Chef Jose Morales

Chef At Home in Leopold

With over a decade of fine-dining experience across the accoladed and Michelin awarded restaurants in United States, the Philippines, London, and Australia, I bring a global perspective to every table I cook for.

My focus is simple: to create thoughtful, seasonal menus that feel refined yet approachable, using the best produce Victoria has to offer. I design each experience around my guests ensuring every meal is not just delicious, but personal, relaxed, and memorable.

For me, cooking is...

cooking is about translating heritage and place into something you can experience on the plate.

I learned to cook at...

I developed my craft in world-class kitchens including Grace (3 Michelin stars), Brae,(3 hats) and Toyo Eatery(best restaurant in Philippines)

A cooking secret...

Curiosity. It’s what drives everything I do in the kitchen.

My menus

Home away from Home

STARTER

All inclusive

Coastal bush Crudite

• Freshly shucked Rock oysters, finger lime, coconut vinegar and preserved citrus

Butter poached Mussels and cream with tarragon and peas

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Mussels and cream

A crudo of kingfish with a dressing of fennel , and coconut Leche

Blue fin Tuna dressed in a Rosella Tigre de Leche Ceviche

Arroz collado or none marrow and bone sauce with a custard of Glutinous rice

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Dry aged duck and Mole

Angus rib eye on Charcoal Seasonal Japanese vegetables, smoked beef fat tare, crispy garlic chips

12-Hour Slow Braised Lamb Shoulder Rosemary, garlic, red wine jus

DESSERT

All inclusive

Mango Semifreddo with Pandan dacquoise

Basque burnt cheesecake with pistachio, praline and Stone fruit jam

Coconut & Dark Chocolate Delice 70% chocolate crémeux Coconut dacquoise Salted caramel Toasted coconut ice cream

Spring Imagination

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Bone Marrow aburi and beef carpaccio with grilled garlic rice Cakes

Fire Cooke clams with Xo sauce and Egg plants and smoked Soy

Mussel Rockefeller dressed in Tarragon and Comte Cream

Butterflied King George Whitting and Thin Slices of Pickled Tomatoes and blood orange

Crispy artichokes with crème Fraiche

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

SINUGBA of ember kissed Blue Eye Tuna with Carmelized Macadamia cream

Kingfish cured in Tapuey Daisy Bush with Coconut Jelly and Cashew Oil

Carpaccio of beets with Smoked Blackbeans reduced in black vinegar and miso with pork bone sauce

Cured King Salmon with Avocado Miso Mousse and tamarind fish sauce and puffed rice

Salted Squid with Yuzu Pilpil and charred Leeks

MAIN COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Grilled aged Duck with Duck Jus and Mandarins and endives

Charcoal Grilled Porterhouse with Truffle Jus and Poached Carrots

Wood fired Pork Chop with Bone Jus and mirin finished with Tarragon gremolata and Artichokes

DESSERT

All inclusive

Strawberry and Crème fraiche ice cream with Rosella

Cacao Tart with hazelnut diplomat and carmelized Coconut

Mascarpone sorbet with macerated Bloodorange kissed with coals

Italian Magic

STARTER

All inclusive

Foccacia of seasonal flour with whipped brown butter

Scallop Crudo with yuzu kosho and coconut vinegar

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Tuna Carpaccio with Roasted tomato oil and grilled Hazelnuts

Crumbed Ricotta with Toasted Harissa Honey

Duck Fat Potatoes

Calamari fritti with semolina and cured bottarga

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Potato Gnocchi with Roasted Pumpkin and Sage brown butter crumb

Wood Fired over red gum King Prawns(add $30) Infused butter and grilled Lemons

Slow Braised Beef Ribs with red wine gremolata and Shallot gratin

Porchetta crispy skin fennel, rosemary& salsa Verde

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Dark Chocolate Mousse, Olive Oil, Hazelnut

Rice , Paper, and Scissors THROWBACK!

STARTER

All inclusive

Oyster Kilaw! With coconut vinegar and scallions and bloodlime!

Bone marrow Doughnuts with preserved Shiso and konbu

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Butter poached mussels , pickled butternut and salt baked potatoes and Dill

Wok flamed PIPPIES AND TOFU with Chili bean XO

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Dry aged honey glazed ducks with Mandarin

Wood fired ribeye with a yakiniku glaze

Seared Snapper/ Barra with garlic Pilpil

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Mango Semifreddo with Pandan dacquoise

Basque burnt cheesecake with vanilla crème fraîche

Chocolate and hazelnut Ganache with spiced Cherry

Let’s get married Menu

STARTER

All inclusive

Winter Crudite with a sabayon of preserved lemons

Winter style Oysters with a Rockefeller and wild mushroom and garlic

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

A wok flambè of Pippies Bunt lemon and chicken fat and lemongrass

Chinese doughnuts in roasted nigella and shallots

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Dry aged duck glazed in mandarin and Manuka

Lemongrass fried rice with coconut XO

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Mango Semifreddo with Pandan dacquoise

Dark chocolate ganache with a praline of hazelnut miso and marmalade of sudachi

Coastal Filo Aussi

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Coastal bush Crudite

• Freshly shucked oysters, finger lime, coconut vinegar, native herbs (pescatarian)

Bone marrow and Tuna Nigiri

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Mussels poached in Blanc de Blanc and really good brown butter cream

