Guillaume Brahimi
One of Australia's most popular and highly acclaimed chefs
Born in France and trained under Michelin-star chef Joel Robuchon in Paris, Guillaume Brahimi is one of Australia's most acclaimed chefs.
After moving to Sydney in the 1990s, Guillaume quickly impressed Australian diners with his culinary expertise. Not long after in 2001, he won a remarkable opportunity to lead Bennelong, the flagship restaurant at the Sydney Opera House, which was quickly refurbished and re-opened as Guillaume at Bennelong. Winning almost every major accolade in Australian food, the restaurant also received international recognition under Guillaume’s direction.
The restaurant received Two Chef Hats in the 2003 Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide, and a decade later, claimed their Three Hat status in the 2014 edition. That same year, Guillaume was also awarded the incredible Vittoria Legend Award for his outstanding long-term contribution to the restaurant industry.
With its final service on New Year’s Eve of 2013, Brahimi took his acclaimed team to another adventure when he opened Guillaume in August 2014. Located in Paddington Sydney, Guillaume continues the high standard of culinary service from his 12 years at Bennelong.
Guillaume also collaborated with Crown Melbourne to open Bistro Guillaume in 2009. Thanks to its success as Best New Restaurant in the Gourmet Traveller and The Age’s food guides, he was able to open another chain in Perth and Sydney in 2012 and 2016 respectively.
In 2013, Crown Melbourne appointed Guillaume as Culinary Director for the next three years alongside Neil Perry.
Outside of the kitchen, Guillaume also shares his love for the culinary arts as a writer, publishing his first book Guillaume: Food for Friends in 2010, and his second book French Food Safari in 2012.
His latest book, Guillaume: Food for Family, features the families of renowned Australians like Cate Blanchett, Justin Hemmes and Mark Bouris, in a combined effort to donate the book's proceeds to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
An esteemed and deeply respected chef, Guillaume was a recipient of the Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Merite (Knight of the National Order) in 2014, a prestigious honour from the French government for outstanding services in Foreign Affairs and International Development. He was also named 2015 Chef of the Year at the annual GQ Men of the Year awards.