As Arcane turns 10, chef Shane Osborn reflects on a life of restaurants and travel

When The Arcane Collective’s Shane Osborn first fell in love with cooking in Perth in the 1980s, he was the only boy in his home economics class, washed dishes for his mother’s catering business and worked part-time at a revolving restaurant. At the latter, he spent his time whipping up quintessential ’80s dishes: pepper steaks, pommes gaufrettes and a lot of chocolate mousse.

"Ten litres of it,” he recalls with a glassy look in his eyes. “Ten litres of chocolate isn’t funny.”

While his peers were pursuing very different goals, Osborn knew from an early age that the kitchen was where he wanted to be. Decades later, his flagship Michelin-starred restaurant Arcane is celebrating its 10th anniversary – more than 6,000 kilometres away from where he started. His business, The Arcane Collective, now includes casual bistro Cornerstone and plant-forward catering service Victuals by Moxie . He’s also a celebrity chef in his own right – not that he’d ever call himself that.

“Celebrity chef culture doesn’t sit very comfortably with me,” says Osborn. He admits it’s ironic, given that he’s appeared in shows like Netflix’s The Final Table where his status is front and centre. 

On the surface, Osborn's journey sounds like a fairytale. But the reality is less Cinderella and more Rocky. He’s battled preconceptions of Australian cooking, navigated restaurant politics, cut his teeth in Michelin-starred kitchens and travelled all over the world to hone his craft. Sitting down with him, we ask Osborn about the restaurants, chefs and places that have made an impact on him.

Quay and Bennelong, Sydney

It was an uphill climb for Osborn when he was asked to lead London restaurant Pied à Terre in the early 2000s. He turned down the role twice – friends called him “insane” – before relenting and becoming the first Australian chef to lead a Michelin restaurant. 

He recalls, “When I arrived in London, the Aussies were the butt of most of the jokes. ‘Aussies don’t know how to cook, especially European or French food.’ It was banter, but it gets to you a little bit after a while.”

He proved them all wrong however, winning back Pied à Terre’s second Michelin star in 2003 and maintaining it until his departure in 2011. Things have changed and so have notions of Australian cooking, with more Aussies standing alongside Osborn on the world stage.  

“There’s a lot of great restaurants in Australia now – world-class,” Osborn says. “In [Sydney], there’s Quay and Bennelong by Peter Gilmore. Peter’s an outstanding chef.”

Hakkasan, London

When Osborn wasn’t busy leading the team at Pied à Terre in the aughts, he was eating his way through London – especially at Hakkasan ’s original location in Hanway Place. “It wasn’t just for the food,” says Osborn.

“The atmosphere just hits you. I used to go after service at 11 o’clock. Whatever happened during a bad day, your attitude would change and it was amazing. Football players were in there and celebrities; everyone was buzzing.”

Osborn calls Hakkasan founder Alan Yau a “visionary”; he wound up working with Yau further down the line at the now closed Hong Kong restaurant St Betty. It was there that Osborn reconnected with one of his Pied à Terre patrons, who approached him to set up what would become Arcane.  

Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles

Osborn starred on Netflix’s The Final Table, making it all the way to the final alongside his teammate and fellow Aussie chef Mark Best. During filming, they and 11 other culinary teams stayed in West Hollywood, where they found time to sneak out and explore the local food scene, stumbling across Pizzeria Mozza .

“Mark and I went there three or four times. It’s the best pizza I’ve had outside of Italy. And the pistachio ice cream – to die for. If I go back to LA tomorrow, the first place I’m going back to is Pizzeria Mozza,” he says.

Roganic, Hong Kong

With years of experience and a few stars under his belt, Osborn is increasingly looking to the next generation of talent. His focus has shifted towards developing and supporting the team around him – as well as encouraging them to make better choices for the planet.

One restaurant with a similar ethos that stands out to Osborn is Roganic , helmed by Simon Rogan in Hong Kong. “They are brilliant operators; you can see that by the depth of talent they have,” says Osborn. “Roganic’s team produces world-class food but also works with local producers, and that’s the key to their success.”

Osborn adds, “Climate change is real and we all need to make conscious decisions for the future.”

Arcane will be launching special menus to mark their 10-year anniversary this November, each highlighting and named for the sustainable food producers they work with. The Gourmet et Provence menu ran from 11-16 November, the Waves Pacific and To-Plate menu from 18-23 November and the Farmhouse Productions menu is available from 25-30 November. Book your table here.