Home Loans, home chef

Ortolan on Bayswater chef-owner Paul McGrath has been keeping a low profile since his restaurant closed in September.

The word on the streets in the east is the talented chef has disappeared into the secretive world of being a private chef to the rich and famous.

''I can confirm I'm working for a family,'' McGrath says.

But Short Black hears McGrath is cooking for Aussie Home Loans chief John Symond.

Symond's Point Piper residence isn't a typical family home: it is believed to have as many as 10 household staff, a ballroom that can hold 200 for dinner, and formal dining areas where gatherings of several dozen can chow down.