How David Ball Keeps Beverly’s Menu Fresh, Ethical and Always in Season

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1. Let’s talk about “Wild”. What did that theme unlock for you creatively, and how did it tie into your own approach to seasonal, produce-first cooking?

Developing the menu with three really talented chefs, and bouncing ideas off each other was a fun creative process in itself. I also really enjoyed introducing them to some of our suppliers, such as Spurrell Foraging and Southern Cross Mushrooms, to explore, and later cook with, ingredients that aren’t typically Beverly, and yet, the process of sourcing the produce still speaks to our seasonal, produce-first approach.

2. The Wild menu had ingredients like Lion’s Mane mushrooms and wild fennel. How do you go about sourcing those kinds of hyper-specific elements? Are they always on your radar or do they find you?

I love working with people doing weird and wonderful things, and tend to go out looking for them – I can’t go past a good farmers market and Instagram tends to be a useful research tool too. It means we have a really big supply network. I don’t put all my eggs in one basket, we source specific ingredients from a lot of different farmers and growers. Take the Lion’s Mane mushrooms – while developing the menu one of our Wild chefs, Darren Robertson and I went to visit Jeff and Victoria in Point Cook – they sew all the spores for the seeds, and it’s a real labour of love. 

3. You’ve spoken about building close relationships with suppliers and in some cases, growing exclusively for Beverly. Can you give us an example of a producer you work with that’s doing something special behind the scenes?

We’ve established a really great relationship with Chris and Helen at Timbarra Farm over the last four years. I go out to visit them every three or so months and we’ll chat about the upcoming season, what I’m planning for the menu, and which ingredients they might be able to plant for us. They grew all these amazing peppers for us last year, which were ripening just as we had our temporary closure in March, so I preserved them, and they’ve just landed on the menu in a tomato tonnarelli pasta dish. We’re doing the same with some yellow aji amarillo chillis, which I’ll be turning into a mango or pineapple sauce for summer. As chefs we’re always future planning, and I’m a bit of a squirrel – when things are good, I’ll preserve, ferment, you name it.

4. From Le Manoir to Beverly Rooftop, your journey has taken you through French kitchens, Japanese techniques, and now a Californian-inspired lens. How do those influences collide on your current menu at Beverly?

Le Manoir was a great experience. Raymond goes to great lengths to get the full flavour out of something, and he’s not about what’s easy but what’s best, and never taking the shortcut. I’m trained classically French, so there’s always going to be these influences on the menu. For example, we’ve just put wood roasted leeks from the Mornington Peninsula on, and the maki rolls are a nod to my background in Japanese cooking and product development. So, the menu hat nods to previous kitchens, and then with Beverly I’ve created this specific Southern Cali-style flavour profile. There’s a Beverly seasoning that runs through things like the fries, tostadas, butter, dressing, and even the focaccia. 

5. Spring is around the corner. What ingredients or ideas are exciting you right now, and how might that shape what we see on the next iteration of the menu?

I am all about waiting for white asparagus! I work with Richard and Belinda Weston down in Tasmania. They’re one of the few growers in Australia and their produce is just perfect. Peas and broad beans will definitely be getting a feature on the menu too – for me they represent the true taste of spring. 

6. The Wild event was part of Beverly’s Culinary Connect series. Without giving too much away, what kinds of collaborations or themes would you love to explore next?

Collaborating with Darren, Danielle and Mark was a lot of fun as we all share a passion for not only local produce, but getting out there and sourcing it. So, for future events, I’d love to continue on the produce-led route, and weave in some seasonal themes.

7. With such a strong emphasis on ethics and sustainability, how do you balance creativity and responsibility when designing dishes?

For me it’s all about who you work with. If a supplier isn’t ethical or sustainable, we won’t use them, and we’ve come to attract those that are. It’s all happened fairly organically, and most follow these practices these days, which is great.

8. If you would describe the menu at Beverly in only three words, what would they be?

Relaxed, fun, delicious. 

9. When you’re not behind the pass at Beverly, where are you eating for pleasure? Is there a local spot you keep going back to?

I live out in the suburbs and we’re lucky to have a lot of south east Indian restaurants nearby. It’s not your fine dining scene, but the food is really authentic. We go to the Indian temple quite often on a Sunday, and they do an amazing masala dosa for breakfast. At home you’ll find me cooking quite a lot of Italian, and roasts are a regular occurrence in our house. Being from Yorkshire, I make a mean Yorkie, and I’ll jump at the chance to bring this slice of my heritage to Beverly – we happen to be hosting a Dad’s Roast for Father’s Day this year!

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If there’s a common thread running through David Ball’s cooking, it’s curiosity – the willingness to seek out ingredients most chefs would only stumble across by accident, and then build a menu around them. Whether it’s preserving chillis months in advance, championing small-scale growers, or working on the next unexpected collaboration, his approach keeps Beverly’s menu moving with the seasons while staying true to its relaxed, fun, and delicious ethos. For Melbourne diners, that means every visit has the potential to surprise – and that’s exactly how David likes it.