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Postcards & Morsels - Paddock to Plate Feast

27/8/2012

 
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Appetite for Excellence Hunt & Gather Dinner Menu (image Hilary Wardhaugh)
Fresh produce was the focus of the Hunt and Gather Dinner held recently at the Terrace Cafe in Canberra as part of the Appetite for Excellence program. Finalists were treated to an inspiring five-day adventure that gave them the opportunity to experience first-hand the passion of producers in regional New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

The tour included visits to Regal Mushrooms on the outskirts of Sydney; Melandra Park Organic Pork; Country Valley Farm at Picton; Bermagui Fisherman's Co-op; Tweenhills Chestnut Farm at Hoskinstown; McAsh Oysters at Bateman's Bay; Gilmore Brae Heritage Beef at Batlow; Small Cow Farm at Robertson; the Wagga Wagga Abattoir; as well as Clonakilla, Ravensworth and Majura wineries; and the Capital Region Farmer's Market in Canberra.

'All that we've have seen and done over the last few days has really made me appreciate fresh produce even more,' one young chef explained to me with gusto.
Guests at the Hunt and Gather Dinner enjoyed a superb menu that included canapés of smoked tongue and deep-fried tripe (Tommy liked those!); freshly shucked oysters with passionfruit gel and geranium flowers. This was followed by beef carpaccio with radish, baby beetroot and aioli; tender potato gnocchi with seared local mushrooms and mushroom cream; poached rockling with surf clams, salted cucumber, baby turnip and tatsoi greens. (Note: I'm positive I saw those same baby beets at the Capital Region Farmer's Markets earlier that morning and I know the mushrooms and fresh walnuts came from the markets too!).

Perhaps my favourite, and a dish that made many pairs of eyes light up, was a platter of succulent, slow roasted pork belly with chestnut and apple stuffing. This was followed by the surprise of the evening... a dish titled 'cheese on toast', that we all expected to be cream filled profiteroles with chocolate sauce; which delightfully turned out to be profiteroles filled with blue cheese and a deliciously salty Vegemite sauce. 

Moreish candied walnuts were served with Tumba hills honey and thyme baked camembert from Small Cow Farm; and the meal was finished with a platter of sweet milk panna cotta, yoghurt sorbet, chocolate cookies and milk tuile.  Wines from Clonakilla, Ravensworth, Mount Majura, Barton Estate and Rutherglen accompanied (perfectly) each course. 

What more can I tell you, the evening was excellent from beginning to end. Please enjoy these postcards and morsels from the event.
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Tumba Hills Honey & Thyme Baked Small Cow Farm Camembert with candied walnuts, bread and lavoche
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'Cheese on Toast' - an amazing-tasting profiterole with blue cheese and vegemite!
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Celebrating fresh produce at the Capital Region Farmer's Market in Canberra - image courtesy Appetite for Excellence
Founded in 2005 by Luke Mangan and Lucy Allon, Appetite for Excellence is a national restaurant awards program designed to inspire, educate and nurture the emerging talent who are the future of the hospitality industry. Mangon and Allan recognised that the hospitality industry needed to support the next generation. The program has evolved over the years to an event that rewards all aspects of the industry: Young Chef, Young Waiter and Young Restaurateur.


And the winners are:

Electrolux Australian Young Chef 2012
Winner: Stewart Wesson, 23yo, Bridgewater Mill (Adelaide Hills)
Runner Up: Michael Fox, 29yo, Henry & the Fox (Melbourne)

Electrolux Australian Young Waiter 2012
Winner: James Audas, 23yo, BLACK by ezard (Sydney)
Runner Up: Alexander Tuckett, 25yo, Pilu at Freshwater (Sydney)

Electrolux Australian Young Restaurateur 2012
Winner: Katrina Birchmeier, 32yo, Garagistes (Hobart)
Runner Up: Daniel Wilson, 35yo, Huxtable (Melbourne)

Sincere thanks to Phee Gardner and the Appetite for Excellence team for inviting me to attend the Paddock to Plate Feast event in Canberra. Congratulations to each of the winners, and very well done to the finalists for presenting such a superb dinner (both in terms of food and cooking, as well as service and attention). Best wishes for your future in the industry!

