Niah Suksawaeng is a chef with Michelin star ambitions.
When asked to curate a new menu at Earp Distilling Co earlier this year he hit the ground running, eager to find an outlet for the many culinary ideas in his head.
"When we first started the distillery's focus was on experiences and showcasing our products through drinks. We now have a team in the kitchen that can push the boundaries with food and drink pairing and showcasing our products through food," Earp operations manager Cameron Burns says.
"People in Newcastle are always after a good meal and it was a no-brainer to open up a kitchen with the distillery as well.
"We have never changed our focus on showcasing our products but now we offer an experience where we showcase some great local produce through food as well."
Burns says Niah was "introduced to us by a good friend and another chef. He was just a great fit for our business straight away".
Niah's journey starts in Thailand, where he was born.
"I grew up in a family full of rice farmers in a town called Buriram known for its silk and its amazing Isan food," he says.
"We would move all the time between Rayong and Buriram, and if it was a monsoon season we would harvest tobacco, fruit and vegetables. In the drier season we would harvest rice and sweet potatoes. Growing up was a lot of heavy labour."
His mother is of Thai/Cambodian descent and "had a little restaurant in Thailand".
"I started to cook at the age of four. Growing up with seven aunties, and being the youngest of all the cousins, I had no choice but to help out with all the cooking and farming," he says.
"My father was in the Australian army so I found myself moving schools, cities and countries a lot throughout my childhood."
Niah's brother is a baker, and his sister a pastry chef and sushi chef.
"The recipes I use are from my late grandmother and grandfather," he says.
"For many years I was cooking French food, thinking it was a much more superior cuisine. That was taught to me by the culture and college: French cuisine is the way to go. So, I've immersed myself in it all.
"Only in the last few years I've realised that I just love cooking and expressing myself through food.
"Food is what makes people come together. In Thailand we have a saying, 'Are you hungry', and that is actually how we greet each other on a regular basis. If you are having a bad day you would say 'I'm hungry' and that person would feed you."
Niah has also been guided by some wise words from his father as well as the late, great chef Anthony Bourdain.
"Anthony Bourdain said it quite nicely: 'Good food is very often, even most often, simple food'," he says.
"He also said 'I wanted adventures ... I wanted kicks - the kind of melodramatic thrills and chills I'd yearned for since childhood, the kind of adventure I'd found as a little boy in the pages of my Tintin comic books. I wanted to see the world - and I wanted the world to be just like the movies'.
"Well, I went and did just that! My late father told me to travel as far as you can and learn about how other people live their lives. Get a trade and go.
"I was kicked out of home at 16 and found myself delivering fruit at a market.
"I don't know whether it was luck or faith, but my first mentor had been a part of a team in Cambridge at a restaurant called Midsummer House which was just awarded two Michelin stars. He helped open hotels like the Grand Hyatt and Shangri-La.
"I spent three hard years with John Brock, learning everything from pastries, fish, butchering, banquets, budgeting, how to speak, how to negotiate, how to be a professional. I've spent 80 to 120 hours a week learning and working alongside him. I wanted to be great."
When Brock advised him to leave Cairns, Niah did, and went on to work with Hamish Neale at Tangalooma Island Resort. Then he moved to Sydney, travelled the world a little more, "moved to Africa and now Newcastle and I am going for a Michelin".
Did I mention Niah is ambitious?
He describes his menu as "fresh and funky". And his favourite dish? Oysters.
"The menu showcases the best fresh produce that Newcastle has to offer, and we collaborate with local suppliers including Dawson's Oysters, Shayne's Seafood and Binnie Beef Warehouse," he says.
"The menu was, of course, also designed to pair well with gin. It's floral and colourful. Our pickles have Portside Gin and No.8 Smoked Juniper. The dessert has a limoncello sorbet with it as well."
When asked what food goes well with gin, Burns laughs and says "everything".
"Seafood is a great pairing. The beautiful flavour from the botanicals in our gin really showcase fresh produce and the ingredients Niah uses really promote those flavours in our gins as well."
Burns says Earp will be running as a bar, a restaurant and a distillery "with food experiences from chefs all around Australia".
"Our goal at Earp is to give people experiences through drinks, food, music and through our bookable experiences. Earp is not just for your spirit lovers but for everyone.
"Check out our three food degustations in April during Newcastle Food Month. There are some exciting times ahead here at Earp."
Earp Distilling Co, 41 Darling Street, Carrington. Bar hours: Mon-Tue, 12pm-5pm, Wed-Thurs, 12pm-10pm, Fri-Sat, 12pm-12am, Sun, 12pm-7pm. Cellar door hours: daily, 12pm-5pm.
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