Originally from Manila, Ferdinand Sari grew up watching and helping, his mother cook flavourful and balanced meals for their family of 11. It was in his childhood kitchen that Sari first gained an appreciation for the skill required to create a dish worth remembering.
Sari officially began his career as a chef in a high-end Japanese restaurant in Saudi Arabia in 1998. After four years of learning and experimenting with Japanese cuisine, Sari moved to the UAE. It was here that Sari pushed the boundaries of his culinary knowledge and expanded his horizons to include French and Middle Eastern cuisines in his culinary repertoire.
His understanding and experience with Middle Eastern cuisines is what led him to Babylon Brisbane. The restaurant’s menu has been influenced by different regions of the Middle East, and traditional dishes have been reimagined to fit Sari’s cooking style whilst retaining the integrity of the dish. Recently, Sari reimagined Fesenjān, a dish that originated from Gilan in Iran and is often reserved for special occasions or wealthy families.
“I created a smoked duck dish that reinterprets Fesenjān into a sauce to accompany the duck. It’s a great example of how we take culinary inspiration from different parts of the Middle East and reimagine it into a dish that works well for our guests.”
Staying true to his cooking style is something Sari had to learn over the course of his career. He finds it’s often easy for young chefs to get caught up in what others are doing and lose focus on what is truly important - being authentic and discovering your personal cooking style.
Sari’s advice for new chefs is something he learnt from a mentor of his own, to treat each dish like a newborn and give it care and attention. Working with new chefs to develop their skills and prepare them to take on senior roles of their own is an aspect of his job that Sari finds extremely rewarding.
Sari doesn’t shy away from the fact that being a chef is a demanding profession, long days of being on your feet whilst working unsocial hours can be a lot to juggle. Sari shared his belief that passion is the key to success within the hospitality industry.
“I believe strongly in having a passion for what you do as that’s what continues to drive and motivate you as well as pushes you to innovate.”
Looking to the future, Sari hopes to continue working to expand the Babylon brand by opening another restaurant in a new location before one day opening a restaurant of his own.
