Ross Magnaye

Growing up in the Philippines, a culture that places great importance on extended family and delectable feasts, it’s no surprise that Ross Magnaye harbored a lifelong dream of becoming a chef. It seems culinary talent runs in his family, as his grandmother managed the popular Carol’s eatery in Cagayan de Oro City. Ross pursued his culinary studies at Melbourne’s William Angliss Institute and gained experience working at various eateries around town, including the Italian Society Restaurant and local pastry studios like Burch and Purchese. His international career includes notable positions at Michelin-starred restaurants such as DOM in Brazil and Aziamendi in Thailand. Eventually, he returned to Melbourne and took on the role of head chef at Rice Paper Sister, where he introduced Filipino cuisine to the locals for the first time. Presently, he is leading Serai (the Malay word for lemongrass), which was recently voted Melbourne’s best new restaurant specializing in Filipino cuisine.

Beranjak dewasa dalam budaya Filipina yang mementingkan kekerabatan keluarga besar, yang mana setiap acara silaturahmi keluarga senantiasa dilengkapi dengan kenduri yang nikmat, tidak heran bahwa sedari ia kecil, Ross Magnaye memendam keinginan menjadi seorang chef. Bakat kuliner tampaknya menurun di keluarganya, neneknya menjalankan bisnis tempat makan bernama Carol’s di kota Cagayan de Oro. Ia mengenyam pendidikan kulinernya di William Angliss Institute di Melbourne; setelah itu, ia segera mulai bekerja di berbagai tempat makan di kota tersebut, termasuk di Italian Society Restaurant dan beberapa studio pastry lokal seperti Burch and Purchese. Karir internasionalnya mencakup bekerja untuk restoran berbintang Michelin DOM di Brazil dan Aziamendi di Thailand. Lalu ia kembali ke Melbourne, menjadi chef kepala dari Rice Paper Sister dan disinilah, untuk pertama kalinya, ia memperkenalkan makanan Filipino kepada orang-orang di kota Melbourne. Saat ini, ia memimpin Serai (kata Malay untuk daun sereh), yang baru saja dinobatkan sebagai restoran baru terbaik di Melbourne, yang mengkhususkan diri pada makanan Filipino.