Michael Carnes, country boy turned chef, still riding high on Bruny Island.

A country upbringing is a great start, says Michael, especially when it’s in the midlands town of Oatlands. An apprenticeship at the Four Seasons Hotel was followed by stints in five-star hotels in London and Paris and wandering the Mediterranean as chief chef for a Saudi Arabian family on their 57m yacht. Now he’s in the saddle at his establishment, Hiba, Bruny Island.