Ultimately, what defines Jo Ward’s culinary style is her innate sense of taste and her unwavering pursuit to nurture the perfect dish – from preparation to presentation. “You must start with the best produce to end up with the best results,” is Jo’s straightforward edict.

As Executive Chef of mu shu restaurant + bar in Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Jo is best described as a culinary artisan who zealously blends the exotic flavours of Asia and fresh Australian produce into her own, much-lauded food aesthetic. She is also fast changing the face of Asian cuisine in Sydney with her subliminal culinary wit, resulting from eighteen years of working in the hospitality industry.

Born in Rutherglen, Australia into a family who were market gardeners and avid hunters, Jo Ward was already skilled in the art of preparing wild game years before she was awarded an apprenticeship with Rutherglen’s Chatlers Restaurant in 1986 upon completing her high school education. Finishing her trade studies at Gordon Technical College, Jo began working as a Commis Chef in 1990 with Café La, a brasserie-styled restaurant at the Regent Hotel in Melbourne.

Returning to Adelaide in 1993, Jo joined the five-star hotel, Hilton Adelaide, working in their Brasserie Restaurant. It was here where Jo’s veritable style and talent was soon recognized by world-renowned chef, Cheong Liew, who seconded her to the kitchen of the hotel’s award-winning Grange Restaurant.

Jo’s natural creativeness and meticulous supervisory skills soon saw her take on the responsibility of Sous Chef in 1995 – a position she held for seven years until she relocated to Sydney in 2002. During this period Jo worked closely with Cheong Liew, perfecting the art of designing exceptional menus along with the delivery of stunning gastronomic delicacies.

In October, 1999 and October, 2001, Jo was instrumental in devising and presenting the bill-of-fare for the World Food Media Awards, held at Hilton Adelaide during the Tasting Australia food festival. Jo similarly played an integral role in a number of special-themed dinners – Crab Opera, If You’re Game, A River of Fish, to name a few – at the Grange Restaurant, along with a host of notable Adelaide events including the 1996 Sea + Vine Festival – McLaren Vale at Coriole Winery, the 1998 Clare Valley Festival at Paulette’s, the 2000 Grand Opening of David Jones’ new Adelaide store and the 2001 Barons of the Barossa festival. That same year Jo also assisted gourmet connoisseur and chef, Maggie Beer, in designing the menu for an exclusive cocktail reception, which was hosted in Paris, France.

Accepting Cheong Liew’s invitation to travel to Malaysia and Japan, Joanne eagerly embraced an array of Asian dining experiences – from hawker food to five-star cuisine– and integrated both Eastern and Western influences into her own culinary technique. Soon after Jo’s remarkable dishes and exceptional talent quickly came under the spotlight of the LIFESTYLE Channel in April, 2002.

Moving to Sydney in 2003, Jo was approached by
mu shu restaurant + bar, Bondi Beach, to take on the role of Executive Chef.

“mu shu was ideally the perfect restaurant where I could flirt with a mix of Asian influences and indulge in my passion for fresh ingredients,” says Jo, whose own favourite ingredient is Shao Hsing – Chinese cooking wine along with red fermented bean curd and spring onions, “because they go with everything.”

Complimenting mu shu‘s cool interior of red and black hues and plush day-beds is the gastronomic theatre of Jo’s open-plan kitchen – complete with hanging Peking ducks and a piquant aroma of exotic spices that metamorphose into fantastically rich flavours. Her culinary wizardry also blends in harmony with mu shu’s philosophy.

“Every dish is a singular creation so it’s very important for our diners to kick back, relax, and enjoy mu shu‘s fusion of funky ambiance, cuisine and kitchen theatre,” Jo Ward says. That mandate equally applies to ingestion.

“With diners being treated to a new taste sensation with every dish, we have never stopped trying to combine exciting ingredients or create a new cooking style each day. Having fresh ideas simply give the dish a perfect blend of cunning flavours and culinary adventure.”