| Growing up in a culinary oriented family in Cairns, Australia, Shaun Hergatt was enamored with the kitchen. He was exposed to a unique combination of impassioned and professional cooking by way of his Scandinavian grandmother, and his father, a professional chef who Hergatt observed at work. His warm sense of hospitality grew out of family meals that were so elaborate and lively he would even walk home from school for lunch to take part in them.
Driven to succeed by a sense that “cooking was in his blood,” at 17, Hergatt pursued a four-year apprenticeship at a fine dining restaurant in Cairns. The apprenticeship trained him in classic French and Asian cooking, allowing him to explore everything from braising meats to integrating spices. Intense and ambitious from the start, he honed his culinary flair by entering (and winning) countless competitions. He then moved to Sydney to immerse himself in its dining culture and was piqued by the city’s wealth of international ingredients, including exotic seafood, zesty citruses and fragrant spices. In 1997, at the young age of 23, he became Chef de Cuisine of The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Sydney and began a long-lasting relationship with the luxury hotel company. Hergatt’s talent was quickly recognized: The Australian Hotels Association honored him with its “Best Young Chef” award in 2000 while the restaurant was named “Top 5 Up and Coming Restaurants in the World” by Condé Nast Traveler and received a Gold Medal from the prestigious International Salon Culinaire. In 2003, The Ritz-Carlton moved Hergatt to the United States where he spent time in Washington, D.C. and Boston before taking the position of Executive Sous Chef of Atelier at The Ritz-Carlton, Central Park. His work with celebrated Chef Gabriel Kreuther earned Atelier a three-star review from The New York Times and a James Beard nomination for “Best New Restaurant.”
Hergatt’s experience with The Ritz-Carlton allowed him to develop his keen business sense alongside his creative cooking. With these attributes, he excelled when he took the position of Executive Chef of The Setai in Miami in 2005. The restaurant was a vanguard in Miami’s now flourishing dining scene. His bold, creative cuisine was based on the flavors that inspired him in Australia and spoke to the lighter, innovative fare that guests craved. The restaurant was an instant success, garnering a three-star review from The Miami Herald, a “Best New Restaurant in 2005” award from Esquire and the praise of such prestigious publications as Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler.
This 2009, Hergatt is thrilled to return to New York to introduce the city’s savvy diners to his eponymous SHO Shaun Hergatt at The Setai, New York. Hergatt will be a pioneer in the transformation of the Financial District’s culinary landscape, a neighborhood formerly limited to lunchtime eateries and steakhouse fare. Channeling his passion for hospitality and stellar culinary background into this restaurant, Hergatt’s talent will shine at this dynamic FiDi restaurant.
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