michelin trained chefs.

Owen is very excited to be able to introduce a new food concept to Brisbane, where fine dining will merge with functions.