Born in Glasgow to an Italian father and Scottish mother, Jock Zonfrillo’s formative years were heavily influenced by his respective cultures. Attracted to the dynamic and competitive kitchens of London, he worked alongside Marco Pierre White at his eponymous Restaurant Marco Pierre White, before moving to Kent and working with David Cavalier at Michelin starred Chapter One.

Curious to experience new culinary cultures, Jock moved halfway around the world and spent a year at Sydney’s Restaurant 41. Following the brief sabbatical, he returned to the UK to work at Gordon Ramsay’s Three Star Michelin restaurant, The Auberigine, before returning to Marco Pierre White’s kitchen at Les Saveurs and then joining The Pharmacy by artist Damien Hirst. He then worked as Head Chef at the small boutique hotel The Tresanton on the spectacular Cornish coast, his last position in the UK before returning to Australia in 2000 as Head Chef of Restaurant 41.

Jock soon moved to Adelaide before opening Bistro Blackwood and Restaurant Orana. Orana was awarded Restaurant of the Year by Gourmet Traveller Magazine in 2018, named Restaurant of the Year by the Good Food Guide in 2019 and lauded Jock Zonfrillowith Three Hats in both the 2019 and 2020 guide.

Named Australia’s Hottest Chef in 2018, Jock has hosted Nomad Chef on The Discovery Channel – leading an insight into the cultures and cuisine of some of the most remote communities on earth to learn and save a wealth of gastronomic knowledge from extinction. He hosted cooking show Restaurant Revolution in 2015, and the Chef Exchange series in 2016, which explored food cultures and customs alongside Shandong Chef Qu Jianmin. He appeared in the MasterChef Australia kitchen as a guest chef across three seasons.

A father of four, Jock is also proud of his not-for-profit The Orana Foundation which he founded in 2016. The Foundation’s mission is to shine a light on Australia’s Indigenous food, bringing our incredible native ingredients to the world, while celebrating Indigenous culture and supporting Indigenous communities. Jock has received global recognition, awarded the prestigious Basque Culinary World Prize in July 2018.