George Francisco facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George Francisco
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| Born | 1966 (age 58–59) |
| Occupation | Executive chef, restaurant consultant, bacon artisan, writer |
George Francisco is a talented chef from America who now lives in the Sunshine Coast Region of Australia. He began his cooking journey in the United States and then moved to Australia in 2001.
Early Life
George Francisco was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, a city in the southern part of the United States. He grew up in the US South.
Chef Career
Cooking in the US
George Francisco started his cooking career in Williamsburg, Virginia. He learned a lot by working with a famous chef named Marcel Desaulniers. After finishing his training, he moved to San Francisco. There, he worked at popular places like Fog City Diner with Cindy Pawlcyn and then at Stars with Jeremiah Tower.
While in the US, he also cooked at Cafe Claude and YOYO in the Miyako Hotel. Later, he became the head chef (called a Chef de cuisine) at Farallon Restaurant.
Cooking in Australia
In 2001, George moved to Australia to help open a new restaurant called Wildfire. After that, he opened his very own restaurant named Dish. While running Dish, his cooking was so good that he earned four "chef's hats" from the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Guide. During this time, he also opened the Chelsea Tea House in Avalon.
Next, George became the head chef at Jonah's Whale Beach. He earned three more chef's hats while working there. His amazing cooking helped the hotel become part of the special Relais & Châteaux group, which is known for its fancy hotels and restaurants. After Jonah's, he helped create the food and drink ideas for QT Hotels & Resorts as their Executive Chef.
In 2008, George even hosted an episode of a TV show called Food Safari, where he shared his cooking skills.
In 2011, George moved to Hunter Valley. He became the executive chef at Tower Estate, another Relais & Châteaux property. This estate included Tower Lodge, Restaurant Nine, Peppers Convent, and Roberts Circa 1876.
George believes in reducing "Food miles". This means he tries to use ingredients that don't have to travel far from where they are grown to where they are eaten. In 2012, he started an organic garden on the estate to get fresh ingredients for his restaurant. He later made the garden even bigger and added a small chicken farm and beehives. At this time, George was the only Executive Chef to work for two Relais & Châteaux properties in Australia!
In 2014, after some parts of Tower Estate were sold, George focused on Roberts Circa 1876. He started a new restaurant there called Eighty Eight, which used only organic and sustainable ingredients.
In 2015, George was featured on an episode of a show called Foraged, which explores finding food in nature.
Later in 2015, George moved to Queensland to start his own special bacon company called Voodoo Bacon.
From 2018 to 2020, George worked with his old colleagues, Ian Dresener and Dah Lee, to open Firegrill Restaurant in Sydney.
In 2020, George launched his own line of ready-to-heat meals and a spice and rub collection under his brand, George's Soul Kitchen. He continues to share his passion for food!
