Jerry Mai, Jacques Reymond and David Dellai

Jerry Mai

Vietnamese-Australian Chef Jerry Mai is one of the first chefs to bring authentic Vietnamese flavours to Melbourne’s kitchens. As the executive chef and owner of Bia Hoi Beer Hall and Pho Nom in Collins St and Emporium in Melbourne’s CBD, Mai has learned from the best in the business and brings her training and expertise to everything that she does – with a paddock to plate ethos and no-fuss attitude. 

Drawn to the uniqueness of the Aurum Poultry Co. range and in particular the tender texture and ‘gai’ flavour that its products bring.

Mai shares, “I saw it as a great opportunity to work with a great product. I grew up eating cockerel and pullet – my family loves chicken on the bone, poultry with greater flavour and texture. This style of poultry brings back memories of my mum cooking curries at home and also reminds me of Tet (Vietnamese New Year) when the whole chicken, head and all, is presented.”  

Mai has shared a number of favourite dishes using Aurum Poultry Co. products, including:

“The Fook Wong Cockerel is great for this dish as it showcases its bouncy flesh under the golden yellow skin. I also like to use Fook Wong Pullet for its tender flesh and the mellow sweetness of the meat,” says Mai. 

Jacques Reymond

Often considered one the fathers of French cooking in Australia, Chef Jacques Reymond has a long and celebrated history in the Australian hospitality landscape, running his eponymous restaurant in Windsor for 22 years. Reymond now serves as advisor and mentor to his family’s restaurants, L’Hotel Gitan, Bistro Gitan and Frederic.

Combining both French technique and Asian flavours, Reymond’s style of cuisine has been heavily influenced by Asian chefs since arriving in Australia nearly 40 years ago. 

Reymond found the Aurum Poultry Co. products reminded him of traditionally-raised birds in Europe, the Fook Wong Cockerel bringing back memories of his youth in France.

“Fook Wong Cockerel reminds me so much of the Poulet de Bresse they breed in the village I am from in France. I remember the delicious aroma that filled the house for days after roasting one of those birds. These cockerels have so much natural flavour, that there is no need to cook an accompanying sauce for a long time,” says Reymond. 

Reymond has created a number of recipes for Aurum Poultry Co, focussing on a French style, including:

“Aurum Poultry Co.’s products are of really excellent quality. You can tell the birds have been really well fed and well looked after. This is the first time I have encountered such beautifully flavoured and textured birds, and when you eat one of their chickens or ducks, that is something really special,” says Reymond.

David Dellai

Head chef of Melbourne’s acclaimed Italian restaurant Il Bacaro at the age of only 24 Chef, David Dellai is a true representative of modern Italian cuisine in Australia. Dellai is now Executive Chef of Il Bacaro, and co-owner of the stable of Carolina Group restaurants, including Il Bacaro, Bar Carolina, Tetto di Carolina and Marameo. 

Translated as ‘God of wine’, Il Bacaro is the epitome of Venetian style, and is a restaurant that prides itself on refined simplicity and quality produce. Dellai’s cooking style follows suit, with his love of simple flavours and quality ingredients served with a creative twist. 

Dellai explains, “I started using Aurum Poultry Co’s products more recently in the last year, I haven't seen quality birds like this back since I was back in Italy, when I saw my family.”

“I often feature the Fook Wong Cockerel as a special – I see it as a chance to educate customers on a product that they may be unfamiliar with. I also use the chicken bones in a number of my stocks and sauces as they are packed full of real poultry flavour.”

Dellai has shared a number of delicious and recipes, highlighting his Italian heritage whilst utilising Aurum Poultry Co. products, including:

“I love working with a product that is a bit different, but also so familiar to Australian households. I also love the sustainability aspect of the business – male birds are often seen a waste product in the poultry industry, so it’s lovely to be able to utilise them as it is a beautiful product that is not so common anymore,” says Dellai.

- Ends -

Notes to editors:

About Aurum Poultry Co.
​Founded in 1999 by brothers Sam and Danny Wong and joined by veteran duck farmer Henning Skallebaek in 2010, Aurum Poultry Co. specialises in producing poultry and game birds for customers from high-end restaurants to home cooks, and prides itself on raising birds that are sustainably farmed.

With the growth of the Asian culinary movement in Australia over the last decade, Aurum Poultry Co. has become a reputable supplier to both the local Asian community and now wider hospitality industry alike, offering a range of birds with a rich, deep flavour and defined texture. The quality of its product has seen Aurum Poultry Co. expand its reach into a number of fine dining restaurants across the country, whose culinary traditions traverse the globe.

Aurum Poultry Co. understands the great importance of freshness to delivering a superior product. Looking after every aspect of its production, from the farming and rearing of the birds, to transport, processing and packaging, allows Aurum Poultry Co. to bring the freshest specialty poultry to professional chefs and home cooks across Australia. Once processed, the poultry is then delivered to consumers in packaging that is 100% recyclable and Australian-made. All orders are delivered in refrigerated vans, keeping them at a temperature of below 4°C.

Aurum Poultry’s product range:

Website: https://aurumpoultryco.au/
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