International chef and East Sussex College alumnus Martin Benn returns to Hastings
An internationally recognised chef who began his culinary career in Hastings returned to East Sussex College last week to meet the next generation of catering students.
Martin Benn, the internationally acclaimed chef behind Sydney restaurant Sepia, visited the College’s Hastings campus on 18th September, where he met catering students and took part in a special Q&A session at Coast Restaurant.
Martin originally trained at East Sussex College in 1990, before going on to build an international career in some of the world’s leading kitchens.
After moving to Australia in 1996, Martin worked at Tetsuya’s in Sydney, where he became head chef aged 25. He also worked for Marco Pierre White at the three-Michelin-starred The Restaurant Marco Pierre White, before opening Sepia with Vicki Wild in 2009.
Sepia went on to receive numerous accolades, with Martin being named Australian Gourmet Traveller Chef of the Year and Australian Financial Review Chef of the Year. The restaurant was also named Australian Financial Review Restaurant of the Year and Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Restaurant of the Year.
During his visit to the College, Martin spent time with current catering students, sharing his experiences of working in professional kitchens and building a career in hospitality.
Reflecting on his return to the College, Martin said: “It’s a very special place for me because it’s where I learned my trade. I have a lot of passion for my trade and I really want to pass that on to the young kids, so it’s good to be back in town.”
Martin also spoke about what first drew him to cooking and the practical side of his College course.
“When I was a kid at the age of 11 or 12, I just wanted to cook. My dad’s a builder, my brother’s a builder, and it just didn’t appeal to me. But when Mum cooked, I always knew that’s what I wanted to do, and I told her that’s what I wanted to do.
“Coming to college and learning that trade, the practical part was almost second nature to me. However, I really struggled with the theory side at the beginning. My tutor back then, Steve, always reminded me that I’m learning theory, and I remember that all the time because now cooking is a lot about thinking, chemistry, and understanding how things work.”
He added, “But my passion originated from hands-on, physical cooking and the buzz of service.”
Martin said the fundamentals he learned at College have stayed with him throughout his career.
“The fundamentals of cooking will always stay with you. You can teach someone how to make a soup, cut a vegetable, or how to braise meat. Once you understand how to layer food and make that flavour profile kick through, that makes all the difference.
“College gives you the fundamentals to put recipes together, understand them, and see alternative ways of doing things. While basic techniques remain constant, restaurants find diverse ways to build upon those foundation skills.”
For current students considering where a career in catering could take them, Martin said there are opportunities to work around the world.
“Cooking can take you anywhere - it took me around the world. The most important thing is to understand the theory part straight away. Read a recipe all the way through, cook it as written, and understand why it’s done that way. If it doesn’t turn out right or you don’t like it, change it and play around with it.
“Having that freedom without boundaries gives people the passion and energy to do it themselves.”
Looking back on that journey, Martin said, “You never know where this career is going to take you as a kid. I had dreams of working in London as a chef, which was a hard place with great chefs at the time like Gordon Ramsay and Pierre Koffmann that you aspired to be like.
“I got an opportunity to go to Australia and worked for Tetsuya Wakuda, a great Japanese-born Australian chef. I always aspired to learn something new and different. I didn’t know I would ever own a restaurant, but working for Tetsuya made me realise that’s what I wanted to do.”
His visit gave current students the opportunity to hear directly from someone who started his own career in the same college kitchens and went on to build an international reputation.
For Martin, returning to Hastings was also a chance to share some of the lessons that have stayed with him throughout his career – and encourage the next generation of chefs to find their own path in the industry.
“Learning your trade early on and understanding it is crucial. I pinch myself thinking that I had a restaurant for 10 years that was at the top of its game, so I’m very proud."