I went in to Stokehouse at golden hour as the glow of the late afternoon sun bathed the dining room. Winter is the best time for sunsets, they told me, and as I left after chatting to Jason, the sky was awash with deep coral. It’s a stunning dining room. Who wouldn’t want to sip wine and eat glorious food looking out over Port Philip Bay? It’s even more stunning once you know how intentional the rebuild was post-2014 fire. Owner Frank Van Haandel wants to contribute to a world his grandchildren will enjoy and to that end, worked with designers, architects and chefs to create a sustainable building and sustainable practices. Leading the kitchen and the sustainability goal is Jason Staudt who began his career at the age of 15, attending cooking school at S.A.I.T, before completing his training at The River Café in Calgary. He then moved to the Alaskan and Northern British Colombian regions to work on a private yacht, catching the seafood he would then go on to cook and serve. After several years working at some of the world’s best restaurants, in Canada, some stages in London and New York, Jason moved to Newcastle in Australia and then Matt Moran’s Aria at Barangaroo House, Sydney. Over the eight years he was there, Jason climbed the ranks to Head Chef and also worked on the road with Matt before transferring to Moran’s neighbouring Barangaroo House restaurant Bea. In 2019 Jason moved to Melbourne to lead the Stokehouse Kitchen. One of the main reasons the move to Stokehouse felt right for Jason was Van Haandel’s views on a deep commitment to sustainability and we talked at length about this. I learned a lot from talking to Jason and I can’t way to get back to Stokehouse at sunset to soak up more of the joy.