Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2014
• First Four Seasons Assignment: Chef de Cuisine, Sundara at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay

Employment History

• Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai; Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan; Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay; Intercontinental Melbourne; Crown Resort and Casino Melbourne

Education

• Culinary School Cert 4 in commercial cookery

Birthplace

• Brisbane, Australia

Languages Spoken

• English

They say what goes around comes around, and Liam’s appointment to the role of Executive Chef at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay completes a full circle in his Four Seasons career. He joined the company in 2014 as Chef de Cuisine at Sundara restaurant, where he brought a modern Australian twist to Asian classics and created an innovative sharing menu for all-day poolside grazing. He was recognised with an industry award as Bali’s Best Chef and then in 2017 was promoted and transferred from the ocean to the rice fields as Executive Sous Chef at Four Seasons Resort Sayan. There, he led the opening of Sokasi cooking school, revamped the restaurant concepts, and introduced wellness menus to complement the Resort’s retreat programming. His humble nature and dedication earned him the respect of colleagues at both Jimbaran Bay and Sayan, so there were few dry eyes when he transferred overseas for his first Executive Chef position, at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai in Thailand.  For Balinese colleagues like Wayan Sutariawan, Liam’s return to the Island of the Gods is good karma.  “Liam is like a brother to me,” says Suta. “He’s all heart. I learned so much from him, not only about different cooking styles, but about teamwork and leadership.”

Liam’s mantra is to let the ingredients shine. In fact, his dedication to personally sourcing the best produce landed him in hospital in a previous role. A trained beekeeper, Liam used to harvest honey at a rooftop aviary, refusing to wear a beekeeper’s suit because it prevented him from tasting the honey. He was blissfully unaware that he was allergic to bee stings – until the day he accidentally upset the hive. “I was chased by a swarm of bees into the corridor, and bitten by a few. It was funny afterwards. But at the time, my hand blew up to about three times the normal size and I had to go to hospital for treatment,” he recalls. Even this mishap couldn’t keep Liam from going back to harvesting honey – but this time, with a beekeeper’s suit on.

Liam’s culinary training started early. Born in Brisbane, Australia, he was raised in a household full of good food – both his parents were enthusiastic home cooks. In fact, Liam’s father had always wanted to be a chef, and the stories he told his son planted the seed for Liam’s culinary career. After working at an Asian restaurant in his hometown, Liam went to London, followed by Bordeaux, where he successfully opened a modern Asian restaurant in a traditional community that was just starting to explore foreign cuisines. He then spent two years in Hong Kong and four years back in Australia – this time in Melbourne – where he continued to focus on Asian techniques and flavours in senior chef roles.

So, is Liam Nealon ever mistaken for the Hollywood actor, Liam Neeson? “Definitely not – because I don’t have the movie star look,” he laughs. But when people meet him, they often remark, “Hey, that’s the movie star’s name.” Liam nods and replies, “Yes, with an extra L!”