Two co-head chefs from Sydney’s top kitchens, Quay and Bentley, lead a refreshed seasonal menu at The Botanica Vaucluse. Entirely gluten-free, the menu is a refined evolution of Botanica’s signature style, balancing light, playful notes with more elegant, mature flavours. Organic, locally sourced produce inspires each dish, bringing a fresh perspective to Botanica’s classics. Set within lush, garden-filled dining rooms, the experience connects diners to both their food and the surroundings.
Hero dishes include the Stracciatella with charred greens and leek oil, Skull Island Tiger Prawns with creoja and shishito peppers, Glacier 51 Toothfish with buttermilk and smoked hock, and Margra Lamb with kombu, buttermilk, and pea blossom. The Wood-fired Focaccia with whipped cultured butter showcases the chefs’ technique and dedication to high-quality gluten-free dining.
“We’re excited to welcome our new head chefs and the energy they’ve brought to The Botanica,” said Evette Moran, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Mark Moran Group. “The menu has always been completely gluten-free, which is rare at this level, and it’s something we’re really proud to continue. This new chapter is about staying true to our farm-to-table ethos while giving our guests something fresh and memorable every season.”
Abby James, who trained at Sydney’s iconic Quay and Jonah’s, joined The Botanica in 2023 and stepped into the Head Chef role in 2024. Born in Malaysia, she grew up with bold flavours shaped by her Chinese, Japanese, and Native Malaysian heritage. Her fine dining foundations at Quay were followed by a hands-on role at Marramarra Lodge on the Hawkesbury River, where she worked alongside local fishermen, oyster farmers, and the lodge’s vegetable garden. These experiences deepened her love for hyper-local, seasonal produce. Today, Abby leads The Botanica’s 100% gluten-free menu, ensuring flavour and creativity are never compromised.
Thai Sams, the second of The Botanica’s co-head chefs, joined from Bentley Restaurant & Bar and has been with The Botanica since 2024. Having worked under Peter Bryant and David Pugh, he brings fine-dining discipline to the kitchen, leading with perfectly cooked proteins and refined sauces. Raised in a modest coal mining family in northern NSW, food was never about luxury but about togetherness, simplicity, and respect; with nothing wasted. Surrounded by friends on farms, Thai saw first-hand the hard work that goes into producing food, a lesson that shapes his approach today. Guided by the philosophy, “If you could make it better, why wouldn’t you?”, he drives continual refinement across the menu, always anchored in honest ingredients and the people behind them.
Abby and Thai bring 28 years of fine dining experience to The Botanica. Their complementary strengths make them a rare and powerful co-head chef team, and the seasonal menu reflects their shared philosophy: combining creativity, technical skill, and respect for produce.
The Botanica remains one of the only restaurants in Sydney offering a completely gluten-free dining experience. Ingredients are sourced directly from its onsite gardens and trusted local producers, with smoking, dry-ageing, and fermenting used to deepen flavour.
“The Botanica is not changing, we’re just doing it better,” says Abby. “With two chefs leading the kitchen, the philosophy stays the same, but the creativity and energy have doubled.”
