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At Montalto, the story of every dish begins with the land - and the person who brings it all together in the kitchen is Head Chef Adam Johnston.
With roots in Scotland and a culinary journey that’s taken him from fine-dining institutions in Melbourne to our vineyard estate on the Mornington Peninsula, Adam leads with a quiet confidence and deep respect for seasonal, estate-grown produce. His food philosophy is simple but refined: cook with care, let the ingredients shine, and always celebrate the season.
Here’s a closer look at the chef behind the menus at The Restaurant at Montalto.
Adam Johnston didn’t always dream of becoming a chef. Growing up in East Kilbride, a town just outside of Glasgow in Scotland, his early inspirations came from TV chefs like Jamie Oliver, Rick Stein and Anthony Bourdain. “I liked to cook,” he says, “but I didn’t think I’d do it as a career.” It wasn’t until a local professional cookery course caught his interest after finishing school that the idea of life in the kitchen truly began to simmer. Since then, he hasn’t looked back.
Adam’s culinary career began at the prestigious Scotsman Hotel in Edinburgh in 2009. It was here that he learned the foundations of European cookery, rotating through every section of the kitchen every few months. This hands-on immersion helped him sharpen his skills quickly and gave him a comprehensive understanding of classical technique - something that still anchors his cooking today.
In search of new experiences, Adam moved to Melbourne on a working holiday visa. He joined Livingroom, a one-hatted restaurant helmed by Darren Daley, whose rustic Italian-inspired style offered a refreshing contrast to the formal European food Adam had been cooking in Scotland. Darren became a key influence in his early Australian career, helping shape Adam’s love of produce-driven simplicity.
With his visa coming to an end, Adam secured sponsorship at Rosetta, a two-hatted Italian restaurant in Southbank. It was here that the pace, pressure and scale of high-volume dining came into focus - with 400 to 500 covers a day, an on-site butcher, fresh fish delivered straight off the boat, and pasta made from scratch daily. “It was a real eye-opener,” Adam says. Starting as a Chef de Partie, he worked his way up to Senior Sous Chef, learning the ropes of kitchen management and understanding what it takes to run a successful kitchen and business.
After four intense years at Rosetta, he moved on to Cutler & Co in Fitzroy - a fine-dining institution where he further developed his technical skills and gained exposure to modern techniques and some of Melbourne’s most innovative chefs. A brief stint opening a new restaurant in Chadstone followed, before a new opportunity called: Montalto.
For Adam, joining Montalto felt like the dream. “Being able to work somewhere with a full market garden and have nights off was a dream,” he says. He initially joined as Sous Chef, but it wasn’t long before he was promoted to Head Chef - a role that allows him to shape the estate’s ever-evolving menus with creativity, clarity and a strong sense of place.
Adam has now been at Montalto for over 18 months, and his passion for the restaurant’s “estate to plate” philosophy is evident in every dish. His style is grounded in traditional European flavours, but he lets the estate-grown produce guide the menu. “Citrus is everywhere right now - Julie’s winter citrus is just incredible,” he says, referencing Montalto’s produce manager Julie Bennett, who stewards the expansive kitchen gardens.
His current favourite dish on the menu? A celebration of winter brassicas. “It’s a mix of different brassicas, all cooked in different ways, served with a big dollop of taramasalata and pickled lemon,” he says. “It really shows off the amazing produce we’ve got in the garden, cooked simply over the wood fire.” The wood fire grill, in fact, has become a defining feature of his style at Montalto. “The smoke from the wood fire is flavouring almost everything on the menu these days.”
His other current obsession is duck. “We cook it fat side down over the wood fire and glaze it with maple syrup and spices. It’s just a beautiful thing to work with,” he says. These dishes, though they may change with the seasons, reflect Adam’s instinctive approach: let the produce lead, keep it simple, and cook it with care.
Despite his role at the helm of one of the Mornington Peninsula’s most respected kitchens, Adam’s off-duty tastes are humble. His go-to comfort food is pho - “I could eat it every day and never get tired of it,” he says. And if he’s really not in the mood to cook? “Baked beans,” he laughs.
When it comes to relaxation, Adam keeps it simple: a quiet drive home with good music is all he needs to wind down after a busy service. His laid-back approach off the clock contrasts beautifully with the energy and intention he brings to the kitchen - where quality, technique and produce take centre stage.
Adam’s greatest culinary influence is Anthony Bourdain, and it shows. There’s a groundedness to his food and his leadership style - no ego, just good cooking, respect for produce, and a genuine appreciation for people. “One of the best things about this business is working with people from all over the world and learning about their food and culture,” he says.
He’s not one for signature dishes - the Montalto menu changes often based on what’s growing, what’s seasonal, and what the team is excited about. But his consistent signature lies in the experience he curates: produce grown metres from the kitchen, cooked over wood fire, served in a dining room overlooking the vines. “It’s a pretty special place to work,” he says.
As for the future? “Hopefully still at Montalto,” Adam says. “Continuing to develop the menus, lead the team, and work with what we grow right here.” With a chef like Adam at the helm, grounded in skill, humility and a deep appreciation for the seasons, the future of food at Montalto looks bright indeed.
Whether it’s a brassica dish kissed by woodfire smoke or citrus in full winter bloom, every plate at Montalto tells a story, and Adam Johnston is the storyteller.
Join us at The Restaurant and enjoy a seasonal menu shaped by the estate and crafted by the hands of a chef deeply connected to his surroundings.
From rows of vibrant brassicas to citrus trees in full fruit, our gardens are the heartbeat of the kitchen. Every dish begins with what’s growing just metres from the pass harvested daily by our Produce Manager Julie Bennett and transformed by Adam and his team in the kitchen.
