Originally from New Caledonia, The Star Gold Coast’s Chef de Cuisine Carolyne Helmy draws upon her French culture to design and produce exquisite menus and dishes for the property’s most exclusive dining areas and VIP guests. Carolyne moved to the Gold Coast in 2008 because of its similar beach lifestyle to her South Pacific roots and now calls it her ‘home away from home’. Since November 2018, Carolyne has been the mastermind behind the culinary offering of the property’s luxury suite hotel, The Darling. Today, she leads a team of more than 20 chefs and one restaurant manager to deliver premium dishes for the hotel’s Sovereign Dining restaurant, all events and function spaces, and its in-room dining service.

With more than a decade of experience as a chef, the 36-year old joined The Star Gold Coast in 2015 originally as a sous chef for the award-winning Japanese restaurant, Kiyomi. After one year in the position, she moved to Garden Kitchen & Bar as a sous chef, before being approached to join The Darling culinary team as sous chef to support the launch of the hotel and all its ongoing catering requirements.

Prior to becoming a chef, Carolyne proved her talent in the academic and corporate world. She completed a Bachelor of Business Communications and a Master in Corporate Communications at Bond University before moving to the USA and working in a range of HR, sales, and marketing roles. However, it was her stint in a San Diego-based food and beverage import company – where she was surrounded by leading restaurants and culinary entrepreneurs – that influenced her decision to return to the Gold Coast and begin an apprenticeship. Carolyne says that the current skills’ shortage for chefs is helping change the landscape from being a male-dominated industry to attracting more females. She believes mentoring is important for women on their journey to the top – whether it’s from male or other female leaders – to discuss work challenges and how to overcome them. Carolyne says encouraging and mentoring her team, both male and female, and building a strong comradery is the key to delivering guests a truly unique and exclusive culinary experience.