The Game Changers podcast celebrates those true pioneers in education who are building schools for tomorrow. In episode 189 (Part 1) of Game Changers, Phil Cummins joins in conversation with Benjamin Cooper, Executive Chef at Chin Chin.

Hailing from the small town of Taree in New South Wales, Benjamin Cooper has been Executive Chef at beloved Southeast Asian restaurant Chin Chin for the past 13 years. He has worked with several of Australia's most celebrated chefs, flexing his skill and knowledge in kitchens across Melbourne and the UK.

Originally aiming to pursue a career in economics, Benjamin ended up completing a culinary apprenticeship on a gap year — and never looked back. The early days of his career saw him head to the UK, where he worked with head chefs at renowned restaurants including Nobu London, Bluebird in Chelsea and Smiths of Smithfield.

Cooper’s passion for authentic techniques and high-quality ingredients grew as he worked with Australia's best-known Thai cuisine chef, David Thompson, at Nahm within London’s The Halkin — the first Michelin-starred Thai restaurant in Europe.

Returning to Melbourne, Benjamin worked as Head Chef at fine-diner Ezard and esteemed Thai restaurant Longrain, both stints cementing his love of fresh and fiery flavours.

In 2011, Benjamin joined restaurateur Chris Lucas to launch Chin Chin, where his now trademark big, brash flavour combinations had diners lining up down the street from day one. An icon of Melbourne’s food scene, Chin Chin arguably kickstarted the city’s trend of dining with energy, colour and music from its location on Flinders Lane.

Benjamin's passion, understanding of ingredients and knack for experimenting with flavours and texture combinations has redefined Southeast Asian cuisine in Australia. It’s helped drive Chin Chin’s incredible success within the country’s hospitality scene, not just with the restaurant’s original Melbourne location, but also its second outpost in Sydney’s Surry Hills (opened in 2017) and the addition of Club Chin Chin at GMHBA Stadium (2024).

Aside from the fiery Asian food he brings to life at Chin Chin, Cooper is passionate about coffee and cheese, and shares his years of culinary experience with those keen to learn via Chin Chin’s own ‘Cooking with Cooper’ classes. Benjamin’s recipes and kitchen experience have also contributed to Chin Chin’s three cookbooks, ‘Chin Chin: The Book’, ‘Chin Chin: Feed Me’ and the just-released ‘Chin Chin: Still Hungry’.

The Game Changers podcast is produced by Evan Phillips supported by a School for tomorrow (aschoolfortomorrow.com), and powered by CIRCLE. The podcast is hosted on SoundCloud and distributed through Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts. Please subscribe and tell your friends you like what you are hearing. You can contact us at gamechangers@circle.education, on Twitter and Instagram via @GameChangersPC, and you can also connect with Phil and Adriano via LinkedIn and Twitter. Let’s go!