New Port Douglas restaurant scoops chef’s hat

A Port Douglas restaurant that is less than a year old has been awarded a chef’s hat in the latest Australia Good Food Guide.

Melaleuca head chef and owner Adam Ion said the national award came as a “big surprise”.

“I've always wanted to get this, so I am very proud to have achieved it and to get it just nine months after opening the restaurant is amazing,” he told Newsport Daily.

“I have worked with my sous chef, Dennis Slater, for 10-years and we have dreamed about this for a long time.

“All the boys in the kitchen are over the moon, it's something that they all work hard for, it's why we put in the long hours and the hard work and it's definitely paid off.

“It’s a great thing for Melaleuca, when you open a new restaurant, it can be hard to get your name out there so this might encourage more people to come see what we are all about.”

Scottish born, Ion was head chef at 2Fish Port Douglas before opening Melaleuca in 2019.

“I’ve had other awards but nothing quite as big as this one and this being my own venue makes it much more amazing,” he told Newsport Daily.

Sheridan Randall, 17^th January 2020