Aussie Beef Mate Chef Ryan Peters is probably one of our most famous Chef Ambassadors, at least on TikTok and Instagram! He’s found a way to take his culinary background and love of pasta and turn it into a career path. He’s also a great bloke who loves to share his passion and expertise with us, his fellow ambassadors, and proudly reps the 412! (That’s Pittsburgh, btw)
What should our readers know about your background?
I am a classically trained chef – came up through culinary school, restaurants, clubs, resorts…always looking for my lane and what was calling to me. I was chasing fine dining and Michelin star for a time, and discovered it wasn’t for me in balance with professional and family goals. Then I found my love in pasta, and started to focus on Italian and pasta restaurants…and as I was documenting my pasta work on social media, it became a following and a second job doing content. In 2021, I made the switch to content full time and haven’t looked back!
You recently had the chance to go Down Under to see Aussie Beef & Lamb up close. What are some of the impressions that have stayed with you from the trip?
Going into it, I had heard about Aussie Beef & Lamb, and I was familiar as a chef, but being there really brought it home and deepened my love for the product. Like like a lot of American chefs, I had a stereotypical mindset that local was better, national pride, etc. The transparency of what we saw and learned about how Aussie livestock is raised was really eye opening. Hearing from the producers and their passion for what they do…it’s their life’s work, not just a job. That shows up in the attention to detail - from rotating pastures to feed blends, some farmers are tracking the weight gain, health, for each animal. They have nothing to hide, and a lot of pride. And seeing the spaces where these animals live, it’s the pastoral dream come to life. It’s like a movie set, just animals roaming free in unspoiled natural environments.
What do you tell your chef peers about Aussie proteins?
For every chef, flavor is #1 and Aussie product will win every time. It’s just a better product. Beyond that, the sustainability and transparency make it special, and give you a story you can tell that is worth a lot.
How do viewers respond?
Response has been really good – I want to highlight the Aussie meats, but also open up people’s eyes and brains to different uses for pasta. Rack of lamb with pasta for instance! Or a Wagyu Flat Iron with caramelized onion risotto. Why not pair steak with pasta? I get to mix up my content a bit, which is good for me and the audience.
What do you like about the combination of Aussie proteins with your pasta?
I’m a firm believer that pasta is very simple – it’s just 2-3 ingredients. Accordingly, you absolutely have to use the best quality ingredients to make it. I take that same approach with animal proteins. When it’s time to cook, you should keep it simple, and the secret is that this is also how chefs tend to like to cook! Take great ingredients and not f*ck them up, let them shine. Especially having seen where it comes from, I want to let the Aussie Beef & Lamb take the spotlight as they are and let the flavor come through.
What’s a combination that you particularly love?
That Aussie wagyu and caramelized onion risotto was pretty phenomenal. I also did a braised Aussie lamb shank pasta that I still think about. I braised the shank down in Aussie red wine and Calabrian chilies, over fresh pappardelle. In a cold winter, it’s really soul-satisfying.
Aussome stuff, mate! We’ve got some of Ryan’s top-drawer recipes along with other pasta faves here. Be sure to give @ryanpeterspgh a follow to catch his next video, and the rest of the series exploring Aussie meats that love pasta!