Get to know Lactalis Foodservice’s Executive Chef Chris Mason one-on-one!

Meet Chris Mason, Lactalis Foodservice’s very own Executive Chef who bears the important task of working directly with customers and ensuring with every decision from product innovation through to implementation, our customers remain at the forefront of everything we do. 

1. Chris, what has the last decade looked like for you in the world of hospitality/foodservice?

I was a chef for 10 years in hatted restaurants across Victoria, including Royal Mail in Dunkeld for three years under the guidance of Dan Hunter. Then I moved on as a Product Development Chef for foodservice and retail at Simplot for seven years. Now, I work at Lactalis commercialising new products (R&D) for Foodservice, and I’m Executive Chef at Lactalis Foodservice – that’s over two decades, but two careers take some extra time to explain!

2. Why did you decide to become a chef?

I was looking for a way to get out of the university classroom. I remember it like it was yesterday, studying stress strain diagrams for the 50^th time, and decided I’d had enough. I wanted to do something hands on. I’d spent a lot of time in the kitchen growing up and always really enjoyed that.

3. What do you love most about your role as Executive Chef?

My role isn’t your traditional Executive Chef’s job in the sense that you won’t find me in a kitchen very often these days. However, I still rely heavily on my knowledge of food, my organisation and communication skills, my ability to work under pressure, to innovate with food and help others develop. I get the biggest kick out of sharing what I know and watching my teammates develop their knowledge and skills.

4. What do you think it takes to succeed in the industry?

Hard work, tenacity, and some sort of ability to cook food. However, if you don’t have good set of soft skills and can’t work cohesively in a team, you will go nowhere. Being able to work well with others will be your greatest asset.

5. What’s the best advice you’ve been given at different stages of your career? 

“Never stop learning!”

6. Which is your favourite Lactalis Foodservice product and why?

600ml Chocolate Flavoured OAK because I don’t think there is anything else as satisfying after a 150-kilometre bike ride. However, if I’m in the kitchen I can’t get enough of our recently launched Président Professionnel Cultured Butter. It really helps enhance the flavour of the dish you are cooking. Good quality ingredients make your life as a chef so much easier.

7. What’s your earliest cooking memory?

The first thing I ever cooked was a sticky date pudding. I had a great family recipe and it tasted amazing!

8. What’s your favourite/signature dish to prepare and why?

Honestly, it’s impossible to single it down to one favourite.

Back in the day, I really enjoyed my time working in the pastry section. And, I have really fond memories of winning a Lactalis Foodservice sponsored cooking competition where I cooked a desert using Pauls Vanilla Custard. Basically, it was set rice pudding with a liquid custard centre and when you cracked through the brûlée exterior warm custard flowed. Hard to explain… great to eat!

9. Which are three cooking utensils you can’t live without?

The first is easily scales, to measure the weight of ingredients. This is a great utensil to have under your belt, especially if you’re baking a lot. Secondly, you always need a good knife. It’s pretty impossible to cut things up efficiently without a sharp knife. Third would have to be a spoon, the size of a tablespoon. You do a lot with a good spoon, and you can use it instead of tongs, to stir or to taste test.

10. Mystery Box question! Besides some basics, if you only had four ingredients in the fridge: pear, ricotta, duck and walnuts. What dish would you prepare?

By “some basics” do you mean a well-stocked pantry? Or like after a trip to the garden? Because I could really do with sort of bitter leafy greens…

With these ingredients I would cook the perfect duck breast – crisp skin the colour of a dark caramel on the outside and rare on the inside – service with a delicate salad of pear – some roasted some raw – frissee, that’s the leaves I needed from the garden, ricotta and candied walnuts. Dressed in a light dressing of walnut oil and aged balsamic vinegar – and they would be from the well-stocked pantry.

Discover our Product Showcase video series where our Executive Chef takes you through our range here.