Chef Profile: Foxtrot Hospitality’s Blaze Young on finding her voice in the kitchen and helping others find theirs
Blaze Young was on her way to a career in law, but the kitchen had other plans. In this Crumb Wire chef profile, the Foxtrot Hospitality Executive Chef shares how a chance discovery of Perth’s restaurant scene led her from the floor to the pass, and to becoming one of Western Australia’s most recognised culinary voices. What first sparked your love for food, and how did you get your start in the industry? My earliest memories are sitting on the kitchen bench helping my mum knead dough, mix cake batter or stuff cannelloni shells. She used to cook her way through Gourmet Traveller every month, and I was so lucky to grow up in a family where food was how we spent time together. It’s still how I celebrate and connect today. While studying at uni, I picked up a job at one of Perth’s early small bar-restaurants in Northbridge (Bivouac) and found an entirely new kind of family. I fell in love with the ritual of dining; the energy of the room, the generosity of shared plates, the way a restaurant could feel like theatre, I was completely swept up in the romance of it all. I’d hang out in the kitchen with the chefs whenever I could, eating the specials on my break, everything tasted brighter, saltier and more decadent than anything I’d eaten before. I couldn’t get enough. After two years on the floor, I finally crossed into the kitchen. Through sheer luck, the late Kurt Sampson took me (a complete novice) under his wing and gave me three incredible years of rigorous, deeply generous mentorship that shaped everything that followed, the most formative culinary education I could have asked for. What’s been your journey so far – from your first job to where you are now? It’s been hard and fast. I started cooking professionally at 21 and always felt like I was playing catch-up with chefs who began at 15. I was constantly pushing, reading cookbooks on my days off, practising at home, and working long weeks in kitchens that were very different to how the industry feels today. I’ve been incredibly lucky with mentors. Kurt Sampson was a titan of flavour. In his kitchen, everything was made from scratch and everything he touched was delicious. One week we’d be breaking down whole pigs, roasting lamb on the spit over charcoal, hand-rolling filo pastry, making cheese – all in a restaurant that was open for breakfast/lunch/dinner seven days a week. It was an intense but priceless education. From there, I moved to Billie H under Alia Glorie, whose food felt ten years ahead of its time: elegant, restrained and deeply thoughtful. She taught me finesse and how to let ingredients speak. At Madalena’s, where I stepped into a sous chef role, I fell in love with seafood. Learning directly from fishers and suppliers while working with up to seven species on the menu at once. We even grew vegetables in a huge garden out the back, which shaped how I think about produce today. I spent years moving through kitchens trying to find the right team to step into head chef life with. That path eventually brought me to longtime friend Dimitri Rtshiladze. I joined him to open Foxtrot Unicorn, and within six months, we’d dreamt up Nieuw Ruin. It started as a small wine bar with snacks, a gentle entry into leadership, but within weeks, every food reviewer in WA had been through, and suddenly, it became a dinner destination. Nieuw Ruin became a space for freedom: to cook what I was curious about, support our suppliers, and pass on what I’d learnt while building a genuinely positive workplace. After two busy years, we opened Edward & Ida’s, our take on a nostalgic British pub. Ice-cold pints, plenty of banter, and a kitchen led by Cassi Garrett, built on the same values as Nieuw Ruin but expressed through classic pub cooking. What have been some of your greatest achievements and challenges along the way? The biggest lessons and the proudest moments have always been about people. Learning to lead a team with care, clarity and honesty is an ongoing process. Beyond the food, the role of an executive chef is to mentor and help young cooks find confidence, curiosity and their own voice. One of the hardest decisions I ever made was letting a chef go early in my career, but it taught me that protecting the culture of a kitchen matters as much as protecting the quality of the food. Hospitality is transient by nature, and I often encourage chefs to move on after a couple of years. Growth comes from new perspectives. Seeing my first apprentice, Pearl, now working as a CDP at St. John in London remains one of my proudest moments. Fergus’ cookbook sat on my bookshelf for years and watching her step into that world feels incredibly special. Outside your property/properties, what are your current favourite food joints? Emperor’s Kitchen in Leeming is a favourite, watching them roll dumplings fresh in the window is hypnotic, and I’m convinced it’s some of the best dim sum in Perth. City Garden is my go-to late-night spot; it never misses. My friends recently opened The Coolroom in Fremantle, and I dream about their soda bread and daily fruit plate; everything feels incredibly fresh and thoughtful. And if I get a rare night off, we’re usually headed to Sonny’s in Mount Hawthorn for wine and dinner. The service is beautiful, and Sofika’s cooking somehow gets better every time I go back (just make sure you order the bread.) Which chefs and cuisines inspire you most – past or present? I’ve always been drawn to classic, technical cooking, probably because I never went to TAFE and learnt through books instead. French and British gastronomy shaped a lot of my early understanding: Marco Pierre White, Phil Howard, Robuchon, Thomas Keller, Bocuse and Escoffier. I also sought out books written by women whenever I could…
