Meet Your Chef: Nick Howman - Tin Shed Port Douglas

Words by Jamie Jansen

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Nick Howman’s passion for cooking is the kind that sparks a love for food across generations. His 13-year-old son has already caught the cooking fever, just as Nick did at the same age, when he first stepped into a kitchen and instantly knew he wanted to be a chef.

His first kitchen job might not have been glamorous, but Nick had a clear goal and a determination to keep learning.

“I started at 13, in a butcher shop, washing dishes and cutting meat,” Nick recalls.

“I’ve always worked, and even then I knew I wanted to be a chef, so I just wanted to keep learning and work my way up.”

Now, 25 years later, Nick marks 10 years at the Tin Shed in Port Douglas, a milestone that reflects his influence on the restaurant’s identity. He has built a menu centred on community and sharing, celebrating fresh, locally sourced seafood. His dishes showcase the region’s bounty while bringing people together, making the Tin Shed a favourite for both locals and visitors.

But Nick’s journey to this milestone began far from the tropics. In Melbourne, he completed his apprenticeship across the Yarra Valley and surrounding mountains, working in busy kitchens and renowned wineries. He gained experience in everything from fine dining to international travel before a move for love brought him north, where he quickly fell for Port Douglas itself. 

Along the way, he worked in nearly every local restaurant, learning the town’s culinary scene inside out before finally making the Tin Shed his home. A key influence on Nick’s journey in Port Douglas was Mohan, a Sri Lankan chef who generously shared the secrets of curries and traditional dishes.

Southeast Asian flavours remain a signature influence in Nick’s cooking. “I still make a traditional Sri Lankan curry I learned from Mohan. It’s rich, balanced, and full of secret ingredients,” he explains.

That same attention to flavour carries through to his work at the Tin Shed, where he crafts modern Australian cuisine centred on fresh, local seafood straight from the boats. One dish he’s particularly proud of is the seafood chowder. “We make our own lobster stock and bisques using fresh Australian seafood. It’s always a crowd-pleaser,” he says.

Over the past decade, Nick has rotated through almost every role at the Tin Shed, from chef to prep chef, to sous chef, and now head chef. “I know every station, every section. I’ve done it all,” he says. Now, his role balances cooking with managing people and operations, a shift he finds both challenging and rewarding.

Nick’s son is already following in his footsteps, cooking for the family and experimenting with soufflés and sourdough, and helping in the kitchen at Tin Shed during the 2025 Christmas dinner. 

“Ever since he was little, he’s just sat in the kitchen with me, mucked around, and got into it,” Nick laughs. “He’s careful with knives, though he’s had a few small injuries. That’s part of learning. I’ve had plenty myself, my thumbs aren’t quite flat anymore, but it’s all part of the job.”

Cooking has also become a shared language for father and son. “We recently went to Japan together and did a ramen class in Tokyo. The food there is incredible, from sashimi bars to Wagyu beef. I also learn from my son. He’s so in tune with TikTok trends. I didn’t like it at first, but it’s fascinating to see this new wave of cooking.”

Watching his son embrace the same passion he discovered at the age of 13 fills Nick with pride. “It’s amazing seeing him love cooking, it makes me proud to share this world with him,” he says. 

That same sense of pride extends to the Tin Shed, where Nick has spent the past 10 years shaping a kitchen and a team that thrives on collaboration. “Seeing customers return and staff enjoying their work tells me we’re doing something right.”