Mike McEnearney’s path to the kitchen wasn’t planned, but from Rockpool to London’s dining scene and now From Here by Mike in Melbourne, he’s made food his craft and his philosophy. In this profile for Crumb Wire, he talks seasonality, risk-taking and why honesty matters more than polish.

What first sparked your love for food, and how did you get your start in the industry?

Food didn’t play a starring role in my childhood. It was all pretty standard: Vegemite sandwiches at school, takeaway after late-night shopping, mum’s roast lamb or spag bol on the weekend. But in my late teens, something shifted.

I started exploring Sydney city with mates, plates of roast duck and Chinese greens at BBQ King before gigs, olives and salami from Cyril’s Deli before picnics in the Botanical Gardens. That’s when food became something cultural, something social, something alive.

At 18, I threw myself into a chef’s apprenticeship and in my second year, I landed a spot in the kitchen at Rockpool. It was early days for the restaurant and it had that raw, fast-paced energy that pulls you in. 

The discipline, the camaraderie, the sheer intensity of it all – those experiences formed the bedrock of how I approach food even now. That was the beginning of understanding that cooking wasn’t just about feeding people – it showed me that food could be a craft, a story and a way to bring people together.

What’s been your journey so far – from your first job to where you are now?

After those early years in Sydney kitchens, I did what many Australian chefs dream of – headed to Europe for a year, which turned into more than a decade. I worked across some of London’s most exciting kitchens, Pied à Terre, Mezzo, Bluebird and later ran the kitchen of Damien Hirst’s Pharmacy. 

It was the mid-90s and British food culture was undergoing a real awakening. That time instilled in me a deep appreciation for seasons, provenance and the role of artisans in shaping good food. I returned to Sydney in 2006 and stepped back into Rockpool as Executive Chef. 

But after 15 years in restaurants, I knew I wanted to do something entirely different, something simpler, more honest, more me. In 2012, I opened Kitchen by Mike, my first business. It was a canteen, not a restaurant: No bookings, no frills, just produce-led food served on tin plates, changing daily based on what I’d found at the markets that morning.

It was a game-changer, not just for me, but for how people thought about dining in Australia. It challenged the fine-dining model and created a space where everyone was welcome. From that single space in Rosebery, I grew Kitchen by Mike into the Sydney CBD, Sydney International Airport, where it won “Best Airport Restaurant in the World” and soon we’ll open at the National Gallery of Australia.

Now, with From Here by Mike at 1 Hotel Melbourne, I feel like everything’s come full circle. It’s a deeply aligned partnership; 1 Hotels shares my values around sustainability, community and a connection to nature. It’s given me the platform to cook in a way that’s grounded, expressive and truly reflective of where I’ve come from and where I’m headed next.

What have been some of your greatest achievements and challenges along the way?

Besides my 3 wonderful boys, launching Kitchen by Mike was one of the most important things I’ve ever done. 

It was my first business and it broke every rule at the time. No reservations, no table service, no hierarchy. Just honest, seasonal food served in a warm, communal way. It was a risk – but people connected to it immediately and that showed me that there was a real appetite for something more grounded. It also taught me that if you have conviction and stay true to what you believe in, others often respond. 

Taking that philosophy into spaces like airports and hotels and making it work without compromising the integrity of the food, has been both the achievement and the challenge. Airports, in particular, aren’t designed for sourdough starters and market-led menus, but we did it.

With From Here by Mike, I’ve been able to take that philosophy even deeper. Working with 1 Hotels has given me the freedom to build something rooted in place, purpose and people. Every plate tells a story, from the farm or fishing boat it came from, to the winemaker behind the glass. That’s the kind of storytelling I’ve always wanted to do.

Outside your property/properties, what are your current favourite food joints?

I’ve always gravitated toward places that cook with integrity and care, with a clear point of view. In Melbourne, Bar Liberty, Marion and Embla are really nailing the wine bar experience. And for a trip out of town, Tedesca Osteria is always something special. In Sydney, I love 10 William Street and Ester, with a meal at Firedoor on a special occasion is always memorable.  

But some of the best meals I’ve had weren’t in restaurants at all, baking bread at the farm in Wales, cooking over fire with the kids, or just sharing something simple on a walk. Food doesn’t need to be complicated to be meaningful. I’m less interested in polish and more drawn to food that tells the truth.

Which chefs and cuisines inspire you most – past or present?

Fergus Henderson and Alice Waters have always stood out to me, cooking with clarity, conviction and a deep sense of place and Neil Perry gave me a solid foundation early on. But it was my wife, Joss, who really reminded me to strip everything back. She once said, “You don’t need a big restaurant, just a stove to cook on and a table to eat from.” That line became the spirit behind Kitchen by Mike.

Culturally, I’m inspired by Japanese minimalism, Middle Eastern generosity and the humility of regional Italian and French food. But perhaps the biggest influence came from time spent on my mother-in-law’s farm in Wales, picking fruit, baking at 2 a.m., eating straight from the garden. It reconnected me to food as something living and cyclical, not just something plated. That experience changed the way I think about food completely.

How do you think Australia’s food culture has evolved in recent years?

It’s come a long way. There’s a much stronger respect now for provenance, for seasonality, for Indigenous ingredients and foodways. We’ve started to move past ego and towards something more thoughtful, more about care than performance. At From Here by Mike, that shift is at the heart of what we do. Our menu is built around Victorian producers and we’re trying to let the ingredients and their stories speak for themselves. It’s not just about what’s on the plate, it’s about who grew it, when it was harvested and how it got here.

Any exciting food trends you’ve tried at home – or sneaked onto the menu?

I’ve never really followed trends, but I’m always curious, especially about ingredients that promote wellbeing. I’ve been playing with ferments, broths, native herbs and heritage grains for years, not because they’re in fashion, but because they feel right. They nourish, they connect us to place and they often come with beautiful stories. 

One of the biggest turning points for me was seeing a medicinal garden built around the four humours of the body on the farm in Wales. It was a reminder that food and health are intrinsically linked. Since then, I’ve tried to cook in a way that balances flavour with function. It’s subtle, but it’s there in everything I do.

And finally, what do you love doing when you’re not in the kitchen/at the venue?

Being in nature, always. Whether I’m surfing, walking, gardening, or just foraging with the kids, I try to stay connected to the land. I split my time between Sydney, Melbourne and the UK and each place brings something different. But no matter where I am, the outdoors is where I reset.

For me, cooking is just one part of a bigger picture. It’s about how we live, how we treat the planet and how we take care of each other. That’s the thread that runs through everything I do, from the early days of Kitchen by Mike to what we’re building now with From Here by Mike. It’s all part of the same story.