How Basketball Makes Ben Shewry a Better Chef

Ben Shewry, the New Zealand-born chef and owner of award-winning Melbourne restaurant Attica, talks with the Australian Financial Review about his obsession with basketball and about how what he learns on the court can be applied to the kitchen.

“Basketball was one of my favourite sports as a child, although growing up on a sheep and cattle farm on the west coast of [the] North Island meant I just shot on a hoop by myself,” Shewry, 39, says.

“Around 2013, I came across this grass-roots charity called Helping Hoops in Melbourne. The idea of founder Adam McKay was to mentor and offer guidance and support to disadvantaged children around a physical activity, which is good for your spirit. I started volunteering at their weekly training sessions with the children at the Richmond public housing estate.

“[Basketball has] made me a better chef and boss, it’s all about mentoring and setting a good example to your staff. They get involved with raising funds for Helping Hoops, too, going along to the annual 24-hour charity shoot-out. We’ve raised about A$100,000 but I get more than I ever give in the way it changes my perspective.”

Attica was voted No 1 restaurant in the Australian Financial Review’s 2016 Australia’s Top Restaurants Awards.

Original article by Jill Dupleix, Australian Financial Review, June 21, 2016.

Photo by Craig Sillitoe.