Chiswick Woollahra enters a new era with the announcement of new head chef, Samuel Rozsnyoi, and a refreshed bar area
25 March 2025
Today, Chiswick Woollahra announces Samuel Rozsnyoi as its new head chef. Rozsnyoi, who was most recently head chef at Potts Point’s Dear Sainte Eloise, has created a new menu highlighting autumn produce. The new menu, which is a celebration of simplicity and has an increased focus on approachability, is now available in venue.
Restaurateur and Chiswick co-owner, Matt Moran, said: “Chiswick has been a mainstay of Sydney’s dining scene for over ten years, and it’s Samuel’s passion for produce-driven cooking and his talent for creating dishes that are both refined and approachable that make him the perfect fit for our philosophy. I’ve actually had my eye on Sam for a while – his resume speaks for itself and with experience in Europe, working under Josh Niland and at Cafe Paci, he’s one of the brightest young talents in the Sydney food scene right now. I can’t wait for our guests to experience his cooking.”
Rozsnyoi grew up in Gladesville, Sydney, where he uncovered a passion for cooking while spending time in the kitchen with his mother. At 18 years old, he started an apprenticeship at Glebe Point Diner and went on to complete it at Ultimo TAFE while working at Cho Cho San. Rozsnyoi’s career has taken him through top kitchens in Sydney, Denmark, Paris, and Berlin. His leap to sous chef came at Cafe Paci under Pasi Petanen, before leading kitchens at Louie in Coogee and Dear Saint Eloise in Potts Point. Now, Samuel brings 16 years of experience and a leadership style focused on learning and positive team culture to Chiswick. The chef looks forward to getting the most out of Chiswick’s kitchen garden through hyper-seasonal menus that will change fluidly to incorporate produce at its freshest, and by bringing a longer life to produce through fermentation and pickling.
Samuel’s autumn menu showcases a selection of thoughtfully crafted dishes that convey his culinary creativity yet honour Chiswick’s core fundamentals and longstanding hero dishes, such as the slow roast lamb. A new selection of mains on offer includes Chiswick’s classic beer battered fish with handcut chips and labneh tartare; baked lumache, mushroom, mozzarella, chilli; and wood roasted chook. A new grill section has also been added to the menu, allowing Samuel to showcase the best that that farmers such as Ramarro Farms, Altair and Chris Bolton have to offer. These steaks are served with fries and a choice of sauce. When supply allows, produce from Moran Family Farm will be included on the grill menu. A handful of new desserts complete the autumn dining experience, with Samuel’s new additions including a bay leaf custard tart and a salted caramel semifreddo served with seasonal fruit and honeycomb.
“In heading up the kitchen at Chiswick, I’m looking forward to reinterpreting the vision of the kitchens that have shaped me over the course of my career – Paci, Niland and Alvarez, to name a few”, said Rozsnyoi. “Paci taught me all about layers and presentation, whereas Josh taught me the ins and outs of breaking down whole fish and making the most of the incredible produce that comes your way. Danielle Alvarez showed me the importance of cooking from the heart. Matt Moran is someone who has shaped the culinary landscape of Australia, and the opportunity to bring a fresh perspective to all that Chiswick has established over the last 12 years is an incredible honour.”
In addition to the above, Chiswick is also announcing a new bar area that aims to be a go-to destination for diners either looking for an approachable dining experience or purely wanting drinks and snacks. Samuel has fleshed out the snack section of Chiswick’s menu to take advantage of this new bar space, with highlights including: wood-roasted prawns with curry butter and pomelo; beef tartare with pumpkin panisse and comte: and house-smoked stracciatella with caponata and endive; and Chiswick’s crowd-favourite Barra-masalata. The full Chiswick menu will also be available in the bar.
Samuel Rozsnyoi’s new autumn menu is available now, inviting diners to experience the next chapter in Chiswick’s culinary journey.