Please note, the photographs were taken by the writer, unless otherwise stated in the captions. For a feast of photographs from the evening, visit Rebecca's Inside Cuisine.
A Canadian Foodie link
27/8/2012 08:45:28 am

This is definitely my kind of event - and you are definitely my kind of gal! Gorgeous! Looking at the menu, I find it revealing food-trend-wise, how Italian food has and is really just everywhere... it is evident in many parts of this menu -and you are across the world from me, and it is the same here...

Lizzy
1/9/2012 11:09:27 pm

Thanks Valerie, yes I think you would have loved this! The food was quite divine.

Laura (Tutti Dolci) link
27/8/2012 11:29:19 am

What a feast indeed! Everything looks delicious!

Lizzy
1/9/2012 11:09:47 pm

Indeed, Laura. I felt very privileged to have been invited.

Lisa link
27/8/2012 11:30:51 am

What a delightful event!

Lizzy
1/9/2012 11:09:57 pm

And delicious!

Jane @ The Shady Baker link
27/8/2012 02:30:54 pm

This looks and sounds amazing Lizzy! Great photos. That baked cheese with honey and walnuts...oh my :)

Lizzy
1/9/2012 11:10:25 pm

Thanks Jane! Oh yes, the baked cheese was amazing! And those walnuts.... mmmmm.

Fiona @SRKitchen link
27/8/2012 03:32:07 pm

Oh Lizzy, this looks and sounds amazing. Wish I had been there but very happy to share the experience through you :-)

Lizzy
1/9/2012 11:10:49 pm

It was such a yummy evening and so good to see the talents of these wonderful young people!

Eha
27/8/2012 05:34:42 pm

What a wonderful tour - most of the places actually being almost on my own doorstep. I love the menu: when I saw the degustation beginning with tongue and tripe you had me won, avidly reading on on a very busy day! I use both as much as possible and simply cannot understand people saying 'yew' :D !

Lizzy
1/9/2012 11:11:22 pm

LOL, I skipped on the tongue and tripe (please don't hate me).

Lorraine@ Not Quite Nigella link
27/8/2012 10:05:06 pm

What a wonderful event and great post Lizzy! :D It looks as though you had a great time :)

Lizzy
1/9/2012 11:11:39 pm

Thanks Lorraine, it was delicious!

Maureen link
28/8/2012 02:09:04 pm

You attend the best food events ever! That brie photo should win prizes.

Lizzy
1/9/2012 11:12:03 pm

LOL, actually I hardly ever go anywhere. But this one was an extra special event!

InTolerant Chef link
28/8/2012 03:42:58 pm

Wow, what an awesome event indeed!

Lizzy
1/9/2012 11:12:33 pm

Such a great initiative for young chefs, waiters and restaurateurs.

GourmetGetaways link
31/8/2012 02:35:26 pm

I love going to these type of events! Great story and images, love the menu.

Lizzy
1/9/2012 11:13:04 pm

Thank you. It was all delicious!

tania@mykitchenstories.com.au link
6/9/2012 09:08:16 pm

This is such an incredible program. It was brainstormed with such thought for the future,. A highly commendable thing. I am sure that all of these fantastic young people will go on to become stalewards of our hospitality industry
Very nice post Lizzy

Joanne T Ferguson link
5/4/2014 03:46:15 pm

G'day and GREAT event Lizzy! Great photos made me feel like I was enjoying the food too!
Cheers! Joanne


Comments are closed.

    Welcome...

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    Photo of Liz Posmyk, Food Writer, Cook and Traveller

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Good Things is written and published by Liz Posmyk © 2011-2019.   All rights reserved.
Excerpts may be used provided that full and clear credit is given. Thank you.


Photos used under Creative Commons from alantankenghoe, riptheskull, David Jackmanson, Amani Hasan, SuntanMidori, oropeza, Annie Mole, Vegan Feast Catering, avlxyz, jeffreyw, mockstar, jenly, Syeefa Jay, pizzodisevo (therapy - terapia - Therapie), ginnerobot, cliff1066™, Jim, the Photographer
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