Joanne Ward
From working across the globe with award-winning chefs in Michelin-starred restaurants, to cooking for Oprah Winfrey on Hamilton Island, new Om Nom Kitchen & Dessert Bar Executive Pastry Chef Joanne Ward is no vanilla slice.
With a flair for creativity and a passion to craft not only great food but an incredible dining experience, Jo has even been likened to Heston Blumenthal – presenting whimsical and theatrical desserts designed to engage more than just one sense.
Jo’s philosophy on desserts is all about thinking outside the box, including the use of some favourite ingredients, such as popping candy and foie gras; and incorporating savoury ingredients in a sweet dish.
Now entering the adult playground that is Om Nom Kitchen & Dessert Bar, Jo is looking forward to letting her inner artist out.
“I love experimenting with food and seeing someone’s face light up because of something I’ve created,” she said.
“Plating up is my favourite part of the job so expect some seriously ‘Instagrammable’ desserts that taste just as good as they look.”
Starting out as a ‘dishy’ in a local hotel, Jo, through hard work and earnt respect, moved her way up to begin an apprenticeship in the à la carte restaurant, and eventually moved on to finish her final year at Hayman Island.
Jo now has an impressive list of experience in some of the world’s leading restaurants, including London’s The Square restaurant, Taxi Dining Room, Samuel’s, No 35 at Sofitel Melbourne, Hamilton Island’s Qualia, and Fenix. Jo’s style of cooking, which she describes as ‘modern Australian with a heavy French influence’, was inspired from working under the guidance of French pastry chefs, and within fine dining restaurants known for their modernist cuisine.
In her time as a pastry chef, Jo has worked alongside Albert Roux, George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan, Raymond Capoldi, Michael Lambie, Tony Twitchett, Perry Shagen, Stuart McVeigh, Justin North, Shannon Bennett, Ben Shewry, Matt Moran and many other talented and well-known chefs. Since starting at Om Nom, Jo has already introduced three new desserts and plans to announce more as she puts her own creative stamp on the iconic dessert venue.
