Damien Pignolet

Going into hospital at the age of 5, he came out when he was eight, spending almost four years lying flat in a full-body cast because of a rare hip disease.

"[3] Pignolet found comfort in cooking and started out utilising Women's Weekly cookbooks but soon went to the local library and discovered the great chef, Escoffier.

[5] On 21 December 1987, Pignolet was driving back from Canberra, with his wife Josephine, whom he had been married to for six and a half years, together with Chefs Anne Taylor and Ian McCullough.

Pignolet suffered major jaw injuries which required a liquid diet for 12 weeks and damage to his hip needed surgery that kept him confined to home for three months.

Previous winners include Mark Best, the head chef of Marque Restaurant, Damian Heads of Milsons and now Pony,[7] Dan Hong of Bodega, Daniel Puskas and James Parry of Oscillate Wildly,[8][9] and Phil Wood, Executive Chef at Rockpool Est.

[10][11] In 1992 Damien went into partnership with Ron White and purchased the Woollahra Hotel creating Bistro Moncur in Woollahara.

[1][13] Bistro Moncur is a restaurant which is part of the Woollahra Hotel in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.