our team
Nick Sparr
Restaurant manager Nick Sparr is an Adelaide hospitality institution and has been with the River Cafè throughout all its name incarnations. It is Nick who advises clients seeking exclusive use of the venue, organising corporate functions or special family occasions and weddings. His depth of experience is invaluable.
Ray Mauger
Executive chef and owner Ray Mauger brings almost 30 years of cooking to River Cafè. For the last 20 years he has held senior management positions within the Sparr Group and has been the opening executive chef for many of their award winning properties including the Sebel Playford Adelaide. The offering from chef owner restaurants is frequently a happy reflection that the boss is in the kitchen and that has certainly been the case at River Cafè, which is rejuvenated and reinvigorated since Mauger joined the group as an owner.
Sarah Whetstone
Sarah Whetstone has been with River Cafè for 10 years. A country girl from Millicent, a picturesque town located in the middle of the Coonawarra, Limestone Coast and Mount Benson wine regions of South Australia, Sarah moved to Adelaide in 2000 to start her apprenticeship at River Cafè. Sarah’s long–term commitment to our business equates in the excellence of her food and she is now starting to receive some of the press accolades we thinks she deserves. Sarah’s Italian heritage means she enjoys recreating the older style dishes of her family but equally she excels in modern Italian cooking and enjoys the odd foray into the rest of the Mediterranean and nearby Middle East. Sarah’s kitchen has the advantage of a wood–fired oven, that whilst challenging, is always put to good use on the menu and in her specials. Sarah is married to Dennis Whetstone, who is head chef of Red Ochre Grill situated on the first floor level of the same building and if you’re looking for a great alternative, the Red Ochre Grill comes highly recommended by Sarah (and the rest of her team).
Tom Naige
Tom Naige started his cooking career as an apprentice in our sibling restaurant The Red Ochre Grill and has recently qualified. As part of our policy of ensuring a very well rounded training Tom has moved into River Cafè. A team player, Tom’s transition has been smooth and everyone seems to be having a fine time with lots of new ideas swishing around the kitchen. As head chef Sarah Whetstone says “Tommy is a beautiful plater!” high praise from a chef who always expects the best.
left executive chef Ray Mauger and right recently qualified chef Tom Naige
window updated August 11, 2010
