Having recently opened Jardin Tan in Victoria and with a few other projects in the pipeline, director of Vue Group Shannon Bennett is on a bit of a roll. Here we talk inspiration, Pisco Sours and Exercise.

 
Name: Shannon Bennett

Where you are from/live: Westmeadows, Victoria and currently residing in Melbourne.

What you do: Chef, restaurateur and director of the growing Vue Group/Collective stable.

What is your latest project? Latest is Jardin Tan with a few other exciting projects in the pipeline… watch this space.

What inspires you? Anyone who believes in the motto “the harder you work the luckier you get” & doesn’t believe in the word “entitlement” the world owes us nothing

Three people that inspire/excite you:

1) Mick Fanning
2) David Walsh and his team at MONA
3) Australia’s military service men and women, especially the elite SAS

What is your favourite…

Chair model: HUSK chair by Patricia Urquiola
Car model: Audi RS6 Avant
Travel destination: Lima, Peru
Residential space: Liberty tower by FK architects and red court in Armadale
Commercial space: The new NAB building in Docklands

Functional product: The Miele inbuilt pressure cooker, design masterpiece
Handmade good: MAC knives
Mass-produced good: Nespresso machine
Item in your studio: Christopher boots light

Time of day to work/play: There should be no schedule for either, go with what your instinct tells you
Meal: Bang Xoa Vietnamese crispy omelette with fresh lettuce and mint
Restaurant: Le petit Nice in Marseille
Drink: Pisco sour or a macadamia nut martini
Bar: This is a tricky one but I’ve always liked Shady Pines in Sydney.
Bar: Le Bar de plaza Athenee Paris
Piece of technology: Control 4 home automation
Historical Figure: Auguste Escoffier and Winston Churchill

Vice: Pisco sour
Virtue: Daily exercise

What does the term ‘Design Hunter’ mean to you? New inspirations for projects that hopefully lead to one day creating something that is timeless.