Award-winning pastry chef Anna Polyviou shares her journey from Sofitel apprentice to Shangri-La creative director and beyond, her personal ethos and approach to pastry and her new role mentoring finalists in the Proud to Be a Chef program.

Anna Polyviou

Anna Polyviou is a highly awarded powerhouse pastry chef with an edge. Recipient of the 2017 Chef of the Year Tourism Accommodation Award (TAA) Award, 2016 Pastry Chef of the Year from Gault&Millau and 2016 Hotel Chef of the Year from Hotel Management Magazine, she has worked alongside internationally renowned pastry chefs like Pierre Herme and is a familiar face on our TV screens in shows like MasterChef Australia and Family Food Fight.

Having spent seven and a half years as Creative Director of Pastry at Shangri-La Hotel in Sydney, as well as working at Claridge’s in London and Sofitel Melbourne, Anna has forged her professional reputation by putting a bold, unique spin on her pastry creations. Foodservice Rep caught up with her as she prepares to take on the role of pastry mentor for next year’s Proud to Be a Chef mentoring program.

For someone who has devoted so much of her career to pastry, it comes as a surprise to learn that Anna actually started out focusing on savoury cooking. “I was a little wild back then, going out, having fun and probably not taking cooking as seriously as I should have,” she recalls. “I did my apprenticeship at Sofitel in Melbourne which was next level and super hard. The hotel entered me into a competition and I had no choice but to train because I didn’t want to embarrass myself. I did well, something clicked and suddenly I fell in love with pastry.”

“I’ve never been one for following rules”

Anna recollects that she was attracted not only to pastry’s discipline and precision but also the creativity involved. “Once you understand the rules you can start breaking them, and I’ve never really been one for following rules. That’s where my style came from: bold, fun, interactive creations that can be completely crazy but still have elegance, skill and serious pastry technique behind them.”

“When I came back to Australia I wanted to take everything I’d learned and create my own identity”

The opportunity to work overseas completely changed Anna as a chef. “Pierre Hermé Paris introduced me to another level of pâtisserie precision: flavour, texture and the idea that pastry could be treated almost like jewellery. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful – the layers and textures, the presentation, even just from the packaging and service, the whole experience.”

Working at Claridge’s in London taught her discipline and resilience. ”I was working, studying at university and competing at the same time. I won Best Dessert in the UK and remember training so hard that sometimes I’d sleep at work because there wasn’t enough time to go home. And sleeping in a corner of a room because I had no bed there! Competitions were never about beating other people, I was competing against myself. And the harder I trained the more confident I became. When I came back to Australia I wanted to take everything I’d learned and create my own identity.”

At Shangri-La Sydney, initially as executive pastry chef and later as creative director of pastry, she was given the freedom to do just that. “I created Sweet Street, huge gingerbread installations, dessert degustations and experiences which combined pastry with DJs, graffiti artists, B-boys and B-girls at Sweet Street Festival. It was completely different for a luxury hotel at the time. That’s where people really started recognising my style.”

“Pastry shouldn’t be restricted by tradition”

Anna describes her personal ethos as “don’t be afraid to be different”: “I’m classically trained and have enormous respect for technique, but pastry shouldn’t be restricted by tradition. Learn the rules properly, then work out how to make them your own.

“When I create I think about the whole experience: flavour, texture, smell, presentation, surprise and what people will remember afterwards.

“I also love nostalgia. Inspiration might come from childhood, travel, family or something completely unexpected, and then I find a way to reinterpret it through my style. But flavour always wins. You can create the most Instagrammable dessert in the world but if it doesn’t taste amazing you’ve lost them. It needs to be bloody delicious first.”

In recent years Anna has undertaken a pastry residency at Melbourne boutique hotel The Langham. “That gave me another opportunity to bring my personality into a luxury hotel environment, particularly through afternoon tea.

“I created concepts like the dog-inspired afternoon tea where dogs would come into the hotel and enjoy it with their owners, and worked with designer Camilla Franks around Mardi Gras. I also loved that they brought my whole team with me.”

Today Anna’s career is more diverse than ever: “I work across events, consulting, television, brand collaborations, content, demonstrations and food experiences. Inspiration can come from anywhere – a cookbook, social media, travel, an ingredient or a client brief. I’ll respect the brief, then ask: how far can we push this? Whatever I create, I come back to flavour, texture and presentation. You need acidity, salt, crunch, temperature and balance. Presentation gets people’s attention. Flavour makes them remember you.”

One project she’s really excited about is The Open Table, a new podcast and food series Anna is hosting with TV presenter Irene Jones. “It’s about bringing people together around food and having genuine conversations. We’ve had guests including Shaynna Blaze, Pete Helliar, Woody Whitelaw and Donut Daddy, alongside people from all different walks of life. It officially launches on 10 October which is my birthday. I cook for our guests and food becomes the way we break down barriers. Put something delicious in front of someone, sit around a table and people relax – the conversation changes.

“I love that my career no longer fits into one box, it’s crazy busy and every day is different from the one before”

“I’m also working on Hungry Passport which is a travel and food series, plus continuing with television, major events and brand projects, and there’s even the potential of creating my own Greek patisserie over in Sydney too. I love that my career no longer fits into one box, it’s crazy busy and every day is different from the one before. I also do huge events around the world, from F1 Singapore, to cooking at the Ambani family wedding in Melbourne or events over in India.”

“Mentorship isn’t only about famous names”

Anna’s involvement in the upcoming Proud to Be a Chef mentoring program was a result of her approaching its organisers. “I love what Proud to Be a Chef stands for and genuinely wanted to be involved. I’ve had incredible opportunities but I’ve also experienced the long hours, pressure, mistakes and knockbacks that come with this industry.

“As a mentor, I don’t just want to teach finalists a recipe – you can find recipes anywhere. I want to teach them how to think. I want them to understand why something works, to develop their own identity, to take feedback without losing confidence and stay curious. There are so many different paths available now – hotels, restaurants, events, consulting, television, brands, product development or building something completely your own. If I can help these young chefs believe in themselves and find their own lane, that’s incredibly rewarding.”

Asked who she counts among her mentors and influences, Anna says, “I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with some extraordinary people throughout my career, both internationally and in Australia. Every great chef, mentor and team member has taught me something about technique, leadership, resilience or simply how to treat people. And mentorship isn’t only about famous names. Some of my biggest lessons have come from the people I’ve worked beside every day. That’s one of the things I love about our industry: you never stop learning.”

< homepage

next article >