The West Australian Good Food Guide Chef of the Year

Paul Bentley is something of a prodigal son, whose return to his home town has been rightly celebrated. What’s more important is that he’s stuck around, helming Casa in Mount Hawthorn and Mount Lawley’s ever-exciting Si Paradiso. Formative experiences at famed Daniel in New York, and over a decade in Mexico, where he opened acclaimed restaurants, are apparent across his menus, with cult dishes consistently breaking socials. What’s more, Bentley has brought the rigour of those early experiences to his kitchens, along with a casual air of viva la vida to his menus; something it’s already apparent he’s instilling in another generation of Perth chefs. Long may it continue.