Although the baking scene in Australia was not so glamorous twenty years ago, as the son of a baker, Leaham Claydon felt sad that most bakeries would go unappreciated. This made him enjoy the Aussie classics like bacon and cheese rolls, vegemite scrolls and finger buns his father left on the kitchen table even more, especially when they had just come out of the oven.
His father began observing his interest in the field as young Claydon usually spent his time at the bakery, enjoying the routine and repetition of the work. He was set up with a kitchen job at a friend’s cafe before he started his school-based apprenticeship at an Italian restaurant.
His career was boosted by his position at Spice Bar in Mooloolaba. In this highly regarded fine-dining Asian restaurant, he worked with an excellent team for four years before moving to Brisbane and working at restaurants there and being a part of the Good Food Month Young Chefs Lunches, which, although labour-intensive, was a great way of self-expression.
As he values simplicity, Claydon’s cuisine, although minimally garnished, is quite impactful. This benefits Yoko Dining, a busy restaurant, as it provides a smooth-flowing service.
“Yoko’s food is not overly innovative. Our main objective is to provide elevated service matched with approachable and familiar flavour combinations that everyone will love,” said Claydon.
“I would say that working my way up to the head chef position at Yoko and creating a solid team I genuinely enjoy spending my day with has been my greatest achievement. I’m very grateful to Jonathan Barthelmess for trusting me with this role.”
Besides the apparent inflation, Claydon feels the next big issue is the need for more skilled workers. Many working in the industry are international students limited to working 20 hours a week. This requires businesses to hire and train larger teams, making it difficult to manage; the only perk is being able to meet and work with talented youth passionate about a hospitality career.
He advises these budding people to find a venue with a knowledgeable mentor that will let them learn everything from scratch. However, he admits that this is not the industry’s current direction.
In the future, Claydon aims to open some venues with his partner, Jianne, a passionate and talented chef with a similar work ethic and style.
