Our Culinary Creator

Executive Chef Ray Turner

With over 12 years of culinary experience, Chef Ray Turner brings a thoughtful, energetic, and deeply personal approach to the kitchen at The Arlington Hotel & River’s Edge. Originally from Toowoomba in Queensland, Australia, Ray found his passion early, discovering joy in cooking simple dishes like bangers and mash and later honing his craft at The Pear Bistro in Brisbane’s Southbank.

Ray describes his cooking style in three words: honest, deliberate, spontaneous. Whether he’s shaping dough (“making bread is a beautiful thing”) or building vibrant tacos (his favourite dish to prepare at work), his food reflects equal parts skill, intention, and creativity. His favourite ingredients range from flour and onions to gochujang “Korean ketchup”, and admits he puts it on almost everything at home.

His proudest accomplishment so far? Opening his own restaurant, a milestone that speaks to the dedication he carries into every kitchen he leads.

For Ray, inspiration comes from everywhere: the scent of fresh herbs, the colour of a vegetable, or the expression on someone’s face. To him, it’s the art of creating unforgettable moments through countless small details; all of the 1% touches that add up to elevate an experience from good to extraordinary.

Outside the kitchen, Ray is an avid sports enthusiast, with passions for golf, softball, cricket, and rugby. He’s also full of surprises: he holds a Postgraduate Degree in Applied Linguistics and once ran a furniture-making business. If he weren’t a chef? He says he’d probably be a teacher… after first wondering why he wasn’t a chef.

You’ll often find him cooking to Music For A Sushi Restaurant by Harry Styles, knife roll in hand, doing what he loves most: making food that brings people joy. For Ray, that joy is especially meaningful when creating unforgettable dining experiences for couples celebrating their wedding at River’s Edge — knowing that the dishes he crafts become part of one of the most important moments of their lives.