SHARON WITH CURTIS STONE
After decades spent in kitchens, cellars and even the mining fields of Western Australia, Sharon Stegman has found her sweet spot – and it’s one built on creativity, control and a carefully curated spread of cheese, charcuterie and connection. L ike many in hospitality, Sharon started young, working as a cook and chef before stepping away when family life took priority. The eventual path to founding Bille & Brie wasn’t linear – it rarely is in hospitality. Instead, it was shaped by instinct, experience and a willingness to step away before finding her way back. “I was always cooking in the industry, and then I had kids and got out of the industry,” she says. “And like most people who are chefs and cooks, at the time when I left I had decided I’d had enough of that.” What followed wasn’t a departure from hospitality, but a shift within it. Sharon moved into wine, working at the then-Meadowbank in the cellar door after returning from time in Western Australia and Queensland. It was a different pace and perspective, but one that kept her connected to the industry.
“It’s completely different [focused on wine rather than food], then I started doing some weddings and things like that,” she says. Small steps that, in hindsight, would point toward her next chapter. Even during time away from the kitchen, hospitality never strayed too far. A call from a former colleague at Government House saw her return for casual cooking shifts, gradually reigniting the spark that had always been there. “That got me back in and then I thought I just wanted to work for myself.” It wasn’t a sudden leap. Sharon’s career had already been defined by variety, from high-pressure kitchen environments to wine buying roles, including a stint with Hill Street where she transformed the store’s wine offering into a major revenue driver. Between those roles sat another, less conventional chapter – operating heavy machinery in Western Australia, including a 280-tonne rock crusher and a 90-tonne water cart. It’s an experience that sits in stark contrast to the detail and delicacy of her current work, but one that reflects the adaptability that has defined her career. Through it all, cooking remained a constant thread, even if it wasn’t always the focus. “I just wasn’t
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Tasmanian Hospitality Review April/May Edition
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