09/09/2026
It’s understandable that the description most commonly attached to Teage Ezard is ‘chef’, but his contribution to hospitality reverberates beyond his groundbreaking and influential cooking.
Teage, who died this year aged 59 from multiple system atrophy, an incurable neurological disease, was something of a hospitality evangelist, a restaurateur as much as a chef, who intrinsically understood the holistic nature of restaurants where front-of-house culture and wine held equal weight to the kitchen.
Teage began cooking in the 1980s, working with Hermann Schneider at the pioneering South Yarra restaurant Two Faces. His first head chef role was at Guernica where he debuted his “Australian freestyle” approach, blending technical prowess, a cultural expansiveness that embraced Asia and Europe and fierce curiosity and inventiveness.
He struck out on his own in 1999 with the opening of Ezard at Adelphi, which brought a slew of awards and accolades, before opening pan-Asian canteen Gingerboy and restaurants in the Yarra Valley, Sydney and Hong Kong, as well as publishing three cookbooks.
So how would he react to being named a MFWF Legend? His widow Tina Ezard, who is now CEO of the charity she set up with Teage, Combat MSA, to raise awareness of his condition, says he’d be “humbled but also proud that he made a difference and imprinted something positive on the industry”.
We’re honoured to name Teage Ezard the Legend winner in the Chef, Restaurateur, Hospitality Professional category at MF&W’s 2026 Legends and Trailblazers awards, proudly presented by OpenTable Australia. Read more via the link in our bio.
