Chef Christian Ryan: Inspired by the mediterranean

Eat and Drink

11 Oct

Co-Owner & Head Chef at Hobart’s Aløft Restaurant and Restaurant MARIA, Christian Ryan’s passion for immersive dining experiences translates through every dish and guest interaction. His signature dessert at Restaurant MARIA was inspired by his own travel experience in the Mediterranean - he tells the story here.

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Restaurant MARIA's Greek yoghurt, honey & walnuts (Image: Fiona Vail)

Growing up in Tasmania, wild fennel grew untamed around my home in Hobart, weaving its signature scent into my clothes in the midst of childhood adventures. On a recent trip to Greece, I discovered fennel growing out of the ground and between walls in Santorini. Its smell was like a timestamp on my childhood, taking me right back to my younger years with one sniff.

On that same trip abroad, I visited Stani, Athen’s last remaining old-school dairy where yoghurt is still made by the slab. Down an alley in an otherwise unremarkable area, I found myself amongst wizened locals smoking cigars and ordering from a menu of cream puddings, custard pies, and honey dumplings. I was there for something specific: this nondescript eatery holds a certificate of authenticity for its sheep’s milk yoghurt, which - served in its tradition with honey and walnuts - came highly recommended by a number of people whom I trust with my food itineraries. Three everyday, unadulterated ingredients were so perfect in their simplicity that the sum of their parts turned out to be the best thing I ate on that entire holiday.

Stani's traditional sheep-milk yoghurt with honey and walnuts (image: Instagram)

That simple plate of food had such an impact on me that it inspired a dessert on our menu at Restaurant MARIA in Hobart. Making the very most of the incredible Tasmanian yoghurt and honey to which we have access, our “Greek yoghurt, honey + walnuts” is my homage to that special little space tucked away in the backstreets of Athens. Just one look at the dish, or a spoonful snuck from the mise en place, is a nostalgic transportation back to my European holiday.

The real potency of the dish for me, though, is in its smell. The honey that’s drizzled over that luscious yoghurt has been collected from the nectar of local fennel flowers, whose anise-like, spicy-sweet fragrance gives the honey its signature scent. That this subtle perfume has the power to evoke both the Hobartian suburbia of my childhood, and the whitewashed seascapes of Santorini, is testament to the tethering of our senses to memories.

It reminds me that, as creators and consumers of food, every dish has the capacity to connect us with moments in time. The way it looks, tastes and smells forms a narrative - not just of the here and now, but of the places, people and experiences that have left the greatest marks on our past.