In Michael Harrison’s heart, food has always been number one. Currently head chef at Pretty Little, Michael cooks with confidence and creativity and always features Australian seasonal produce.
Unsure what he’d do after school, 16-year-old Michael did a work experience placement at the Athenaeum Club and RACV Club in Melbourne. He loved the atmosphere in the kitchen so continued to immerse himself by doing dishes on weekends, then quickly decided to pursue an apprenticeship. The next ten years were a whirlwind of experiences: Fenix under Raymond Capaldi and Gary Mehigan (the kitchen intensity there toughened him, but he also learnt integrity and respect for everything he cooked); then branching out to Langton’s, Luxe, Attica, Davis Yu’s Louie, Livingroom, Syracuse (ahead of his time Michael created a separate vegan menu for accessibility and nod to the future) and No35.
Now, head chef at age 26, Michael has found his creative home at Pretty Little. And his signature dish–a homage to New York restaurant Le Bernardin’s Tuna (carpaccio)–is testament of his talent, adding native finger lime, fluffed wild rice and spring onion to complement the classic tuna and foie gras combination.
