I met Tony Howell last year during my stay at the stunning Cape Lodge, in Yallingup. Before meeting him, I imagined that as chef of this prestigious internationally-awarded retreat he would be a little affected, to say the very least. But after five minutes in his company I realised how wrong my assumption had been! It’s hard to not be taken over by Tony’s enthusiasm and passion for his craft. This intrigued me and pushed me to delve a little deeper into the background of this man, who rubs shoulders with privileged and often famous people on a daily basis.
Questions going through my mind were: How does he cope with the pressures of cooking for global celebrities? Does he ever get nervous? To answer these questions, you quickly discover that Tony’s passion for creating exquisite dishes has taken him on a life-long culinary journey that dates back to when he was a young lad.
When asked about his early dreams to become a chef, Tony laughs out loud, “it wasn’t really my mum’s cooking that inspired me to be a chef”.
“I grew up with mum cooking a lump of steak in the vertical grill, which tended to lack any flavour but was considered to be a good, healthy way of cooking. It was actually my best friend’s mother who really introduced me to the wonders of cooking and getting excited about food in general. Being Italian, his mum cooked on a wood-fire stove, where everything was slow cooked to perfection and whenever I visited, she always gave us plenty of her homemade biscuits and cake.
“Of course like many Italian families, under the house in storage rooms, she had rows of preserved fruits and homemade tomato sauce. The backyard housed a huge vegetable patch and (of course), a chook pen!” Being a part of this large Italian family (even as a visitor) changed my outlook on food and instead of wanting to play with my mate, I wanted to stay in the kitchen with his mum to watch her cook!”
Now, after living in the glorious South West of Western Australia, Tony says that he often has to “pinch” himself because life just doesn’t get any better. Making the move to this location, more than13 years ago (with the last 10 years at Cape Lodge), Tony enjoys the flexibility and laid-back lifestyle that only this part of our State can offer. “It’s living and being a part of the community that is also very important to me,” he says. And Tony is most certainly a man of many talents: he loves to surf, is a keen fisherman, a volunteer fireman and resides on a two-acre property with his family in picturesque Gracetown.
After learning more about Tony, it is very easy to understand what makes him so enthusiastic about his role at Cape Lodge. “I really love to cook for all of our guests, because you know that they are generally well travelled people who love their food and have dined at some fantastic restaurants around the world.”
However it is not only is the VIP guest that gets Tony’s culinary inspiration flowing - it is the everyday person who has come to Cape Lodge to celebrate a special occasion. “This is what really gives me the satisfaction; to know that we have created a dinner that they will walk away from and remember for many years to come.”
So what motivates Tony and his team of chefs to keep creating new and even more exciting cuisine? Easy to answer that one, Tony says, “It’s because of the awesome produce that I can get.” He passionately supports local producers and has forged friendships with local farmers and growers, relationships that date back to his arrival in Margaret River. It’s not unusual for him to get a phone call asking him to pop into the farm on the way home. One week he will be picking up eight kilograms of nashi pears and will return the following one to pick up a load of figs. This way, Tony is assured that freshly picked local produce will be served the same day, or the very next at the latest!
The Cape Lodge menu changes daily. Yes, daily! Tony works seasonally with local delicacies, then allows his young team of chefs to make suggestions on how best to cook them. He encourages them to put forward recipe ideas on how to best use ingredients. “This way they all take ownership of the recipe. They (the chefs) are stoked when they see it on the menu and see our guests enjoying the creation. I might tweak the recipe a little, but essentially it is their suggestion, their recipe – and in essence, their menu,” says Tony.
One thing that I have learnt after meeting Tony is that he doesn’t have any pretensions when it comes to his staff and his kitchen space. Unlike chefs who can be very territorial about their kitchen, Tony allows guest chefs to work alongside him and his team.
Last year Cravings hosted a sumptuous 5-course dinner with chef Sunny de Ocampo (from Perth) and recently the Alila Manggis (Bali) Executive Chef, Penny Williams ) and Alila Ubud (Bali) Executive Chef Nyoman Santika  together with the Cape Lodge team, created an exquisite Balinese inspired menu with each course perfectly paired with Fraser Gallop wines.
“I love having other chefs join me in the kitchen. It really fires me up because their enthusiasm motivates and inspires me too.”

Catering for celebrities
Q How do you approach cooking for a VIP or celebrity guest?
A “It’s easy. Their personal assistant normally sends through a list of foods that they enjoy or dislike. I can cater around these requirements.”

Q What did Sting think of your food? 
A “Sting had booked into Cape Lodge and we were expecting him to join us for dinner. To our surprise in walked Sting his wife and entourage of 12, for lunch.  When I asked him what he would like to eat, his response was, ‘just surprise us’. So we just put a whole range of dishes on the table for them to graze their way through.”

Q What was their response?
A “I walked in and said, ‘well what did you think’? Sting stood up and started clapping, with the others joining him soon after. This was a fantastic response because Sting and his wife are well-known foodies themselves, growing much of their own organic produce on their property. Sting has visited us twice and they are such genuinely nice people.”

Q I know that pretty much all of the Leeuwin concert guests have dined at Cape Lodge, do you still get nervous?
A “No, not really. After all, they are really just people aren’t they? I honestly approach every guest as if they are a celebrity anyway.”

Q Do you manage to chat with many of your guests?
A “Yes I do, because I enjoy chatting to people and in turn they seem to love to chat to me about the food. We had a guest who was building a new home so I said for them give me a look at the kitchen plans.”
This they did and Tony explained why some of the kitchen ideas wouldn’t work. Taking his advice, they amended the plans, inviting him back to the USA to see the completed home and kitchen for himself. On this occasion, Tony was invited to cook for 120 guests for their housewarming celebration and then on another trip to cook for their Porsche Car Club. 

Q I know that you need to be discreet about who has stayed here in the past, however is there any one guest who stands out in your mind as one of your favourites?
A “John Farnham was an absolute cracker! He was a very funny man and will always stand out in my mind as a memorable Cape Lodge guest.”

Q When it comes to food, do you only offer dinner for your guests?
A “No we can provide a variety of culinary treats during the day. It begins at breakfast time where guests soak up the atmosphere of a lakeside view or can dine in their room. We also make up hampers for guests to take to a private lunch location in the region. We also bake daily fresh cakes, slices or muffins for afternoon tea too. Cape Lodge holds wine tastings twice during the week also. So all in all, we pretty much cater to every gourmet wish that any client desires.”

Q I heard that you’re also running cooking demonstrations, which guests and locals are attending. What is this all about?
A “Absolutely. Every Saturday afternoon Reece Babcock (my Sous Chef) and I take a class showing guests some preparation techniques and answer any question they might have. It is supposed to run for about an hour but they always end up being much longer and we all usually end up in the kitchen! They’re proving to be very popular, so we’ve opened up the classes for anyone to enjoy.”

Cooking classes are held at Cape Lodge every Saturday afternoon at 4pm. Classes are for a maximum of 20 people, cost $35 per head and include kitchen tips from Tony Howell and his Sous Chef Reece Babcock, a complimentary glass of wine and a cheese plate.
Cape Lodge, Caves Road, Yallingup. Phone (08) 9755 6311 www.capelodge.com.au