Local Guides Spotlight is a Connect series that celebrates members of our community who are making a positive impact.
Local Guide Bridget Davis is an award-winning chef and cookbook author. She has been cooking professionally for over 25 years and have worked and cooked all over the world.
**“**I am a wife and mum to three children and host parent to two young sportsmen who have contracts with the NRL. We have a busy household so thank goodness I can cook!” she said.
These days, Bridget is a full-time food writer with three published cookbooks. “One of those cookbooks, Breakfast Around the World, was named one of the best cookbooks in the world for 2018,” she told us.
Bridget spends most of her time travelling, eating, and creating healthy recipes for her online community. As a Local Guide, Bridget often shares her perspective of restaurants as a trained chef with others on Google Maps. She also includes beautiful photos of the dishes she tries and places she travels to.
Learn more about Bridget in our interview with her below.
How and when did you first become interested in cooking?
I have always been enamoured with the goings on in the kitchen. Food has long been my obsession and cooking my calling from as young as I can remember. I left school when I was 14 as I knew what I wanted to do with my life, and that was to become a chef.
Can you tell me a little bit about your professional cooking experience?
From that tender age of 14, I started on my lifelong journey in professional kitchens. I have run fine dining restaurants, consulted on cafes, owned gastro pubs, and been executive chef at one of the largest catering companies in New Zealand. I came to Australia from New Zealand 12 years ago to be Bill Granger’s head chef for his well-known Sydney cafe, Bills and have cooked with some of the best chefs in the world like Tetsuya Wakuda and Marco Pierre White.
As a chef, what do you think is important for Local Guides to include in their restaurant reviews on Google Maps?
Reviews need images or better—quick videos. Images of the food, the inside of the restaurant, and restaurant facilities are so helpful to the restaurant and potential customers. I’m always mindful about leaving a negative review and prefer to visit one more time in some cases before I give any negative feedback. I also let the restaurant know if I have had a negative experience with hopes that they can rectify it or take it as constructive feedback.
What do you look for in a great restaurant?
I like to eat where the locals eat and that is why Local Guides is so helpful. I travel a lot for work and sometimes don’t have time to research dining options, so Local Guides is indispensable. I’m not so fussed about the look of the venue—for me it’s all about the taste and the flavours. If a review scores high for food, I don’t care whether it’s a hole in the wall or a side alley street cart. I’m going to check it out!
What are some of your favorite restaurants in your area?
I live in Sydney and prefer the cheap and cheerful spots where we might eat once a week. Mê Phở in Kogarah is my current favourite for Vietnamese street food and it’s one that we frequent! I also like Iggy’s Bread in Bronte, which do amazing sourdough bread, Brooklyn Boy Bakery’s in Matraville are the kings of New York-style bagels, and a good old favourite is Mamak on Goulburn Street for Malaysian cuisine that always leaves me with a smile on my face.
What’s your favorite way to contribute on Maps and why?
I like sharing photos as I am one of those types that photographs everything they eat! With a drive full of tempting images, I want to share the hard work that the kitchen puts through lovely shots of their food and dishes.
What are some of the things you’re passionate about sharing as a Local Guide on Maps?
I love sharing my latest restaurant finds. Regardless of the size, style, or location, if the place is good, I want to share the love with the public and with the business. As an avid sit-down paddleboarder, I also like to share my favourite places to paddle and my favourite beaches all around the world.
Sharing is caring and if I have had a good experience I want others to enjoy it as well. I also share facilities available like wheelchair access, bathroom facilitates, and high chairs as these small details can mean so much to some people.
What information do you wish more Local Guides included in their photos or reviews on Maps?
More facility information is right up there as I have a brother in a wheelchair who struggles to go places as he doesn’t know whether it will be able to accommodate his chair.
Do you have any tips for Local Guides who are new to the program?
Just keep shooting and uploading. It doesn’t matter where you go, someone is probably looking for information on Maps on this place. It could be a carpark, swimming spot, library, supermarket, or sports field. It doesn’t just have to be a restaurant or cafe. Information is key as knowledge is power.
We hope you enjoyed learning more about Bridget! How does your profession impact your perspective as a Local Guide? Tell us in the comments below.
