How to identify your winning flavour profile

Ever wondered why some of us are diehard sweet tooths and others are savoury to the bone? We sat down with Benjamin Cooper, executive chef of Chin Chin, to find out what influences our individual palettes, and how to open ourselves up to exciting new flavour experiences.

When Melbourne foodie institution Chin Chin was invited to create a sit-down ‘Feed me’ menu for punters at the 2026 Melbourne Cup Carnival, Ben and his team knew they had to get the selection just right. Leave off their famous Kingfish Sashimi and diners would be up in arms; make the curry too spicy and some racegoers would be miserable.

The menu had to be authentically Chin Chin while catering for a crowd that’s likely excitable; and Cooper and his colleagues knew the key to nailing the menu and the dining experience was to consider all the senses.

“The Chin Chin menu is built around four flavour components – sweet, sour, salty and spicy,” he says.

“Melbourne Cup is very celebratory and exciting; it’s the return to life for Melbourne out of the depths of winter – the spring flowers are out and it’s a party atmosphere. You want your menu to represent that – it’s got to be delicious, tasty, vibrant and colourful.”

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Ultimately the goal was to craft a menu that’s as tasty as it is visually appealing, to match the popping aesthetic of the race that stops the nation, while ensuring that individual taste preferences are catered to, so nobody goes hungry – and science played a role in getting it right.

Researchers say around 20-25 per cent of humans are natural “supertasters” who are genetically more sensitive to taste – and tend to loathe the bitterness of Brussels sprouts.

“Taste is influenced by the interplay between genetic and environmental factors,” says Dr Daniel Hwang of the University of Queensland.

“While it is inherited from our parents, it can still be dramatically changed by environmental influences – your culture, your exposure to a food, an illness causing loss of smell – many things can change your perception.”

While Cooper naturally puts a lot of time and effort into perfecting the taste of a dish, he’s keenly aware that sound, smell, sight and touch also play an important role when it comes to humans determining the foods we like.

“Colour and sight influence our taste – you eat with your eyes first,” Cooper explains.

“Aromas [are important too] – that harks back to the days when we were foraging and hunting – your sense of smell allowed you to have an insight into whether something was going to be good for you or not. Pleasant aromas denoted safety, and [that’s now] intrinsically coded into our DNA.”

Cooper tries to be empathetic to diners who may not have tried certain flavours before or may have a biologically driven dislike.

“All of our palettes differ, especially when it comes to ingredients like coriander – it tastes like soap to some people,” he says.

When it comes to spice, some of us like it hot, others can’t stand the heat, and Cooper says that largely comes down to upbringing and exposure – the more spicy food we eat, the more we can tolerate it and start to actually be able to taste the flavours hiding beneath the spice.

“There’s an exposure component to liking flavours and spices – all of the chefs at Chin Chin eat chillies all the time to heighten their spice tolerance so that they can season the food properly,” he says.

Cooper lives by the motto “eternally curious” and he encourages Australians to open up to new flavours and food experiences, whether you’re a supertaster or not.

“I am constantly granting myself the opportunity to be astounded and overwhelmed by the things around me because that’s the [kind of] life I want to live,” he says.

“Don’t be afraid to taste something once. It’s such a fun journey to discover what you like – you might not like [the idea] of raw fish but have a tiny bit of sashimi and, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to go back. But if you do like it, you are unlocking the door to discovering things that become a wonderful part of your life.”

Chin Chin is taking up residence on the Club Lawn for the 2026 Melbourne Cup Carnival. Experience Chin Chin this Cup Week.

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