Beyond chicken and beef, meet Potters’ Executive Chef, Sunny Kohal.
Beyond chicken and beef, meet Potters’ Executive Chef, Sunny Kohal.
Just not your standard
Ask any newlywed couple about their big day and you’ll likely hear stories about the food.
It’s not just about feeding guests – it’s a huge part of the celebration itself.
Great food gets people talking, laughing and provides memories for years to come.
Potters’ Executive Chef, Sunny Kohal, is the mastermind behind our menu and the leader of our kitchen team.
He was working as head chef at Warrandyte institution ‘Olivigna’ before meeting our owners, Debbie and Alan, and decided to make the jump from à la carte dining to weddings.
“I was initially a little bit worried about the change. Wedding chefs didn’t have a great reputation, we always thought they weren’t open to changes,” he said.
“It used to be all chicken and beef, and I didn’t want to do just that.”
Luckily for Sunny, this was far from the brief.
The Potters team welcomed Sunny’s innovation with open arms, giving him the freedom to elevate the standard wedding fare and get creative.
Inspiration, without borders
After working in the Warrandyte area for nearly a decade, Sunny endeavours to use as many local ingredients as possible but isn’t hesitant to infuse his dishes with flavours from other parts of the world.
“I started in an Italian restaurant, and learned a bit of French, too, so that’s always been the base, but I believe in a lot of fusion. People like to try new things,”
“Over the years, I’ve seen the ‘”chicken and beef” trend change. People are so used to multicultural food now, which is why I think it’s a great time for chefs to experiment with new flavours.”
When it comes to Sunny’s favourite dish, he looks closer to home.
“I come from North India, in the mountains and my absolute favourite thing to eat is wild boar curry; it’s a dish that’s very close to my heart!”
“Whenever I’m home, if it’s the right time of year, people in my community will hunt wild boar and we’ll make it.”
“The other thing is a shellfish-based seafood pasta, which has been on our menu”
“It’s Italian and French influenced, with parmesan and beautifully poached seafood, it’s another favourite of mine and very popular.”




Sunny’s star team
Sunny’s kitchen team is made up of two additional chefs, Karan and Jen, who he trained from day one, alongside a small team of eight.
“We have a good time in the kitchen and they work hard. The vibe is chilled and happy, always with music in the background,” he said.
“My number one thing is about quality, there’s no cutting corners on the quality.”
Trust the process
Sunny’s advice to couples when choosing their wedding menu is to “trust us!”
“We never let anyone down,” he said.
“I understand that couples have lots of questions for us when they’re planning their wedding, and I understand that wedding chefs don’t always have the best reputation, but we’re different.”
“I’ve got an incredible passion for food and I strongly believe that you can’t cook without passion.