Chris of Beacon Point

December 1997

During his 50 year career as a chef Chris Talihmanidis has prepared food in all sorts of places all around the world.

He has worked in his native Greece, in other parts of Europe, in Melbourne, on Mt Buffalo, in the Antarctica and, for the past two decades on the coast in Lorne and at Apollo Bay.

But it's at Beacon Point where the restaurant bears his name that Chris lives and surveys the world below.

I spoke to him sitting in the window overlooking the stunning panorama of ocean, hills and trees. As the sun was setting you wonder why anyone would ever leave this piece of paradise. But for Chris, at 63, he won't sit still, he is always out. Every day he goes down the hill to the pier and takes Dogas, his son's dog, for a 10 kilometre walk. Then every week he goes into Geelong to check on the supplies which have been ordered for the three food businesses which he owns in the area. There is the Marine Cafe at Lorne with chef William Wood in charge (William was apprenticed at Mietta's and also worked at Paul Bocuse) and the latest business, The Sea Grape which is managed by Penny Kernick with chef Pauline Johnson in the kitchen. (Pauline was apprenticed at Chris's some years ago, went travelling and came back to open the new restaurant) Penny has been working with Chris for about 20 years, she was an apprentice and has also taught cooking at Warnambool Tafe.

And at Chris' Beacon Point is Dean Matthews (previously chef at Warrenmang) with four others including Zack who had worked in the restaurant as a waiter before deciding to learn to cook.

Chris is a hard task master but seems to inspire strong loyalty and a team spirit from his staff. One way this is fostered is by dividing tips between all the staff, in the kitchen and on the floor. As he first started his career learning how to wash and polish glasses and to clean and set up the restaurant, he appreciates how hard you have to work in each part of a restaurant.

At the age of 13 he was working 16 hours a day to learn his trade and by 18 was one of the youngest qualified chefs in Greece. At that time in Greece there were a number of good French chefs so Chris learnt many classical dishes, "from Napoleon's time" as well as the traditional casseroles which his grandmother had shown him. He likes to keep trying to improve on the classics as with his veal dish which started from the schnitzel but finishes as a chop on the bone crumbed and topped with poached egg and salmon roe ( a variation from Veal Holstein). There's always souvlaki and fish of the day and a casserole like Prawns Stamna which are whole prawns baked in a clay pot with tomatoes, fetta, olives, eggplant, spinach. The delicious juices have to be mopped up with Chris's home made bread but you must leave room for the desserts of which he is particularly proud and often cooks himself.

So after 50 years in kitchens Chris is still working, very fit and very aware of all that is going on in his three businesses.

For a young man who never went to school and arrived in Australia with no resources but an ability to cook, he has achieved amazing success. His first job in Melbourne was at General Motors then gradually he got work in kitchens in "hospitals, in the mountains, on the Nella Dam in Antarctica - everywhere."

He came to Lorne with his former wife and their baby son and took over a run down business with no money to buy food. So Chris would go down to the pier each day and fish. In the first months, there was no menu. The customers would be shown a basket of the day's catch and then Chris would cook it. In the first four months, he scraped together $300. After eight months things began to get better and before long not only was there a menu but there were queues in the street to get into Chris's.

Then he put tables and chairs out in the street and did battle with the local council for 2 years to get permission. Eating outdoors in Victoria in 1972 was not allowed by the Liquor Control Commission. He was told that if wanted to serve food outdoors that he "should go back to Greece, we don't do that in Victoria."

The original Chris's was sold in 1985. In the meantime Chris had bought the 20 acres on Beacon Point and started a very small restaurant (about 1/3 of its space now). The restaurant was subsequently enlarged and two years ago Chris built 6 units which are booked out most of the year. Each unit has two double rooms with a well equipped kitchen, living area and a balcony jutting out over the hill.

Then Chris decided to open again in Lorne. So he took the old name for his first place, The Marine Cafe, and opened in a sheltered sunny spot with a rose garden and courtyard just as you come into Lorne.

Next he went to the main street of Apollo Bay to open The Sea Grape. It's been open now two months and is already very busy, "busier than we expected to be so quickly, " said Penny who has been responsible for its set up.

I wondered if Chris had plans for another restaurant. After a long story about a Greek friend who finally had a boy after 11 daughters, he said that " although I started late, now I know how to do it, " so I guess we'll wait and see where Chris will be directing his energies in the second 50 years of his cooking career.

Chris's Beacon Point (0352376411), The Marine Cafe at Lorne (0352891808) and The Sea Grape at Apollo Bay (0352376610) are all open seven days.