Variety the Children’s Charity is dedicated to empowering Australian children who are sick, disadvantaged or who have special needs to LIVE, LAUGH and LEARN. Each month in Queensland alone, Variety receives over $250,000 worth of appeal requests for children in need. Through grants to children who are sick, disadvantaged and who have special needs, Variety – the Children’s Charity fills a vital gap between what families, schools and communities are able to afford and what our special kids need to lead engaged and fulfilling lives.
The 2012 Variety of Chefs Ball menu has been unveiled and it is a culinary journey through the imaginations of eight of Australia’s most talented chefs. CraftGossip got a rare chance to sample some of these dishes before the main event itself at the Hilton in Brisbane.
Adrian Richardson, Alastair McLeod, David Pugh, Hajime Horiguchi, Jeremy Clark, Tony Kelly, Paul McGivern, Kym Machin. Dubbed ‘The Great Eight’, these are the names that make food fans swoon, and on Saturday night, June 16, they will donate their time, imaginations and considerable talent to children for the 2012 Variety of Chefs Ball. The full menu for this culinary event of the year includes:
Entrée # 1
Jeremy Clark – Hilton Brisbane
Sous vide spanner crab, fennel and citrus salad
Hajime Horiguchi – Wasabi Noosa
Sugi smoked ocean trout, micro herbs, umeboshi dressing and Tasmanian Wasabi (pictured)
Entrée # 2
Paul McGivern – The Jetty South Bank
Ballotine of Rannoch farm quail, poached grapes, parsnip puree
Kym Machin – Spring
Chawanmushi – Noosa spanner crab, kingfish, flying fish roe and quinoa
Main
Adrian Richardson – La Luna Bistro, Melbourne
Grassfeed rib of beef, braised, corn, avocado, tomato salsa
Tony Kelly – Stokehouse Brisbane
Twice cooked pork, crispy pig’s tail, smoked potato puree, apple jam, sauce charcuterie
Dessert
Alastair McLeod – Tank Restaurant and Brett’s Wharf
Bundaberg strawberry Cranachan, yoghurt Chantilly, bushmills
David Pugh – Restaurant Two
Chocolate and beetroot brownie, pear sorbet, licorice cocoa crumb, ganache
Now in its third year, the Variety of Chefs Ball showcases a roll call of culinary greats, with marquee names heeding the call from Melbourne, Noosa and Brisbane. The Great Eight will create an unmatched dining experience, each bringing their own speciality to the shared kitchen, allowing guests to taste an incredible range of flavours over the evening.
David Pugh, Queensland Food Ambassador and owner of famed Restaurant II along with cutting-edge culinary creative Kim Machin now of Spring, have cooked at all three Variety of Chefs events, while Queensland’s much loved Alastair McLeod of Bretts Wharf and Tank Restaurant is aproning up for the second year running.
This year welcomes first time star chefs Hajime Horiguchi from Noosa’s Wasabi; Jeremy Clarke from the recently multi-million dollar made over The Hilton; Tony Kelly from the much talked about Stokehouse; the celebrated Paul McGivern from Jetty (no stranger to the event having managed the kitchen at the event in 2011), and flying up from the southern colds in Melbourne, the famed Adrian Richardson, chef owner of Charlton’s La Luna.
“Our 2012 Great Eight headline a leaderboard of chefs who have supported us in the past two years including ARIA’s Matt Moran (2010 and 2011); Russell Armstrong (2010 and 20110) and Southbank Surf Club’s Ben O’Donoghue, Shane Bailey from Berardos, Harvey’s PJ McMillan, Ian Curley from Melbourne’s The European, and Shinichi Maeda from Sake,” said Riley.
2012 Variety of Chefs Ball
When: 6.30pm Saturday 16 June 2012
Where: The Grand Ballroom
Hilton Hotel Brisbane
Dress: Black Tie/Formal
Cost: $225 per person
$2250 for table of ten guests
Limited Platinum packages available
Website: www.varietyofchefs.com.au
Tickets: 07 3907 9300 or georgie@varietyqld.org.au
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