i. Biography
The Climb
Professional discipline shows early in a career that starts at the sink and moves through some of the most exacting kitchens in the field. Dan Hunter began as a dishwasher, learning service from the bottom rung before moving into the pressure and repetition of serious restaurant work. That path led him to Head Chef at Mugaritz in Spain, a post that placed him in a closely watched kitchen and hardened the standards that would later define his own. He then returned to Australia as Head Chef at Royal Mail Restaurant in Dunkeld, Victoria, where he stayed until 2013. The Royal Mail years linked European intensity to regional Victoria, giving his cooking a clearer sense of place. Since 2013, Hunter has been the owner and operator of Brae, with full control of a restaurant built around its setting as much as its menu.
Today
Brae remains rooted in the farm landscape around it, and that setting is part of the restaurant’s working identity. The destination draw is real, but the point is not distance alone; the dining room is shaped by the environment that surrounds it, with the land reading as part of the restaurant’s vocabulary rather than mere scenery. Sustainability runs through the concept, giving the room a measured seriousness and a practical purpose. Guests travel for more than a meal: they come to engage with seasonality, with the relationship between kitchen and land, and with a form of dining that is tied to place. Under Hunter’s direction, Brae is less about display than about focused immersion, with the farm and the sustainability ethos setting the terms of the experience.
Recognition
Dan Hunter has received The Age Good Food Guide — Chef of the Year (2012). Chef of the Year (2012) sits in a career already defined by upward movement: from dishwasher to Head Chef, from Mugaritz in Spain to Royal Mail Restaurant in Dunkeld, Victoria, and then to Brae in 2013. The award marks the level reached by that point, but it also helps frame the larger arc of Hunter’s work, which moved steadily toward greater autonomy and a more complete expression of his own cooking. The recognition is brief, but the career behind it is what gives it weight.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Dan
What is Dan Hunter's current role?
As of 2026, Dan Hunter owns and operates Brae restaurant.
Where did Dan Hunter work before?
Dan Hunter's earlier career included Mugaritz and Royal Mail Restaurant.
What recognition has Dan Hunter received?
Chef of the Year (2012).
