Attica Staff Talks on Creativity
We proudly acknowledge the Bunurong as the first people to love, live and dine on the lands on which Attica sits today.
We recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Peoples were the first sovereign nations of Australia from time immemorial, and they never ceded this sovereignty.
Attica Staff Talks on Creativity
Our staff talk about how and what gets their creativity flowing
Words by Claire Stenhouse
Published 26.08.25
"It’s a quiet and meditative practice for me, but also one that brings surprise and joy to the plate"
Staff Talks
Creativity lives in every space here at Attica; it’s in the day to day but also in the heart and soul of the people who make it happen. Every Wednesday, the team is invited to share its passions and creative outlets in our Staff Talks.
It’s an opportunity for us to flex our public-speaking muscles, but also to connect, as we explore methods and techniques that spark passion and creativity, showcasing the skills and hobbies we relish beyond the kitchen and the floor.
Rhea: chef
A long-time player of the violin, Rhea picked up another hobby during the pandemic: creating handmade jewellery from heated clay.
“It was a simple way to wear something I had created and enjoyed making. It started off with simple beaded hoops and evolved into more intricate polymer clay designs using all sorts of equipment such as pasta machines and sugar paste extruders!”
Rhea’s inspiration is eclectic and she revels in the company of other creative minds.
“I get a lot of inspiration from podcast conversations and documentaries. I love the Alexander McQueen one, watching other people do amazing things motivates me. I also feel very inspired when I go to artistic performances or exhibitions”.
Rhea made earrings for several team members during her team talk, many of which we wear to splash colour through our working day.
How does this creative skill translate into her working day?
“It’s in thinking of solutions to reoccurring difficulties or noticing when somebody is having a tricky day and thinking of ways to help them. The obvious one is thinking of ways to utilise certain ingredients or byproducts to create something new.”
Yasyuki: sous chef
Yasyuki is passionate about the art of decorative vegetable carving.
“I enjoy transforming everyday vegetables into elegant, playful, or abstract shapes – sometimes a crane, a curl, or even something flame-like. It’s a quiet and meditative practice for me, but also one that brings surprise and joy to the plate.”
Yas takes a lot of his inspiration for creativity from nature.
“Whether it be leaves, flowers or birds, I’m drawn to the balance of precision and spontaneity. I find this also in traditional Japanese craft and minimalism.”
When uninspired, carving reignites his creativity; it’s cyclical.
“When I feel stuck, I start slicing vegetables without a plan – just letting my hands move. Sometimes inspiration comes from the rhythm of the knife or the unexpected shape that appears as I carve. I also look to traditional Japanese garnish techniques or seasonal ingredients for new ideas.”
This combination of passion and skill is translated into Yas’s workday.
“Through vegetable carving, I improve my knife skills – control, pressure, and precision – which applies to all ingredients, from fish to meat. Different cuts create different textures and plating ideas, letting me express one ingredient in many creative ways.”
Yas’s impressive knife skills are visible in Attica dishes such as The Tea Is Alive! and The Roo Satay.
Bee: waiter
Bee would describe themself as a deeply creative person.
“I grew up with artistic parents; my dad was a musician, and my mum was constantly crafting something. So, for me, being creative isn't something I do – it’s just how I live. I express it through writing, drawing, collage, even in how I decorate my apartment with a mix of quirky finds, or in the way I dress.”
Their main outlet is, however, portrait art, inspired by the connection between humans and human expression, and their own words.
“Emotions – love, grief, nostalgia. People’s life stories and my own memories are huge sources of inspiration. I’m a big scrapbooker and I keep several types of journals. I believe that preserving memories in a tangible way is essential. And I just love adding stickers to a collage of me and my friends.”
For creative people, sometimes it comes when you least expect it, and for Bee this is almost always at night.
“My mind tends to race when I’m trying to fall asleep – my therapist could back me up on that! That’s when the ideas start flowing, especially for drawings or new art projects.”
While Bee is able to express their natural creative tendencies at work, their colleagues also get to enjoy Bee’s creativity in many areas of the day to day.
“I really enjoy the small, thoughtful tasks – things like making family meal menus or setting the table. I especially love arranging our dinosaur design cups to balance the colours across the tables. Creativity helps me tune into those little details that often make the biggest difference.”
And this extends also to our guests – maybe one of the interesting or beautiful things you’ve noticed during your dinner was created by Bee.
“One of my favourite moments was last year when we celebrated 19 years of Attica. I got to paint our mussel supplier Lance Wiffen’s face onto mussel shells for a course on the menu. I was going through a tough time personally and having the chance to channel my creativity at work genuinely helped keep me grounded.”
Lachie: kitchen porter
Lachie has a lucrative connection to the abstract art world.
“I am very passionate about the arts, artists and practices, so I am engaged with the Australian art scene, whether that’s visiting art openings or reading up. I work in abstraction as it feels both expansive and intimate. My practice revolves around themes of recurrence, patternmaking and surface manipulation, navigating the intersection between spontaneity and structure.”
When it comes to Lachie’s favourite creative experience recently, he doesn’t have to think long about it.
“I was lucky enough to produce a suite of new paintings for the Melbourne art fair earlier this year, and that has been a highlight of my artistic journey so far. Friends, family and fellow artists all offered so much feedback, support and critical reception to the work, so that really was an all-time high for me.”
Lachie finds inspiration from other artists, particularly Americans Stanley Whitney and Mary Heilmann and Australians Angela Brennan and Diena Georgetti, as well as the connections he’s found even closer to home in the Attica team.