Line-caught fish kinilaw coconut vinegar, ginger, green mango, finger lime

A wok flambè of Pippies Bunt lemon and chicken fat and lemongrass

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Dry aged duck and Mole

Banana leaf grilled local fish, lemongrass, coconut oil (pescatarian)

(Inclusive). Wood-roasted autumn vegetables, bush herbs, fermented garlic

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Mango Semifreddo with Pandan dacquoise

• Mango, coconut & pandan • Calamansi custard, caramelised

Precolonial Asia

STARTER

All inclusive

Coastal bush Crudite

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Kinilaw a raw fish with strong acid of Coconuts with summer fruits and herbs

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Wood fired Pork with caramelized allium sauce

DESSERT

All inclusive

Ages of the coconut

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Chef Jose's reviews

4.67

•

53 services

Chef Jay was straight up amazing! We had him come over for my mums birthday and he was so attentive and polite, he even gave some steak bits to our little dog Lilla! And the food was divine. From the appetizer to the dessert our mouths could not stop watering! Thank you Chef Jay for the wonderful experience and for driving 2 hours down to our airbnb!

J was great, He was very friendly, on time and the food he served was amazing. He walked us through each dish, how it was cooked and what was involved with each dish. I would definitely use his services again and recommend highly

Amazing! Absolutely amazing and we will be using our chef again!

Chef Jose and Yana went above and beyond to create an amazing culinary experience!! The menu was so inspiring; based off his own culture and experiences in the Philippines, and blended with food and nature here in Australia. Each dish was sensational! And there were sooo many courses that I was super full by the end! (My hubby had to help me finish some haha!). My favourite dish were the mussels; I don't know how, but he made it not "mussel-ly" but rather super creamy and tasty!! Chef Jolo and Yana were also super friendly, warm and engaging. My family and I felt so comfortable the whole time! He definitely set the bar, and I can't wait to try his food again in the near future!! Thankyou so much again for the amazing experience! Love from baby Judah & family :)

An unforgettable dining experience with Chef Jose from start to finish. Every dish was beautifully presented, thoughtfully prepared, and absolutely delicious. The attention to detail, quality of ingredients, and perfect balance of flavors truly showcased the chef's talent and passion. Beyond the exceptional food, the service was professional, warm, and seamless, allowing us to relax and fully enjoy the experience. Our guests were thoroughly impressed, and are still talking about the meal. It felt like having a fine dining restaurant brought into the comfort of our home. Thank you for making the occasion so special. We cannot recommend you highly enough.

José’s meal was absolutely delicious. He was professional, friendly and polite throughout the evening and made our daughter’s 21st birthday feel incredibly special and memorable. The food was beautifully presented, full of flavour and perfectly suited our Spanish-themed celebration. José created a wonderful experience for our family and we would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a talented private chef. Thank you for helping make such a special occasion unforgettable.

Had an amazing time the food was beautiful and Jose was very discreet and cleaned everything after was really worth it

Great experience. Will book again with Chef Jose.

This was our first experience with Take A Chef and it was a fantastic one. Jose had the music playing, the table set and poured us a glass of champagne when we arrived home after a day on the Mornington Peninsula. So that was a great start. Jose is very knowledgeable about food and provided an explanation about everything he had cooked for us. All dishes were tasty and well presented. Highly recommend Jose.

Jose prepared a wonderful Filipino inspired meal for my father's 80th birthday. He was punctual, incredibly organised and took to my kitchen like it was his own. The dishes were flavour-filled, made with locally sourced produce and came with beautiful stories to match. I appreciated the small touch of noticing one of our guests wasn't up for spice and pivoting in the moment to provide an alternate sauce. We definitely didn't go hungry - there was plenty of food. Jose was wonderful to chat to and taught us a thing or two. I would 100% recommend Jose for your next event.

Jose and his partner were an incredible addition for our family weekend away for my father’s 60th. All the meals prepared and cooked were delicious and very well thought out. Plenty of variety and helped take away the stress of being in the kitchen so we got to enjoy the time as a family. Thank you again Jose for making the weekend so memorable.

Chef Jose provided an incredibly creative and delicious meal for our group. He blended excellent technical skills and execution with uncommon ingredients from the Phillipines and great stories for the dishes. At our request he kept the menu as a surprise, but made helpful suggestions for the wine pairing. A really excellent experience.

We hired Jose as the personal chef for my mum’s 60th birthday and to say he exceeded expectations would be an understatement. From start to finish, he was absolutely phenomenal. Jose is not only an incredibly talented chef, but also one of the most knowledgeable and professional people we’ve worked with. He spoke so passionately about the origin of every ingredient he used. You could tell he genuinely cares about quality, seasonality and provenance. It wasn’t just food; it was an experience. Every dish had a story, and he knew it inside out. His résumé and work experience are seriously impressive, and it shows in the way he executes everything so seamlessly. The food was restaurant-quality (if not better), beautifully presented and flawlessly timed. He ran the kitchen with total calm and confidence, which allowed us to completely relax and enjoy the day. Beyond his talent, Jose is just such an easy, personable guy to have around. He blended into the event effortlessly while still delivering five-star service. We genuinely cannot recommend Jose highly enough. He helped make my mum’s 60th unforgettable, and we are already looking forward to having him cook at our future events. If you’re thinking about hiring him — do it. He is exceptional.