Restaurant: Cafe Opera

Tamas joined InterContinental Sydney’s culinary team as executive sous chef in January 2009, and was promoted to executive chef in April 2010.

Tamas has enjoyed an extensive career in hospitality spanning almost two decades. He has held senior roles working in kitchens across Europe and the US, from four- and five-star hotels to top restaurants including a one-Michelin-star venue.

Prior to his arrival in Sydney, Tamas was executive sous chef at InterContinental Dusseldorf in Germany – one of IHG’s flagship properties in Europe.

Although born in Budapest, Hungary, Tamas spent the majority of his childhood in Germany, where he developed his passion for cooking at an early age. He would often assist his mother in the kitchen, cooking for his two brothers, and accompanying her to the local food market, choosing produce and later transforming ingredients into a meal.

This hand-picked produce, market-to-table style of cooking has been a key inspiration behind Tamas’ cooking and his menu development. It is this market-style experiential dining that is the focus of InterContinental Sydney’s Cafe Opera restaurant.

From his home base in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, where he lives with his wife and four-year-old son, Tamas journeys weekly to fresh produce markets in his neighbourhood and beyond, sourcing new ingredients and suppliers and meeting different family-owned businesses and producers.

Tamas’ favourite style of cooking is French cuisine combined with fresh local ingredients. Like other members of his 55-plus culinary team, he enjoys being creative in his cooking. Menu changes are made spontaneously, as opposed to routinely, when new suppliers are discovered and based on produce seasonality and availability.

Anna Lisle