Heath Weber - Executive Chef - Bedarra Island Resort

Heath grew up on the hinterland of Queensland’s Gold Coast where he was fortunate enough to be surrounded by both ocean and fertile farmland, which laid the foundation for his passion for both seafood and local produce in later life as a chef.

After training at a number of fine dining restaurants throughout south east Queensland, Heath’s passion for further learning and professional development lead him further afield.

Travelling south, Heath explored the culinary hotspot of Tasmania, working as joint Head Chef at Tarraleah Lodge in the Tasmanian Highlands but also using his days off to discover other epicurean hubs such as Bruny Island, Hobart and the East Coast.

Heath’s first Head Chef role was at the boutique Astra Lodge in Falls Creek. In this role, despite the challenges of a remote location, the restaurant won a number of awards including Daily Telegraph Ski Watch Best Fine Dining and was a finalist in the Victorian Restaurant and Caterer’s Awards under Heath’s guidance.

Seeking a warmer climate, Heath relocated to the waterfront Jellyfish restaurant on the Brisbane River to lead the kitchen team. During his tenure, Jellyfish won multiple awards including National Savour Best Seafood Restaurant in Australia and culminating in being awarded One Hat in the Australia Good Food Guide for 2014.

Heath then developed his own catering company specialising in fine dining where he was able to concentrate on catering for small functions and groups in a private dining setting, honing and developing his creativity and flair.

Heath first joined the Bedarra team in 2017 as a Senior Sous Chef. While being a step back from being Head Chef, Heath was excited to join the Bedarra team. “I could recognize what an amazing opportunity working on Bedarra was – having access to not only amazing produce but also the excitement and challenge of developing constantly changing menus for only a small number of guests”.

Heath was promoted to Executive Chef in 2019 and has been constantly evolving and improving the menu since then.

"I love the variety, quality and freshness of the produce available to use on Bedarra. For a chef - the quality of produce is the key to a perfect dish and we have amazing local dairy, vegetables and protein available from the Atherton Tablelands, tropical fruit from nearby Mission Beach, grass fed beef from the pastures of Bingil Bay and seafood straight out of the ocean all around us - it truly is a chef's paradise!"

"Catering for only 24 guests is also refreshing - smaller guest numbers allows for unlimited creativity with our ever changing menu, and it also enables our team to communicate closely with our guests to understand their tastes and preferences."

Assisted by a skilled and passionate team, Heath constantly works to ensure the quality of their dishes perfectly matches the natural beauty of the island.