Union Bank's head chef Dom Aboud says 'Orange had me' with food scene

At least that's always been the case for head chef Dom Aboud of Orange's iconic Union Bank, who says he has an "unexplainable link" to food.

Peeling back the layers of FOOD Week as the days of festivities roll out, one question remains.

Where did it all start for this year's potato guru?

Trips every school holidays to his uncle's restaurant in the Watagan Mountains could have something to do with it.

"I'd shoot up there and spend time with my nan while mum and dad were working, but pretty much the second I'd get there I'd be asking to hang out with him," Mr Aboud said.

"I'd pick some pasta, I'd peel some garlic, help prepare whatever he needed. By the time I had my [drivers] licence I'd go up and help him with weddings and functions, any busy services.

"It just felt right, I always knew I was going to end up in a kitchen."

A (self-admittedly) fussy eater as a child, Mr Aboud said whenever he was around his uncle he'd try just about any ingredient.

Foods and tastes all had different stories in tow - bolstered by his uncle's history, knowledge and heritage.

"Coming from a family with a Lebanese background, social gatherings were always very much centered around food," he said.

"Mum and dad really encouraged that interest as well."

A passion fostered to a point where birthday events eventually grew attached to cooking, too.

Wish lists were topped by anything food-related, with two standout childhood memories still alive and well today.

"I got a a wood fire oven for my 14th or 15th birthday and all I wanted for my 12^th birthday was a Jamie Oliver frypan because I'd seen them everywhere and I was like 'oh they're the best frypans and they even go in the oven and Jamie Oliver uses it'," he laughed.

"But any social occasion really just became an excuse for me to feed people or to try something new out, so there's this unexplainable link to food that's always just felt really natural.

"I've got this understanding of when something's ready and it sounds like the biggest cop out answer, but to be able to connect with food on that level is such a beautiful thing."

After typical stints of apprentice years as a chef, Mr Aboud wound up working several years for Sydney's top-shelf Rockpool Bar & Grill restaurant.

With his now-fiancé originally from Orange, the pair eventually travelled from the big smoke to the Colour City to visit relatives.

Attending FOOD Week events became an annual ritual with tickets to the iconic Forage gig in-pocket.

"It was a big affair for us to get together with people there [at Forage] and I'd always said maybe later in life we'd end up in the country, maybe I'd be serving something there," he said.

"A job came up at the Union Bank and after I got a call for it, I was pretty taken aback. All of a month later, we were packing up the unit in Dee Why.

"No regrets whatsoever, Orange had me. We'll be here four years in August now."

Debuting at the exclusive event on April 1, Forage is exactly where the UB head chef will be.

A type of crispy tart, the 30-year-old has had his head down, turning tens of kilograms of spuds to prepare an onslaught of potato galettes for Orange's mammoth FOOD Week festivities.

He was also responsible for the entrée served at the sold-out Sampson Street Long Lunch on March 25.

"This is the first year we've [the Union Bank] been as heavily involved as we've ever been," he said.

"The shared concept of socially-interactive dining gets me excited and we're cooking potato scallops with Farmer Doug's spuds and they're just the best

Giving a nod to a listless amount of other local producers in the region, Mr Aboud said he's feeling a sense of pride to be a part of the local foodie crew.

He's more than ready to showcase some of the best food and wine in the Central West.

"I've got a responsibility to put what I have with what they have in the best way that I can, I'm always trying to honour someone's produce in the best possible way," he said.

"The level of passion is in the air right now and there's an exciting buzz with younger people coming in [to the culinary scene] as well.

"There's also nothing better than supporting your peers in the industry and it's really incredible that we all get to promote how fantastic this region is."

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