When I arrived at Tarra, Mike Jacques was in the thick of service. Mike is executive chef for Searoad Hospitality, overseeing Tarra in Queenscliff, Onda in Sorrento, the ferry offerings and now Wilsons Prom too. We spoke about Tarra as a “postcard for the Bellarine Peninsula”, and Onda as its Mediterranean-leaning counterpart across the bay: a restaurant over the water with wood-fired cooking, seafood and the feeling of having stepped into a small fishing village without ever leaving Victoria. We also went back through Mike’s career: oyster farms in Chile, The Press Club, Philippe Mouchel, Michelin-starred London kitchens, Claridge’s, Geelong’s Tulip, and the decision to step away from the chase just enough to make room for family. What stayed with me most was the way Mike talked about food as something temporary but powerful; a plate is made, eaten and gone, but the memory of it can linger for years.