Bio
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JOHN KILROY
Proprietor
Brisbane restaurateur John Kilroy is widely acknowledged as being one of the major contributors to the exciting reformation which has swept through the Australian red meat industry over the past six to eight years.
Although he has spent the past 20 years immersed in Brisbane's "big city" fine dining and restaurant scene, John has lost none of the friendly, easy- going mannerisms instilled during a bush upbringing, having been raised on a grazing property near St George in Western Queensland.
Following several years knocking around Australia as a young surveyor, he decided to settle in Brisbane, choosing the hospitality industry as his future career path.
He established Brisbane's much-loved Giardinetto Restaurant in Fortitude Valley precinct in the 1980s. Acknowledgment soon followed when the venue was chosen as finalist in the 1984 Bulletin Quelltaler Restaurant of the Year awards.
Following the success of Giardinetto, John spent several years leasing and revitalising some of Brisbane's famous landmark hotels including the Broadway, the Terminus and the Barracks, before making his first major acquisition in 1992 with the purchase of Wanganui Gardens reception centre.
It was during 1996 that John started 'sizing up' opportunities for an inner city eatery, which eventually led to the establishment of Cha Cha Char. At the time of its opening in 1997, the concept of a top - end steak dining venue was considered a somewhat "risky" move within the food service industry.
RHETT WILLIS
Executive Chef
The professional career of Executive Chef Rhett Willis began in Brisbane where he served his apprenticeship at a range of establishments which gave him a rich diversity of cooking experiences.
After proving his professional and creative talents at the prestigious Icebergs Dining Room in Sydney under celebrity chef Robert Marchetti, he was offered the role of Head Chef at the exclusive Astra Lodge in Falls Creek where he created an award-winning menu.
His cooking is inspired and influenced predominantly by Italian regional cuisine and Asian-influenced seafood and his philosophy of “simple, fresh and local” has credited him with a number of awards including Best New Restaurant for Jellyfish in 2009.
JOHN McNAMARA
Maitre’d
John McNamara has been in the forefront of the Brisbane hospitality industry for four decades and has coined the term ‘old school’ Maitre’d at venues including Rumpoles Restaurant at Circular Quay and Terrace House Restaurant. It is in this capacity at Jellyfish that John has become the Maitre’d of Maitre’ds. With his has a passion for great food and both professional and disciplined service, John (or ‘Johnny Mack’ as he is affectionately known among his throng of loyal followers) has been with JK in his many various venues, including Cha Cha Char and Wanganuii Gardens since 1997.
What he loves most about Jellyfish Restaurant is the perpetually high standard of food produced coupled with an equally high caliber of floor service . Combined these two elements make his job as host a very satisfying experience.
