Page 46 - Tropic Magazine Issue 35

TROPIC • TROPIC TASTE

Daintree dining

CHEF PROFILE
Set beside the jade waters of
Mossman River, Silky Oaks
Lodge has reopened to the
world with Head Chef Mark
Godbeer’s unique twist on local
flavours front and centre.

Words: Annabel Bowles
Q&A Mark Godbeer
Native ingredients like tamarind,
kumquat and emu apples aren’t a token What’s your background as a chef?
experiment on Mark Godbeer’s plates, I originally trained in London and south
but a key element – and rightly so. England before doing an intensive
With many grown in his own kitchen advanced chef diploma in South Africa.
garden, the chef has dedicated several I then joined a Seychelles seafood
years to harnessing the taste of the apprenticeship and later got a great head
tropics, in all its wild beauty. chef role on luxury motor yachts in the
The Treehouse Restaurant’s daily- USA, Europe, the Caribbean and South
changing menu combines modern Pacific for 13 years. I’ve also done a stint
Australian and Pan-Asian influences, running a five-star fine dining restaurant
alongside Indigenous flavours and a on Vancouver Island and opened a
focus on matching refreshing fare to its rooftop restaurant in New York.
rainforest surrounds. Paired with one of In 2017, I moved to Australia and joined
Australia’s most stunning and secluded the Baillie Lodges family at Longitude
natural environments, fine dining at the 131° before opting for a tree change at How do you describe your approach
newly reopened Silky Oaks Lodge makes Silky Oaks Lodge. It’s been a varied to cooking?
for an unforgettable experience among and rewarding path over my 22 years of I focus on what’s fresh and available,
lodge guests and day-trippers alike. cooking professionally. along with ways of highlighting those
ingredients and utilising each as much
as possible. I like to keep it interesting,
not only for guests but for myself and my
team too, so we can all learn, experiment
and grow together. Negativity is left
at the door and we only cook with a
happy, positive attitude that ultimately
transcends into the food.

How does The Treehouse Restaurant
reflect our tropical region?
We do it in two ways: first we source
fresh local ingredients and make those
beautiful complex and vibrant flavours
sing on the plate. We accent those
flavours with fresh native ingredients
plucked from our abundant kitchen
garden here at Silky Oaks.
Secondly, we try to replicate the tranquil
vibe set by our ‘back garden’, Mossman
River, which burbles peacefully night
and day. By doing so, we encompass
everything the Daintree Rainforest has to
offer in a relaxed dining environment.

46 • Tropic • Issue 35