About Lindsey Schwab of Fusion 7, Port Macquarie, Australia

Lindsey was born in Sydney and grew up in country NSW in the towns of Leeton and Bathurst before his family moved back to Sydney when he was 11. From an early age he had a keen eye on becoming a chef and at the age of 16, left school and began his apprenticeship. Working under the highly regarded chef Paul Merrony, at his flagship restaurant, Merrony’s at Circular Quay, put him on the road to fulfilling his dream. After two and a half years at Merrony’s learning the fundamentals of high-class cuisine He moved on to the Bather’s Pavillion at Balmoral, where he learnt a very different cuisine in Asian and Mediterranean flavours.  The completion of  his apprenticeship at the end of 1997 sounded the gun for the start of his desire to roam the world.

Beginning in Canada working in ski resorts, he moved to London, UK, to seek work in some of the worlds finest restaurants. Fortunately, Lindsey was lucky enough to land on the doorstep of The Sugar Club and soon found his feet working under one of London’s favourite chef’s, Peter Gordon. Peter being from New Zealand, ensured a very Antipodean atmosphere in the London kitchen. His style of food, ‘Pacific Rim’ or “Fusion’ paved the way for Lindsey to develop a passion for using ingredients from all over the world. 

In 2001 Lindsey helped Peter and Anna Hansen open The Providores and Tapa Room in Marylebone, London, which opened to rave reviews and won several Best New restaurant awards. With a menu driven by creativity and innovation, getting their hands on new products was no object. Either from Europe, Asia, the Middle East or the Americas, new ingredients inspired unique dishes, creating an inspired dining experience in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.

After 7 years abroad, with countless trips into Europe and extensive travels through India and Thailand, Lindsey returned to Australia, the long way! He spent a year travelling through the Americas visiting the USA, Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands and Costa Rica. An exciting journey seeing some of the worlds most impressive sites, natural and man-made, meeting extraordinary characters, and of course eating some delectable (and not so delectable) food, that has also influenced the way Lindsey cooks today.