Rob Auger

Rob is a chef with over 10 years experience cooking in various countries around the world. He has worked at Glaze and 312, before turning to training in hospitality and commercial cookery. He’s excited about the challenge of combining his passion for cooking with training young homeless trainees.

What’s the most memorable dish you’ve ever eaten?

It would have to be guinea pig or "cuy" from a market in Lima, fresh from getting off a flight.  It was half a guinea pig, flattened and grilled, served with a spicy "aji" sauce and it had an olive in place of where the eye used to be.  It was different, delicious street food, and unlike so many westernized meat dishes, it forced you to be conscious of what you were actually eating each time you looked into that little olive eye. 

What’s your favourite laneway in Melbourne? Why?

Gotta be Bionic Ear Lane... For no other reason than the name sending my imagination wild with endless humorous possibilities.

Why do you care about youth homelessness?

I think it comes from my fear of a two tier society.  I think anyone who has had the fortune of coming from a supportive home environment should consider themselves very fortunate, and recognize the impact it had on allowing them to be where they are today.  I can't reconcile proclamations such as "land of the fair go" with the fact that as a society, we're not doing enough to ensure that all of our young people have an equal starting point.