Attica owner Ben Shewry takes a stand against food critics
Attica owner Ben Shewry has penned a piece for The Australian looking back at the impact food critics have had on his life as he releases his memoir: Uses for Obsession: A Chef’s Memoir by Ben Shewry – out today via Murdoch Books ($34.99).
When he first set up Attica in 2005, Shewry aspired to be recognised for his hard work and longed for the validation that came with prestigious awards. His first award felt like a huge privilege for him and the small, committed team that had been with him from the beginning.
Attica took out its first award in 2008, when it was named restaurant of the year by the Age's Good Food Guide.
Around that time, Shewry was named best new talent by Gourmet Traveller.
The Awards led to drinks with older, renowned chefs who were considered legends in the industry.
They told him to enjoy the moment, but he sensed all wasn’t as it seemed with them.
Shewry felt like they were trapped by their own success, caught in an endless cycle of chasing recognition, disconnected from the true joy that had once brought them into the kitchen: the love of food.
Shewry could see that many of these chefs had lost touch with their passion for cooking. They had been swept up in the growing fame surrounding chefs of that era. They were part of the second generation of prominent Australian chefs, but unlike their predecessors, they were some of the first to become celebrities—more famous than the restaurants they ran.
A large part of this transformation was due to food media, which played a significant role in building the myth of the celebrity chef.
Shewry has learned to navigate this world carefully.
While always respectful and polite with food critics, he kept his distance, knowing that these relationships could never be true friendships. He maintained a professional boundary, out of respect for the role they played.
In Shewry’s eyes, being a food critic had the potential to be a remarkable job. Critics had the opportunity to spend their lives discovering new dishes, exploring food culture, and telling thoughtful stories of restaurants. But the reality often fell short of this ideal.
Many critics viewed themselves as providing a public service, yet they lacked the deep knowledge required to properly critique a craft that took years to master. Some critics, Shewry noticed, found themselves in that role through office politics rather than true expertise.
Shewry calls these critics "Jimmy." Jimmy might have been a journalist one day and, due to some sideways promotion, became a food critic the next. Jimmy was almost always white, and life had always been easy for them.
The issue, for Shewry, wasn’t just about individual critics like Jimmy. It was about the impact food media had on the restaurant industry—the obsession with awards, ratings, and top-tier lists. It was a call for the industry to take back control and stop feeding into a system that lacked true understanding.
According to Shewry, the global restaurant industry has long been influenced by food media, which operates on a system driven by hype and conflicts of interest. Reviewers, often lacking deep understanding, focus on trends, awards, and superficial commentary, contributing to the immense pressure felt by restaurants. This system, built around arbitrary awards such as hats and stars, can lead to negative consequences like financial distress, mental health issues, and stifled creativity.
Restaurants, including Attica, are reviewed and judged by publications in a way that creates fear rather than fostering innovation. Awards can result in chefs becoming overly cautious, afraid of losing their status. The restaurant industry, particularly in recent years, has started to push back against this cycle. This shift was particularly evident during the pandemic, when restaurants were forced to adapt, while the review industry was left stagnant.
As the power shifted back to the restaurants, it became clear that the success of these businesses relies on their customers and not on the approval of critics. The experience revealed the superficiality of the review system, prompting chefs like [the speaker] to question its authority and embrace a new model focused on independence and customer satisfaction.
Jonathan Jackson, 2nd October 2024
