Co Kitchen Coordinator at Koonwarra Village School, Manages Kitchen Garden and Cooking Program.
Declan O’Sullivan is a Mornington Peninsula-trained chef; he has worked at cafes, restaurants & wineries across the region, including Trofeo estate, Montalto and La Pentanque, to name a few.
Declan, together with his wife, Sarah and 16-month-old daughter, Wilhemina. 4 years ago, decided to leave the Peninsula and make a move to South Gippsland, with the goal of getting better control of their food systems…
They found a beautiful property in Allambee South on a river, where they now house cows, sheep, chicken and ducks all for their own protein consumption and ecological benefits.
After the couple interned at a few highly regarded organic market-gardens around Australia, they now have the skills to grow and preserve as much as food as possible, and they do!
They have a 50-tree fruit & nut orchid and a 500-square-metre food garden for intensive vegetable production, which all help with their goals of living sustainably, eating organically, living simply and enjoying everything they do.
Declan is passionate about ecological regeneration and conscious of the environmental consequences of growing, cooking, buying and eating food, domestically and commercially .
As a responsible land steward, Declan applies appropriate holistic grazing, hydrology techniques, cover crops, reforestation- including planting a native edible food forest and is aware of the true costs of living symbiotically with nature and her seasons.
Declan’s wife Sarah is also a chef, have worked along side each other in half a dozen restaurants but now share the dream of providing wonderful food with advantageous effects to where they call home.
Declan now cooks & teaches about food at Koonwarra Village school– the school has a wonderful kitchen/garden program that pairs young passionate kids with beautiful organic food.
A stark contrast from the high adrenalin stress of fine dining, to the slow and nurturing organic vibe of guiding young minds to try new things and find out what they love.
