Lennox Hastie is fascinated by fire. He spent his early career working at Michelin Star restaurants in the UK, France, and Spain. Whilst he honed his skills in these kitchens, he began to lose sight of what he loved most about cooking, the ingredients.
After seeking out Etxebarri, a small asador with a strong tradition of wood-fired grilling, Lennox worked with Victor Arguinzoniz, pushing the limits of what could be cooked over a wood fire. He was exposed to a form of cooking that was so completely different, beautifully complex, yet simple, one that highlighted ingredients in their most natural state. It was a turning point. What began as one year at Asador Etxebarri soon grew into five.
Returning to Australia in 2011, Lennox was ready for his next challenge and joined forces with leading restaurant group, Fink. He opened Firedoor in 2015, and in 2022, he opened Gildas, a Basque-inspired wine bar in Surry Hills. In 2025, Lennox became the sole owner of Firedoor and Gildas.
Lennox released his first book, Finding Fire in November 2017.
1 Career highlight: Finally opening my first restaurant in Firedoor and successfully building a restaurant entirely around fire in Sydney, with a team that believes deeply in craft and care.
2. Your favourite Gildas dish (past or present): Pipis with jamón broth.
3. Your most memorable meal (anywhere, ever): A simple lunch at Etxebarri — a whole lobster cooked over embers. Nothing hidden, nothing unnecessary. Just fire, ingredients and skill.
4. What do you love most about your role: The daily challenge of paying attention — to the fire, to the ingredients, and to the people around me. Creating a space where we can celebrate amazing ingredients brought to life by a passionate hard-working team is incredibly rewarding.
5. When you’re not at the restaurant, we’re likely to find you… On a bushwalk or outdoors with my family, usually near the ocean or a fire pit, cooking something slowly and doing very little else.
