A FORMER Coleg LLandrillo student has landed the position of executive head chef at a top Australian restaurant.
Jonathan Evans, who worked part-time in a kitchen and undertook a Hospitality & Catering course at Coleg Llandrillo after his GSCEs, secured the position at The Iluka in Perth, Western Australia last year.
The Iluka is an exciting new food and beverage concept nestled between Ocean Reef and Burns Beach, right on the Indian Ocean.
The chef’s culinary journey after completing his studies in Rhos-on-Sea first saw him gain experience in Llandudno, which despite his enjoyment he felt was too close to home.
Mr Evans said: “My years in college were thoroughly enjoyable and gave me the skills needed to succeed in life.
“After I completed my Level 3 qualification, I decided to go out into the real world and work full-time.
“I worked in some amazing establishments around the Llandudno area – including the Imperial Hotel, St Tudno and Queen’s Head - but I had a hunger to travel and see the world.”
As the son of Mike Evans, who balances his time as a Hospitality & Catering tutor at the college’s Rhos-on-Sea campus with his role as Welsh National Junior Culinary team manager, he had large shoes to fill, and soon made the move to Greece.
In Greece he spent a full season learning new techniques and methods during which he “loved every minuted”.
Upon his return to the UK, Mr Evans moved to Liverpool, where he worked in several high-class eateries, continuing to develop his skills.
Yet he still had a yearning to travel the world, and this ambition to travel led to him buying a one-way ticket to Australia.
Landing in Perth in 2011, he soon got a position as a chef de partie and within a month was promoted to sous chef and offered a sponsorship, which allowed him to gain residency in Australia.
His drive, perseverance and ability have allowed life Down Under to be very kind to him.
He remained at the ‘C Restaurant in the Sky’ – Western Australia’s only revolving restaurant – for six years, gaining numerous awards and accolades, continually building his reputation as a top chef.
He then had spells as head chef at Perth beachside venue Mullaloo Beach Hotel, and The Wild Fig, where he stayed for three years, helping to reinvigorate the venue.
During the pandemic, Jonathan was approached by a group of investors – who plan to open lots of high-class venues in the coming years - to join them at The Iluka as their executive head chef.
Mr Evans said: “It was very daunting to become an executive chef and open a new venue during a pandemic, especially with the added problem of staff shortages.
“Nevertheless, my ongoing passion for the industry which I discovered during my training at Coleg Llandrillo spurred me on to success.
“We have now been open for nearly a year, have built an amazing team and have hundreds of happy customers.
“We have now just purchased our second venue which will be built and opened within a year.
“I would like to thank all my tutors at Coleg Llandrillo who helped me and encouraged me, enabling me to have such a fantastic life.”
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