Kitchen Spy: Jonathan Barthelmess

Jonathan Barthelmess wouldn't be the first guy to take up professional cooking because it left his days free to surf. His grandfather was a cook, his parents did all they could to dissuade him from what they saw as a hellishly antisocial lifestyle so the rebelliousness of the choice made it even more appealing. Now the addiction to the adrenalin of service has superseded the call of the waves as he heads up two Sydney restaurants, Apollo and Cho Cho San, and the Apollo Tokyo. He lives in a bijou apartment near work in Potts Point and longs only for a wood-fired oven and a herb garden.

The Staples

My pantry: I always use Sicilian Primo​ extra virgin olive oil, it makes such a difference. Trapani​ salt, also from Sicily, is great for braises, and for everything else I use Murray River pink salt. For a snack there's Amedei chocolate or if I need an emergency dessert I'll figure something out with that. Tracklements​ Dijon mustard I love. I've been working with Japanese ingredients lately because of the new restaurant so I use this S&B curry powder for marinades.

My fridge: There's always cheese for snacks as well as a good parmigiano reggiano. I really like Buche d'Affinois​. I'm Greek so there's obviously yoghurt, by Meredith Dairy, and Odysseus​ aged feta which I marinate in olive oil.

I'm cooking

Last dinner at home

It was my Mum's recipe, a leg of lamb baked with tomato, garlic and rosemary. By the time the lamb was cooked the tomato sauce was perfectly reduced so I tossed some pasta through that as a starter and served the lamb as the main with a green salad.

Secret vice

Popcorn. It was one of the first things I ever cooked, I loved shaking the pan, hearing it pop, it was pretty exciting. Now I just cook it in butter and sprinkle with different fine salts, paprika and onion powder.

I'm drinking

I drink espresso which I make at home with the pods, nothing exciting, and I drink fresh mint tea at night. One of my favourite white wines is Zuani Collio​ from Friuli in the north of Italy. And I love COS, a natural red from Sicily.

Saturday night tipple:

I've been to Japan a few times this year and I've gotten into Japanese whisky.

My toolkit

I love my Japanese knives, they're an extension of my hand, and I always get funny names engraved on them that remind me of the time I bought them. Big chopping boards are really important because I like to butcher large joints of meat and whole fish. And my red enamel pan does the best roast potatoes.

Favourite

These iron soy pourers were designed by an architect/restaurateur who designs every last detail of his restaurants, right down to the chopsticks.

Inspiration

If I'm cooking at home I get inspired by whatever's at the shop. Janni Kyritsis'​ Wild Weed Pie is my favourite cookbook for a lot of reasons. He's a good friend and a mentor and it wasn't until I cooked with him for a charity dinner that I realised my Greek heritage had influenced the way I cook and eat.

Kitchen highlight

I don't need a lot in a kitchen but a bit more bench space would be nice.

Food discovery

Campisi​ cherry tomato sauce from Sicily. I made the best pasta I've ever made in my life with it.

Most memorable meal

A friend and I hiked up this mountain in Salerno in the south of Italy to see an old church his uncle was really proud of. When we got there it was closed but these people from one of the nearby villages had come up there to eat in the grounds. We got talking and ended up sitting down to eat with them. They made parmigiana melanzane​ and pasta with guanciale​. It might not have been the best food I've ever eaten but it was really tasty and a great experience. I was about 19 and it was my first trip overseas as well.

In the restaurants, I try to cook food I love to eat but with a cheffy touch so you couldn't make it exactly like that at home.