A Master Chef’s Perspective Cooking on Gas with Sean Gravina
Cheers for the Grant, Government, but How do I Account for it?
June 2, 2022
Malta Chefs Society
June 2, 2022From starting out in sandwich shops to studying in London and making it to the MasterChef quarter finals, Sean Gravina has had a trendsetting career on the local culinary scene. Here, he looks back on some of the highlights and challenges, and opens up about what could lie ahead.
A former professional waterpolo player, Sean Gravina says he took to the kitchen relatively late, working in sandwich shops at the age of 18. After a few years, Sean decided to get into culinary school at the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) – ‘to get his basics sorted’, as he says. While studying part-time, he also worked at the Hilton, where renowned head chef Joe Vella broadened Sean’s experience in butchery, fishmongery and à la carte, among others. A couple of years later, he moved on to some other restaurants for a few months before settling down at Gzira French restaurant, Chez Philippe.
“I found a lot of freedom there,” shares Sean, “And the chef allowed me to experiment and express myself in the kitchen, which gave me confidence. People seemed to like my food, and my passion kept on growing.”
Widening Horizons
After a few years of successfully juggling work, study and waterpolo, Sean felt it was time to make a bold move. “I was very into my research at the time, and was constantly looking up international chefs and restaurants online, so I noticed that there was a gap between the standards locally and abroad in cities like London, Milan and Paris. This isn’t the case anymore, as standards have risen since then.”
Although studying and working in London was what he wanted to do, this wasn’t an easy decision for Sean. “It was a very difficult move, as I also had a deep passion for waterpolo. But I knew that, for me to achieve the goals I had set myself and reach the level I wanted to, I needed to go abroad to get what I couldn’t get here in Malta.” And get it he did. In a year and a half away, Sean accomplished a lot. “The time I spent in London probably boosted my career by around five or six years,” he says.
He studied at the prestigious culinary school, Le Cordon Bleu London, where he obtained his diploma in French cuisine. Once again, he plunged himself into a strict regime of study, work and training – this time at the gym, as he quickly abandoned a short stint with a waterpolo club that had lower standards than he was used to in Malta, and wasn’t really adding value to his life.
Highlights from his time in London include working at several reputable restaurants such as steakhouse CUT at 45 Park Lane and Clos Maggiore in Covent Garden. “It did me a lot of good to work in a highly disciplined environment, but it was also very hard.”
Sean even worked with world-famous chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay, but the culmination of his time in London came in his participation in MasterChef: The Professionals, where Sean successfully made it to the quarter finals of the 2014 edition.
Looking back on this eventful period of his life, he is very grateful for the valuable experience he gained and the newfound name this earned him on his return to Malta. “It was intense but I’m so glad I did it. If I hadn’t, I don’t think I would be where I am today.”
After a few years of successfully juggling work, study and waterpolo, Sean felt it was time to make a bold move. “I was very into my research at the time, and was constantly looking up international chefs and restaurants online, so I noticed that there was a gap between the standards locally and abroad in cities like London, Milan and Paris. This isn’t the case anymore, as standards have risen since then.”
Although studying and working in London was what he wanted to do, this wasn’t an easy decision for Sean. “It was a very difficult move, as I also had a deep passion for waterpolo. But I knew that, for me to achieve the goals I had set myself and reach the level I wanted to, I needed to go abroad to get what I couldn’t get here in Malta.” And get it he did. In a year and a half away, Sean accomplished a lot. “The time I spent in London probably boosted my career by around five or six years,” he says.
He studied at the prestigious culinary school, Le Cordon Bleu London, where he obtained his diploma in French cuisine. Once again, he plunged himself into a strict regime of study, work and training – this time at the gym, as he quickly abandoned a short stint with a waterpolo club that had lower standards than he was used to in Malta, and wasn’t really adding value to his life.
Highlights from his time in London include working at several reputable restaurants such as steakhouse CUT at 45 Park Lane and Clos Maggiore in Covent Garden. “It did me a lot of good to work in a highly disciplined environment, but it was also very hard.”
Sean even worked with world-famous chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay, but the culmination of his time in London came in his participation in MasterChef: The Professionals, where Sean successfully made it to the quarter finals of the 2014 edition.
Looking back on this eventful period of his life, he is very grateful for the valuable experience he gained and the newfound name this earned him on his return to Malta. “It was intense but I’m so glad I did it. If I hadn’t, I don’t think I would be where I am today.”
Homeward-Bound
Back home, Sean rewarded himself with a much-needed summer of rest and parties. Then, ready to re-enter the local scene with a fresh perspective, he set out to look for new investment opportunities, while rising to further prominence through local TV show Gourmet Today. Then, after a few initial hiccoughs that Sean chooses to see as learning curves, it looked as though something good was finally on the horizon. “I did have some letdowns where plans just fell through after long discussions with investors,” he says. “But my passion and perseverance kept me going and looking for the right path and people.”
Things took off after his then-girlfriend and now-wife, Ira Losco, introduced him to leading local businessman Winston Zahra, who connected him with the partners who would eventually help Sean set up Crust Bistro & Bar.
Born and bred in St Julian’s, Sean was very excited to land a prime property in the location, but quickly realised that his original plan of opening a sandwich shop for breakfast, brunch and lunch was not feasible, given the large size of the property and the work that went into demolishing and converting it. Starting out as a deli bakery, Sean soon had to reinvent the concept, menu and space once again to turn it into a bakery, bar and bistro that would work. “I had a lot of pressure to create something that both made sense and kept me interested,” he admits. Luckily, the new concept was well received, and Crust’s reputation grew. Just as things were finally picking up and Sean was feeling more settled with staff, the pandemic hit.
Adapting post-pandemic and beyond
“COVID was such a big blow. My brain went into overdrive and it was a real rollercoaster ride, not least because of the financial burden. Like many other restaurants, we had to take another loan to make sure we could pay our suppliers and avoid losing anyone through redundancy, and thankfully, we didn’t.”
Yet, in the difficult time that characterised the lockdown period, Sean learnt to take the good with the bad, and used the time to set up deliveries and takeaways, create new concepts for events, and utilise space that was being wasted. All the changes made then have since stuck, improving Crust for the better to the point that Sean is almost grateful for the pandemic, in spite of the hardship it brought about.
Reflecting on what lies ahead, Sean notes that things are not looking very good for the food and hospitality sector, what with the continuous increase in product prices and the volatile situation in Ukraine – a major wheat supplier.
Nevertheless, Sean carries on and busies himself with optimistic plans for the future, ranging from a new breakfast menu to possible ideas for Restaurant ‘number two’. No matter the uncertainty that is waging on around us, there is probably as much comfort in looking ahead with hope as there is in good food itself. In Sean’s own words, “Hope is the very last thing to go.”
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