Bart Beek

Bart remembers, back to the age of about nine, watching his mother cooking dinner on the old wood stove and asking her “Can I cook?” She answered with three words; “Stir the pot!” As he stood there on an old soft drink crate with spoon in hand, his passion for cooking had just been ignited.

Bart is an exciting and incredibly inventive chef who has been behind the stoves of some of the worlds famous kitchens for 48 years. He works tirelessly to champion seasonal, locally sourced produce and focuses on creating pure deliciousness by using cutting-edge culinary methods and techniques. Having a meal cooked by Bart is something you will remember for an exceptionally long time.

His flair, devotion and level of passion for all things culinary are something that few chefs possess, and Bart displays an unwavering dedication and willingness to always assist and help others. Now, with all his experience and with the aid of open flames, searing-hot coals and smoke, Bart with essence bbq LAB is taking the art of barbecuing to a new level. Bart’s mantra has always been to ‘cook with passion’ – and has fashioned his own innovative cooking style. He is best known for his many years of cookery presentations on Channel 10’s Escape with ET and his multi-award-winning establishment ‘Essence Food Studio’ in Melbourne, and was trained at the famous Cordon Bleu school in Paris.

Since 2002 Bart, along with his wife Alaine, created their dream of combining food, wine, live music, and theatre. Essence Food Studio was born and developed into a highly successful multi-award-winning business venture.

In 2016, Bart teamed up with Everdure Australia and focused all his energies and experience into his new full-time role as Executive Chef for Everdure by Heston Blumenthal.

For 4 years, Bart travelled around the globe with Heston Blumenthal and The Fat Duck Group, exciting and educating audiences everywhere. Now, with his vast knowledge and refined level of bbq techniques, he was inspired to create essencebbqLAB

essencebbqLAB is a new business dedicated to the delivery of the principals and methods of modern barbecuing, where Bart shares his vast expertise and experience with the guests. The facilities at the LAB have been designed to ensure that a seamless presentation of barbecue masterclasses is delivered to the public.