NCYC Fine Dining experience at your Home

Luke Carpenter, Award winning Executive Chef at NCYC, will prepare a tailored three course menu for you and 9 guest at your home.

He will bring the fresh produce and prepare and serve from your kitchen.

Sit back and enjoy a unique experience.

About Luke
As many of you may have heard, Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club has been extending its Clubhouse, and with it the kitchen. NCYC has taken this opportunity to bring the running of the kitchen back in house and has hired Luke Carpenter as executive chef. Luke has enjoyed a successful career in the hospitality industry and is incredibly humble as chefs go. We sat down with Luke to get a deeper insight into his beginnings in the industry.
For Luke, produce and good food have been ingrained in him his entire life. He grew up on a farm in New Zealand surrounded by chefs. His great grandmother, grandmother, and uncle were all chefs, and his grandfather was a baker. He was first employed by his uncle who had won numerous awards, and instead of being favoured, he was constantly having to prove himself worthy of being in the kitchen. Here, he was trained and his passion for food grew, but by the age of 20, he knew that he needed to leave New Zealand to continue his growth.
At the age of 21, he moved to Australia with his girlfriend (now wife), and predominately worked in Sydney before eventually ending up in the United Kingdom. After a brief stint in London, Luke and his girlfriend left for Scotland where his girlfriend was from. Luke found his fit at small, boutique style country hotels. After working with a restaurant manager who applied for Skibo Castle and was found to be unsuited for the venue, he knew he had to try as well.
Skibo Castle, or the Carnegie Club, is the epitome of opulence and extravagance with an 8,000-acre estate complete with equestrian centre, golf courses, lochs, and more available only to their members. A vast majority of the produce was grown on the site of Skibo, and the ghillie would bring back game from their daily hunt. This required Luke to think on his feet about the menu and gave a profound respect for the produce. It was during his time at Skibo that he married his girlfriend, and the bagpiper of Skibo played at his wedding.
After his time at Skibo, Luke had a short time at Midsummer House in Cambridge where they were able to move from one Michelin star to two during Luke’s brief time, however, it was tough being away from his wife, and so Luke moved back to Scotland to work at Gleneagles. Gleneagles is a 5 red star hotel and club, and is highly member focused, once again taking advantage of the beautiful landscape of Scotland to offer golf courses, equestrian centres, ATV courses, archery, and more. It was here that Luke served dinner to eight presidents and prime ministers, and the Queen of England at the G8 Summit.
From here, Luke moved to Loch Lomond Golf Club, an elite club whose members join by invitation only and are required to pay a £60,000 contribution to the club. Here they hosted the British PGA on numerous occasions and won many competing awards as a kitchen team. However, Luke and his wife wished to have more time together to start a family, so they moved back to New Zealand where they had their first child. It was here that Luke ran a café and did consulting work, the hospitality industry had taken a hit during the Global Financial Crisis, and it was difficult to land a full-time job as a chef.
However, opportunity presented itself at Peppers Clearwater, where Luke became executive chef with the task of turning the place around. The restaurant had a terrible reputation. The food was renowned for poor quality, the team morale was abysmal, and yet, within two years, Luke was able to transform it into an award-winning venue. Locals wanted to eat there again, and the team wanted to be there. Having seen the incredible turn around, Luke was made the regional executive for Peppers and was sent to Parehua, Martinborough where he once again was able to turn the venue into an esteemed dining venue.
Always moving from accomplishment to accomplishment, but always remaining humble, Luke ended up at the Anchorage in Port Stephens, which was exactly like Peppers Clearwater – locals refused to eat there, the team had no passion. Luke was able to transform yet another venue, and by the time he was finished at the Anchorage, they had been awarded a Chefs Hat by the Australian Good Food Guide. After a change in management, Luke desired a change, and left to open the Mercure at Newcastle Airport.
He worked there for a time, but at 40, he wanted to try something away from cooking. He was asked by a friend to run and manage his business selling wholesale produce in Newcastle. He spent his time liaising with chefs on their everyday needs, and despite wanting to try something new, food continued to encapsulate his life. Then came the phone call. With Nor East Bistro moving on, Paul O’Rourke had begun a search for a new chef for NCYC. Luke had known of Paul from his time as general manager for Mercure and the Anchorage and was immediately sold on the idea of being executive chef at Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club.
Luke’s career has been a pursuit of perfection and has been incredibly driven in his pursuit of this. Despite what one may think when hearing about a perfection driven chef, Luke is humble and relaxed. He doesn’t beat his chest or boast about accomplishments, he is relaxed in his demeanour and will continue to provide great food. His time in the United Kingdom has given Luke an appreciation for Clubs, and he believes that everything is first and foremost should be for the members.
Luke will be focused on providing our Club with a bistro experience with some flair and will be using local produce aimed at using what is in season right now. Our members can expect amazing fresh Australian seafood. Luke aims to make as many items in house as time will allow his kitchen staff. While the Club will be aimed to be simplistic in approach, Luke aims to have degustation options available to be booked for those who want a themed dining experience with matching wines. Ultimately, Luke is striving to offer NCYC the very best, and he will happily advise you on foods, and listen to your dietary requirements. Luke looks forward to meeting you all in the Clubhouse and exceeding your expectations.