Lorcán Kan has one of those reputations that precedes him, not in the loud, headline-grabbing way, but in the quiet way that matters more. Mention his name to other chefs and their response is usually the same: “He’s such a lovely guy.” Kan, now head chef at Etta in Brunswick East, carries that reputation with the same understated composure he brings to food. Born in Donegal to an Irish-Malaysian family and in Melbourne since he was one, Kan grew up resisting his dad’s Malaysian cooking (hot dogs seemed more appealing at the time) before circling back to it as comfort food. His path has been anything but linear: New York fine dining, German art studios, years of travel guided by one-way tickets and kitchen doors that opened when he knocked. He’s studied food science to answer the “why” questions, explored fermentation before it was fashionable, and learned that creative control is as much about restraint as it is about freedom. At Etta, his cooking sits at that intersection; comforting but restless, grounded but curious, waste-aware but playful. Talking with Kan feels like talking to someone who still finds wonder in the work. He’s calm, thoughtful, and very much the real deal.
