Aaron Ward

Aaron moved to Sydney in 2011 from Newcastle, staring at Sixpenny shortly after as part of the opening team. He worked his way up to sous chef under chefs Daniel Puskas and James Parry and gained the love of cooking with vegetables sourced from the restaurant garden in Bowral. 

In 2016 Aaron was awarded the Electrolux Appetite for Excellence Young Chef of the Year award, travelling overseas to work in Copenhagen at restaurants Relae and Amass. This is where he worked closely with local farmers, learning the importance of seasonality, sustainability and to have a ‘No Waste’ mindset in the kitchen. 

Returning home, Aaron accepted a sous chef position at LuMi Dining working alongside Federico Zanellato. He then decided to continue to expand his knowledge and skills in another restaurant seVng, moving on to work at Ester. Here he spent most of his time manning the wood fire oven and learning fast how to cook using fire as the main element. 

In 2019, Aaron was asked to return to Sixpenny and take on the role as head chef, where they were awarded 3 hats by the SMH Good Food Guide. 

In October 2021, Aaron accepted the role as Head chef at the yet to be opened Shellhouse Dining Room and Terrace. The lead up to the opening of this multi-venue establishment involved research, testing and menu development. In the first year the restaurant was awarded 2 hats by the SMH Good 
Food Guide and was nominated for Restaurant of the Year. 

In October 2023, Aaron accepted the role as Executive chef at Bathers Pavilion Restaurant. In the first 2 months of his tenancy of the kitchen, the restaurant was awarded 2 hats by the SMH Good Food Guide.