Alasdair Thompson started out studying molecular genetics, now he’s executive chef at Optus Stadium having mastered the science of cooking.
By Ara Jansen
Recently appointed executive chef at Optus Stadium, Alasdair Thompson now runs an almost small city behind the scenes which delivers food and drink to eager patrons.
He says no matter what’s on the menu, his goal is always to create food that resonates with people.
The chef first went to university and studied molecular genetics, planning a career in science because he was interested in how the body worked. There might have been some unconscious influence from his dad, retired renal surgeon Dr Ivan Thompson.
But Alasdair found himself becoming more interested in tactile and instant results – working in a lab wasn’t delivering that. Then, quite by chance, Alasdair met a chef and everything changed. At 21, he became a mature-aged apprentice.
“Mum is a good cook,” Alasdair says. “Part of this journey started with her. She was always very family orientated and making sure everyone was happy with what they were eating and trying new recipes. That gave me a good grounding in good food.”
Now 77, she still loves to cook a family meal and Alasdair still loves to jump in and help.
Earlier this year, Optus Stadium announced Alasdair as the venue’s new Executive Chef – only the second person to hold the position since the stadium’s opening almost seven years ago.
He was part of the stadium’s original opening team, starting as chef de cuisine before becoming executive sous chef in January 2020. Prior to that, Alasdair was head chef at Crown Perth’s Italian fine dining restaurant Modo Mio and trained under Alain Fabregues, of much-loved and renowned classical French restaurant The Loose Box.
Working at Optus – which has won numerous awards for its food – Alasdair oversees 26 kitchens and a permanent staff of about 14, which can balloon to 200 casuals on busy event days, ranging from sous chefs right down to dish washers.
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The Meeting and Special Events (MASE) side of Optus business contributes a significant amount of annual revenue. In addition to major events, the team also manage more than 600 other events a year ranging from small breakfast meetings, to launches, business events, large conferences and events of 1200 people.
“These happen on any day outside an event day like the cricket or footy. It gives us a lot of variety and I enjoy the challenge.”
These events require large amounts of food to be served, and Alasdair’s biology and molecular studies along with his childhood grounding remind him the food must not only look good on the plate but taste great.
The Optus kitchens use as much local produce as possible. They can serve up to 2000 plates at a MASE event and around 3000 bottles of wine. On the first day of a test match 700 kegs of beer slake fan thirst and over a year they use in excess of 25 tonnes of chicken.
Optus has become noted for their butter chicken, particularly popular during the cricket and seen to by the venue’s Indian cuisine specialist, sous chef Jinesh George.
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Alasdair’s favourite cuisine is Asian and South East Asian for their flavours and aromatics. With the region on our doorstep, it’s easy to naturally integrate the flavours in WA cuisine.
His wife Hannah is Korean and has had a big impact on that, adding to his background in classical French and Italian cooking and what he learnt as a child. You’ll find pieces of these influences spread across the menus at Optus.
“I have three kids and my wife loves to experiment with Western food. She has learnt from me, and I have learnt from her. Now with this job I’m able to be home more often for family dinners and enjoy her food. It’s far more regular than when I used to run restaurants.”
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