Zacharay Tan

“If you're really excited and passionate about something and you're good at what you do, everything else will fall into place,” says executive chef of Devon Café, Zacharay Tan.

Renowned for his innovative, fine-food approach to casual café fare, Zachary Tan never planned to be a chef. His family owned a pharmacy in Penang so he naturally enrolled in pharmaceutical studies after graduating school with the intention of taking over the family business. It quickly became evident that Zach’s passions and studies didn’t align, so after three years, he deferred university and pursued a new path. 

New Beginnings

Growing up in Malaysia’s food capital of Penang, a love of food and dining runs in Zach’s blood. This general interest turned into a passion for cooking and encouraged him to explore the hospitality world. Zach spent the following two years washing dishes and working in five-star resorts before moving to Australia in 2000. 

“I knew I needed to get some experience abroad because it was very limiting working in hospitality in Malaysia,” he reflects.

Zach completed a certificate at French hospitality college, Le Cordon Bleu and went on to work for some of Sydney’s most well-known chefs, including Guillaume Brahimi. 

“At that time, I was very interested in European food; the art of gastronomy and dining and creating an experience rather than just about eating food,” he explains.

These experiences not only provided valuable culinary knowledge and skills but taught Zach about the creative process of making new dishes and where to draw inspiration. He was able to put these learnings into practice, when he was engaged by his now business partners, husband and wife Derek Puah and Noni Widjaja, to create a never-before-seen concept combining fine dining with casual café food. 

Changing The Sydney Food Scene

When Devon Café opened in 2013, it was one of the first cafes in Sydney to serve restaurant-quality food that went beyond the standard model of avocado toast and muesli.

 “The menu concept for Devon Cafe was always going to be not your average breakfasts…,” he explains. “We wanted to push the boundaries.”

 Zach draws inspiration for dishes from across the world, including different cultures, cuisines, people, and places, such as Jakarta and Japan.

 “Inspiration is everywhere,” he says. “The key is being sensitive enough to pick it up.”

 He loves playing with nostalgia too, as demonstrated by Devon’s infamous truffle soft serve and hot chip creation. The dish is reminiscent of Zach’s childhood when he regularly ate McDonald’s soft serves with a side of fries. Keeping things light and playful makes his work as a chef sustainable and has prevented him from burning out.

Passion Lives On

Zach is currently having fun working on conceptualisations for different venues and reaching out to different demographics of clientele. He hints at a night-time wine and dine concept, a plant-based pizzeria and more experimentations with Mediterranean food.

 “That's a very rewarding aspect for me; going beyond just the day-to-day cooking, and rather trying to hone in the creative process and play around with different processes to create something new,” he says.

 A love for food has driven Zach’s whole career and he encourages foodies, creatives and students to pursue what makes them happy.

 “The number one thing is to be really clear about why you want to do this?” he concludes. “Look within and find out what really drives you? What brings you joy when you wake up? …Follow that rather than thinking about the outcome or the result.”