Guillaume Brahimi
French-born Guillaume Brahimi is one of Australia’s most popular and acclaimed chefs. He trained under Michelin-starred chef Joel Robuchon in Paris before moving to Sydney in the 1990s.
In late 2001, Guillaume won the prestigious contract to take over the flagship restaurant at the Sydney Opera House, Bennelong, and, after a refurbishment, opened this spectacular venue in November 2001 as Guillaume at Bennelong. The restaurant went on to win almost every major accolade in Australian food, as well as international recognition. By 2003, held Two Chef Hats in the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide and in 2013, Guillaume and his team regained their three- hat status in the 2014 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide. That same year, Guillaume was awarded Vittoria Legend Award for his outstanding long-term contribution to the restaurant industry. Guillaume at Bennelong had its last service on New Year’s Eve 2013.
In 2009 Guillaume formed a partnership with Crown Entertainment Complex (Melbourne) and opened Bistro Guillaume. In September 2012, Guillaume opened his second Bistro Guillaume in Crown Perth. In August 2016, Guillaume opened his own Bistro Guillaume in Sydney’s CBD. When Crown Sydney opened its doors in late 2020, Guillaume was appointed as Culinary Ambassador, building on the partnership and relationship with Crown that now spans 12 years. As well as his partnership with Crown, Guillaume is currently an ambassador for Audi Australia.
In 2010, Guillaume authored his first book, Guillaume: Food for Friends, giving us a peek into nine very different and utterly remarkable homes, and the lives of those who live, cook and entertain there. All proceeds of this book were donated to the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse at the RPAH in Sydney. In 2012, Guillaume published his second book, French Food Safari, a celebration of the incredible breadth and diversity of French food traditions that was also a television series on SBS.
His latest book, Guillaume: Food for Family, was released in October 2015, featuring the families of Cate Blanchett, Justin Hemmes, Mark Bouris and Kellie Hush amongst others, with proceeds being donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Guillaume joined the board of the Bestest Foundation in 2008. The Bestest Foundation is a national charity established to help children in need who might otherwise ‘fall between the cracksʼ. At each Gala Dinner, Guillaume will gather 40 of his chef friends and colleagues from all over Australia to cook together for one night. This event has enabled the charity to raise over $7million dollars with the funds raised going directly to the almost 4,000 children who have become part of the Bestest family for their specified purpose.
In late 2014, Guillaume was a recipient of the Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Merite (Knight of the National Order), a prestigious honour endowed by the French government for outstanding services rendered to France in Foreign Affairs and International Development. In 2015, Guillaume was named Chef of the Year at the annual GQ Men Of The Year awards.
Guillaume is the host of SBS’s food series, Plat du Tour which airs during the coverage of the Tour de France. Guillaume takes viewers on a tour of great French cooking during the 21 recipes that originate from different regions of France and correlate to the different Tour de France stages.
Guillaume is the host of two SBS food series: Plat du Tour which airs during the coverage of the Tour de France. Guillaume takes viewers on a tour of great French cooking during the 21 recipes that originate from different regions of France and correlate to the different Tour de France stages. Also Guillaume’s Paris, an immersive series discovering the very best in Parisian cuisine and lifestyle, arrondissement by arrondissement.