The Cooks Pantry, at the corner of Jetty Street and Military Road in Adelaide’s metro beach suburb of Grange, is where you’ll find James Bodroghy purveying over his organic produce, fashioning it into an array of take home meals, and a selection of relishes, pickles, and preserves. You can stop in for a coffee and a bite to eat, as James begins his day baking organic foccaccia which by lunch time is on display packed with mouth watering fillings. There’s always a selection of fresh fruit and veg and it’s not long before you’re thinking to yourself, I wish my pantry had an espresso machine, somewhere to sit, read the paper and relax while I look at all this lovely food and decide what’s for dinner tonight.
So how does an accomplished chef feel about no longer having the weight of two or three services bearing down on him everyday? Well as far as we can tell there seems to be a little mixture of emotions bubbling away on the stove. There’s a great deal of satisfaction to be had in the challenges of a busy service - the camaraderie of a tight kitchen brigade, and the elation felt as empty plates and complements return from the dining room. It’s easy for someone to miss such moments and James is no exception, but with the crazy notion of a lifestyle in mind he embarked on his third venture, and six months down the track he’s settled in and beginning to think about the next step. It’s at this stage that Waitersfriend takes a retrospective look at how James Bodroghy got into his pantry.
There’s an all too familiar story at the beginning of this. James didn’t set out to be a chef, but after abandoning the idea of becoming an artist, hospitality reached out and slowly but surely swept him into the vortex. During an 18 month stint in middle management at the Hyatt, James became convinced he needed to have, and run his own business. To do this, learning to cook seemed the obvious way forward, so returning to Norwood restaurant, The House, where he had previously worked as a waiter; James felt he could learn a great deal from classically trained chef Dominique Lai. After being told flat out ‘no way’ a persistent Bodroghy was eventually taken on and began his apprenticeship. After two years under Lai, James shifted to Mezes in Rundle Street. Chef Lew Kathreptis didn’t have a kitchen job available at the time, so once again James found himself working front of house. Satisfied he could pick up a few tricks from Lew just by being under his roof, James went about tending tables whilst all the time watching and learning. When his training finished James headed overseas on an epicurean adventure of Europe, finding out about the countries and regions and their culinary culture by what was being traded, cooked and eaten in the market place.
Returning home via Western Australia, James worked for Phil Sexton, in a front of house role. James describes Sexton as uncompromising with an exceptional eye for detail. Phil Sexton was the mastermind behind Little Creatures Brewery in Fremantle, and now the Giant Steps food and wine enterprise in Yarra Valley’s, Healesville.
By 1993 James was ready to open his first eatery. Or was he? His cookery was ready, and he had seen enough front of house action to be able to project his vision onto a team of wait staff, but this was the first time he’d been fully in charge of a commercial kitchen. Unperturbed James forged on, and with a modest budget he swung opened the doors to the much loved, Henley On Sea.
This was a time when Henley Square wasn’t quite as boozy as it is now. Next door to James, Ian and Richard ran Bacchus Restaurant - back then the building was classic white with crisp linen table cloths, and a more eloquent style of dinning ensued. James’s approach was a casual beachy feel, and started out with a small blackboard menu of 8 items. Serving great food the two restaurants worked well off each other and Henley On Sea became a popular local hangout.
A couple of years in, director Scott Hicks was in the area checking out a location for his up and coming movie Shine. James and his team were in the final stages of nightly pack down as Hicks meandered by. Something struck a chord with the director and the next day James received a call informing him a film crew wanted to take over his restaurant for a week. James thought quietly to himself “payday” but as Hicks hadn’t yet cracked the big time, the movie was running on it’s own modest budget. James reflects with Waitersfriend on the pay off for letting the film crew in, “we all got a week off work”.
But the good times rolled on, and as the popularity of the eatery amplified, James felt a little frustration coming from the local quarter who found it increasingly harder to obtain a table at their favourite little café by the sea. The Square was now beginning to change, Ian and Richard headed off to North Adelaide having taken on the lease at The British Hotel, and the building next door took on a somewhat satanic appearance as the elegant white was covered over with a bold garish pink paint job.
James himself was evolving, and in 2001 sold up and headed to Hyde Park opening his second venture, 66, a French bistro where he could express himself and his passion for classic French technique. With a young family, James began to question the virtues of being a chef/restaurateur and after an 18 month stint 66 went on the market.
Like all professionals whose reputation precedes them, James had no trouble reintegrating the work force, something the middle aged chef who had been self employed for 10 years admits to shedding some concern over. During the next 5 years he worked in and around Adelaide, in top restaurants and fixer uppers, adding his contribution to the dinning scene, restaurants and chefs alike. But always in his mind was a sustainable business model that would allow him time to enjoy his family and the spoils of all his knowledge, experiences, and training.
Summer 08/09 and the finishing touches go into The Cooks Pantry; the idea had become a reality. James now has his lifestyle business allowing time for his family and an outlet for his skill as an accomplished chef. He also continues to contribute to Adelaide cuisine in the form of cooking classes. The classes are fun and interactive, designed to allow attendees to learn, and increase confidence within their own cookery. Check out his recipe for Tommy Ruffs with skordalia.
Visit The Cooks Pantry web site for the latest on upcoming cooking classes and to see what James is preparing for dinner tonight.
If in Adelaide call into 6 Jetty street Grange, and check out what’s going on in the Pantry.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am - 6.30pm
Saturday 8am - 4pm
Sunday Closed …………..lifestyle day!
