Mark Labrooy
Mark has been cooking since he was 18, completing his apprenticeship at globally acclaimed, Tetsuya's. After this he spent seven years traveling, two of those years working as Sous chef at Josef, a fine dining restaurant in Zurich.
Mark’s global travels exposed him to a world full of flavours; he learned about spices and developed his pallet. The trip also signaled the beginnings of the Three Blue Ducks. While backpacking in Morocco, Mark met up with mates, Chris Sorell and Sam Reid. In between fried sardines and perfect surf breaks, the three conjured up the idea of opening a café. On what was meant to be a brief visit back to Sydney, the three of them went to look at an old chicken shop in Bronte. They signed the commercial lease agreement later that day. The original Three Blue Ducks instantly became a local favourite. The Three Blue Ducks has held an SMH chef's hat since 2011.
When he’s not cooking, Mark is fishing, diving, or hunting. He’s a modern-day hunter-gatherer with a strong character & a born leader. He enjoys free diving for Rock lobster, spear fishing for kingfish and mahi-mahi in open ocean, and bow hunting wild deer. Mark always uses 100% of the animals he harvests.