Shannon Bennett is an Australian chef and author. He is best known as the head chef of restaurant Vue de monde, at Melbourne's Rialto Tower as well as many appearances as a guest judge on the popular cooking showMasterChef Australia. Bennett also owns and operates several other hospitality venues in Melbourne – Vue Events at Rialto, The Lui Bar, Bistro Vue, Benny Burger and Café Vue in two locations - and has written six books. He has appeared on a number of Australian foodtelevision shows and he is a brand ambassador for Miele and Audi and Nespresso.
Biography
Bennett was raised in Westmeadows, Victoria. He attended Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School. Together with classmate Curtis Stone, Bennett realised a passion for cooking and he was subsequently introduced to the restaurant trade by his uncle Tom. Bennett completed his apprenticeship at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne before working overseas and then returning to Melbourne to open Vue de monde. Bennett was in a relationship with Australian actress Madeleine West from 2005 to 2018. The couple have six children.
Career
In 2003, he was awarded Gourmet Traveller Magazine's inaugural Best New Talent title. Bennett relocated the restaurant in 2005 to Melbourne's CBD. Bennett was invited to be the first Australian member of the associations Jeunes Restaurateurs D’Europe and Le Grand Tables Du Monde. In 2007 Bennett was a guest chef at New York's Star Chefs Congress. Vue de monde was awarded Restaurant of the Year in The AgeGood Food Guide, 2013 and 2014. Bennett's current projects include the complete redevelopment of the Burnham Beeches property while the Vietnamese/French-twist food establishment, "Jardin Tan" opened in July 2014 in Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens.
Controversy
In 2018, Bennett received considerable attention in the media over a series of unpaid bills including the alleged underpayment and overworking of his staff at the Vue-de-Monde restaurant. Further media attention was also given as to his refusal to pay a long outstanding debt over the installation of a $10,000 crayfish tank at his restaurant, , although the matter was resolved in early 2018 with details of the settlement hidden within a confidentiality agreement. A national current affairs television program also ran a story with more examples of unpaid bills to local builders involved in the building of Bennett's multimillion-dollar South Yarra mansion in Melbourne. The story also covered concerns raised by residents regarding the current state of disrepair of the Norris building, the proposed removal of the National Trust listed Beech trees and other issues surrounding Bennett's proposed new development of the Burnham Beeches Estate in the Yarra Valley.
