Meet Rhiann Mead, the chef elevating Sydney’s dessert scene
Pastry chef Rhiann Mead cut her teeth with the best in the business. Today, sweet-toothed patrons at a pair of stacked Sydney eateries are the beneficiaries of her first-rate education
SYDNEY’S NEW ITALIAN DINER, Osteria Luna, echoes the days of the beatnik era, when underground was the place to be for jazz, casual eating and all things cool and countercultural. This 1938 Art Deco basement establishment, with its pink velvet drapes, blue leather booths and mood lighting, is located in King Street under The Charles, a high-end restaurant known for its impeccable French silver-service experience. While both restaurants fall within the portfolio of Etymon, Osteria Luna exudes old-world Italian glamour through a Rat Pack, American-Italian lens. Hailed as a great new kid on the block for CBD dining, this subterranean hideaway is for those with a taste for the offbeat. Diners partial to Italian fare expect an osteria to offer traditional, simple and often rustic cuisine – and they won’t be disappointed here. But a surprise awaits those partial to a sweet finale.
Cooking up a storm at Osteria Luna and The Charles is Rhiann Mead, who is head pastry chef at both venues. Delving into Mead’s background illuminates why you can set your expectations high when going above or below ground on King Street. “I’ve been lucky to have had some incredible opportunities,” Mead says.
“I started my apprenticeship in London, specialising in chocolate and patisserie. Five years there shaped my foundations and work ethic. Back in Sydney, I briefly worked at the Shangri-La before moving to Quay, then Bennelong under Peter Gilmore. Those years taught me precision, creativity and how to handle the pace of top-tier kitchens.”
Her current position arose as a consequence of Etymon approaching her for The Charles. “It was my first menu that was entirely my own,” she says. “Building a dessert program that felt personal and seasonal was a thrill. Most recently, opening Osteria Luna downstairs has been an exciting chapter, creating desserts that complement its modern Italian vibe.”
Like many notable chefs, Mead has followed a diverse network of paths to arrive in the top-end kitchens in which she finds herself today. Recalling her love of baking while growing up, she reveals that the thought of this being a career trajectory never crossed her mind.
After briefly studying physiotherapy, Mead felt the pull of London, where she landed a job in Harrods Food Halls. “That’s where everything changed,” she says. “I don’t think I’d actually seen a patisserie before. And only chocolates from a packet. It completely shifted my perspective on what food could be. Now, at The Charles and Osteria Luna, I get to share that love of pastry with guests everyday, crafting desserts that feel personal and bring people joy.”
In London, Mead learnt her craft and discipline under William Curley, the world-renowned pâtissier and chocolatier, and his then wife and business partner, Suzue Curley. “My first week in a professional kitchen and Suzue was teaching me how to make delicate chocolate flowers for a showpiece. William encouraged us to enter competitions and spent so much time teaching us his skills.”
Love of cooking for this classically trained pastry chef began with her grandmother – and the bakeries of her hometown Toowoomba. Reflecting on her other influencers, she points to her college teacher, Yolande Stanley: “She was not only a brilliant chef but an exceptional mentor and shaped the way I think about both craft and discipline”.
Back in Australia, the experience of working with Peter Gilmore refined, she says, her understanding of flavour, among other elements. “Working under Peter was an actual dream come true. Pete has one of the most extraordinary creative minds in the industry, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked so closely with him over so many years. That experience refined not just my technical ability, but my understanding of flavour, produce and precision at the highest level. Those lessons now feed into every dessert at The Charles and Osteria Luna.”
Mead cites other key people on her culinary journey, including Alistair Birt, who was the head chef at William Curley: “Alistair taught me how to lead and how to work with people”. Wisely, this passionate, hardworking and driven pâtissier still looks to Birt for advice: “He’s someone I call when I need help or perspective. I’m also constantly inspired by Maxime Frédéric. His desserts are refined and beautiful on the surface, yet incredibly complex in execution.
The level of precision in his work is something I aspire to and constantly draw inspiration from.”
A chef’s lot involves odd hours, but Mead never baulks at rising each morning; each day holds too much to promise to waste too much time in bed. “I genuinely love what I do,” she says. “Being a chef isn’t just a job – it becomes part of who you are. I’ve worked hard to create an environment I’m happy to spend 12 hours a day in. I’m lucky to be in a place where I’m supported, challenged and constantly growing. It’s taken me a long time, but I’ve finally learned how to balance my work and personal life. I’ve built a life outside the kitchen that I really love . . . [and] I genuinely look forward to walking into work every day”.
Mead free-shares inside information with anyone willing to listen: “If I’m making something sweet, I lean into the classics,” she says. “I genuinely love laminating at home. There’s something so satisfying about making croissants – going to bed while leaving them to proof and waking up early to bake them for breakfast. I’m also obsessed with banana bread. Savoury-wise, I’m all about simple comfort food. I recently got a Gozney, so I’ve been loving making pizzas on the balcony. Otherwise, it’s something quick and easy, like kimchi soup or spicy noodles.”
And what’s her favourite food that isn’t prepared with her own hands? “Ramen,” she says, without a moment’s hesitation. “It would be my death-row meal! I absolutely love it, but I don’t have the patience to make it properly at home. The idea of spending my day off making three different stocks isn’t my idea of relaxing. Thankfully, I live just up the road from Bones Ramen [in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs], my favourite, so I can get my fix easily.”
And how does Mead recharge her batteries? “As much as I love being social, I need a full day to myself each week to properly reset,” she says. “I’m a creature of habit and, without that routine, the whole week feels off.
“My ideal recharge day is simple: wake up, hit an F45 class, grab a coffee and walk the dogs, swim at the beach, maybe a Pilates class, then wind down with a series or whatever book I’m reading.”
As a young chef, Mead worked, she recalls, in a male-dominated industry, and while the idea of improving her leadership skills appealed, she dismissed the notion of being tougher or more aggressive in order to be taken seriously. “That just isn’t me. I’ll always remember my first head chef, Al, telling me that no one ever needs to yell to earn respect, and that really stayed with me. I create an environment where the team feels involved, from dessert ideas to flavour experiments. At The Charles and Osteria Luna, collaboration keeps everyone engaged and inspired. When people feel involved in the creative process, they’re more engaged and invested. It keeps the team excited and inspired, and I learn just as much from them in return.”
Osteria Luna is located underground at 68 King St, Sydney, 2000.
This article first appeared on Harper’s BAZAAR Australia
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