BEN FARLEY
Ben founded the BBQ School in 2004 to share his passion and knowledge for all things food, fire and flavour filled cooking to as many people as possible. To create an environment that is fun, engaging and hands on in a social yet professional environment. During his 34 years of commercial experience, he wanted to drive and impassion cooks and chefs around the country to simply do it better. During his career as a chef, Ben has learnt his craft having worked in high-profile restaurants in Sydney such as Bilsons and Michelin Star establishments such as The Mirabelle in Mayfair, London where he worked under the tutelage of one of the greatest of Chefs - Marco Pierre White. Ben also uses his experience from restaurants around the world to teach culinary arts to students at Ryde TAFE and Le Cordon Bleu and has taken his passion to homes around Australia with BBQ School and its many offerings.
JACK ASTIN
Jack Astin is a Sydney-based chef with more than 20 years of experience across premium restaurants, hospitality venues and large-scale catering. Currently Head Chef – Production Kitchens at Merivale Stadiums across the SCG and Allianz Stadium precinct, Jack brings a strong passion for live-fire cooking, premium produce and creating memorable food experiences. Alongside cooking, Jack is passionate about teaching and sharing knowledge, helping others build confidence around food, fire and technique in a hands-on and enjoyable way. For Jack, barbecue is all about bringing people together—great ingredients, simple techniques and cooking over fire in a way that feels relaxed, memorable and fun.
ROSS ECKERSLEY
With a background in French cuisine, Ross Eckersley has moved from his home in Manchester, United Kingdom to Sydney Australia, working in
fine-dining restaurants across the state including Level Forty One Restaurant and Quay Restaurant. Ross’ experience, passion and skill have flowed into the BBQ sphere, where he specialises in Americanstyle
barbequing and judges and mentors for the Australian Barbeque Alliance.
PIERRE WONG
With 25+ years in professional kitchens across Australia, North America, and France — from fine dining to five-star hotels to a private island chef gig in Ontario — Pierre has pretty much done it all over a hot stove.These days he’s channelling that experience into something far more fun: teaching people how to absolutely nail it on the BBQ. A qualified culinary trainer who’s taught at cooking schools across Sydney, Pierre has a knack for breaking down technique without taking the fun out of it.
ANDRE
With a background in catering for some of Sydney's finest venues and events, Andre has a passion for fine food and finer beer. In his spare time, you will find him either cooking on a bbq or planning to build yet another one to add to the ever-growing collection, all while drinking his own homebrew beer. Andre has a passion for learning and passing on his knowledge when it comes to food and food preparation. Currently working at Australia's finest butcher shop ( Anthony Bourdain called it the best bitcher's in the world), Andre thrives on creating menus designed for the nose to tail eating.
SCOTT
For the past twenty years, Chef Scott has been cooking up creative and delicious dishes in the Canberra region Born in Goulburn , the county next door, Scott constantly traveled the world to enjoy the diverse cuisines and restaurant options available there. This helped him develop an interest and passion for cooking, at this time the industry see that he had an excellent knack of knowing how to present and order dishes in a way that would enhance their flavour.
Scott is arguably one of Canberra’s most recognisable chefs. Who has not only lead but help sculpt the culinary scene in the the Nation’s Capital for over a decade
KEN YIP
Applying his many years of diverse cooking experience in different catering outlet, ranging from hotels, restaurants and cafes, he is now part of the BBQ School team Brisbane. With the acquired knowledge and experience, Kenny is ready to share it with fellow students in BBQ School.
JAYSON BEATON
Jayson finished his apprenticeship in 1988 and got into catering management not too long after in Sydney. In 1999 I moved to Queensland.
Jayson is a travelling photographer in Queensland while at the same time run his own spit roast business.