Introducing Ben, the head chef at seven am.

Ben is the head chef at seven am.

He is originally from the UK (he has the British accent to prove it) and has been calling Australia home for the past 6 years.
He is a man of many talents.
He has worked as an engineer.
He has worked as a project manager.
And a plasterer.
For the last four years, Ben has worked as a chef.

Ben believes he has found his perfect job.

When Ben first arrived in Australia, he could easily have fallen back into the comfort zone of doing what he knows, but he was keen to try something new and believes he has now found his 'thing'. Ben is doing what he loves, a role that he is passionate about and that motivates him to try new things and improve on the skills that he already has as a chef.

When Jason was looking for a head chef, Ben came along at just the right time. In fact, the timing could not have been more perfect. Ben had just returned from working in a cafe down the coast for 3 years. He had also helped with the refit of the coastal cafe a couple of years earlier and so promised to be a great asset to this project. During the seven am cafe development stages, Ben has been a full time friend and support to Jason.

In Jason's words, Ben is "perfect for the job... In his involvement and planning in the project everything has worked. He is enthusiastic, committed, mature, has a good business sense and we share a vision of what we want to achieve. We share a natural alignment of thought."

Jason has faith in Ben and his style. When they first discussed the menu in January, they found they already had very similar hopes and expectations. There are some differences of ideas of course, but this surely is another essential ingredient for variety and spice.

I recently asked Ben a few questions...

What do you like to cook?
Fresh basic ingredients with flavour are essential. And then using them together without over complicating it too much. Allowing the quality of the ingredients speak for themselves.

I like homestyle, though not too homey. A good balance of flavours and taste. Meals that are natural and not too finicky. Everything fresh and made to order.

We want to create a base menu with seasonal flavours and specials making the most of Melbourne's access to fresh and high quality food. What you can expect is good honest food.

Ben especially loves fish and seafood which is perfect for seven am’s seaside location.

What's the biggest thing you have learned so far?
I have learnt so much about the big picture, about opening a cafe from scratch and a total understanding of what is required from every side of the business. It has been an amazing experience.

So, Ben. How would you sell yourself for this role?
(This stopped him short and he looked a bit uncomfortable about selling himself, it was difficult question)
Ultimately, I will be myself... What you see is what you get.
I like what I cook. What I lack in experience, I will learn. I am adaptable and I am open to the advice of others in the process of learning new things. I work well under pressure.

What do you see as Jason's strengths for the business?
Definitely his people focus. He’s very self aware. He's been in hospitality before so he knows what's required and he also draws well from his creative and design background and from life experience.
He's just a top person really... He knows what he wants, what he has to do to get it and he isn't afraid of the hard slog to get there.

Together, I think Ben and Jason are going to make a great team.

Location Location Location!

The lease has been signed and works are now well under way.

The location for seven a.m is perfect. Bay Street Port Melbourne.

It doesn't get much better than this.

It's a beautiful and established community, a combination of long time residents and newcomers. A busy business district during the week and on weekends the local community is always out and about. Add into the mix the visitors who come to the popular seaside suburb to hang out and soak up the atmosphere, and there is always something happening.

It is perfect in so many ways and very much like what Jason and Ben are hoping seven a.m to be. A welcoming atmosphere, with a strong local feel, new and innovative and yet a retreat from the hustle and bustle. The sort of place where you go to grab a coffee on the run and decide to take a seat and stay for a while. A breath of fresh air...

The cafe is being built from scratch. From the ground up. The floors, walls, kitchen, amenities, court yard and even an upstairs area are in the plans. It's all go in Bay Street, Port Melbourne right now and there's no shortage of work ahead. Some of you may already have dropped in to see the beginnings of the works and you'll know exactly what I mean. It's a good thing Jase and Ben are so enthusiastic, passionate and open to hard work - because they're going to need to be.

So while Jase is busy with all the paperwork and building works, and Ben is deciding how to set up his kitchen and plan his menu, I have been asked to keep you up to date, to let you know how it's all going at seven a.m. My name is Jacinta. I am a friend of Jason's and he has asked me to help out with the seven a.m. blog. It's a great honour and a little bit daunting too.

Over the coming weeks, before the grand opening (hopefully around the end of June) that's exactly what I hope to do...

Next week I will introduce Ben the chef for seven a.m. I caught up with him and Jason last week and I suspect they are enjoying the beginnings of a beautiful bromance.

Over the next weeks, I'll tell you about their 4 essential ingredients and give you a secret look behind the scenes. I will also introduce Jason's gorgeous wife Jaq (and her art wall project) and Ben's beautiful partner Meg.

For now, this is where you can keep up with developments, watch Jase and Ben on this new path and find out when help might be required. Later, this blog will become a sharing space. Where menus will be listed, reviews posted, Ben's hints published and where special offers can be downloaded. So keep in touch. This is just the beginning.

This blog is for Jason and Ben to keep in touch with you guys! And to hear back from you too. So leave comments, feedback, suggestions... ask questions. If you don't hear from them for days, drop by and see what it is that is keeping them so occupied and don't forget to say hi.