ABOUT US

Jim McDougall was born and raised in Mildura, Victoria where he developed a passion for cooking and local produce. He completed his apprenticeship under Stefano de Peri at the Grand Hotel Restaurant Group.

Jim moved to Melbourne in 2006 where he would spend the following 6 years working under Shannon Bennett.

It was here that he refined his techniques and developed a knowledge of contemporary food,

which gave him the tools to develop his own style.

 

The first 3 years were spent at three-hat restaurant Vue de Monde. He then lead the the opening of Shannon’s restaurant 401 St Kilda Road, Restaurant and Patisserie. Jim was responsible for all aspects of the menu creation, costings and restaurant development, as well as overseeing the

quality and creative direction of Shannon’s three other venues. This included the production of all bakery &

pasty items for the entire group. In this role, Jim began to find his creative identity cooking with a sense

of luxury, honesty, integrity and inherent natural flavour.

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Jim returned to Mildura in 2011 and took over as owner and Head Chef of Stefano’s Restaurant. The

menu evolved over the next three years, from Stefano’s rustic Italian fare to Jim’s contemporary

Australian food. The name of the restaurant changed in 2014 to Jim McDougall in Stefano’s Cellar. The

restaurant was degustation only featuring an eight to ten course menu using produce that had been

sourced locally. Jim placed an emphasis on plants that grew wild in the Mallee region, he gained a

two hat status being awarded the Age Good Food Guides Regional Restaurant of the year in 2015.

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Jim then began a new venture opening The Black Stump Bistro, the first of which opened in Mildura

in 2013 and the second in Red Cliffs in 2014. The Black Stump Bistro served simple, classic bistro food

influenced by Australian, American and European cooking styles.

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Jim is a published author writing the book Nuovo Mondo with Stefano de Pieri which was released in

Dec 2012.  Jim was invited to appear as the guest Chef on the Masterchef television series, he was also an

Ambassador for Mildura Dried Fruit appearing on ABCs’ Land Line flying the flag of local and sustainable

food. Jim also had several appearances on the lifestyle television series Postcards.

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Jim now owns and manages Jim McDougall Catering and works as a Private Chef servicing the greater Melbourne region including the Mornington Peninsula. Jim tailors every menu to the individual and considers a multitude of factors when designing a menu. 

Leaning on his fine dining experience and passion for wild produce, Jim brings a unique dining experience right to your door.  He specialises in parties & events offering share style food, multi-course menu or upscale cocktail options,

however all enquiries are welcome. 

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