Indigenous Sydney Chefs Off To Ireland

Rebecca Varidel
31st Aug 2019

News is, and its exciting news for our local Sydney lads, that this Monday 2 September, four young Indigenous chefs from the National Indigenous Culinary Institute in Surry Hills will be travelling to Ireland to participate in the internationally renowned food festival A Taste of West Cork.

For tens of thousands of years, Indigenous Australians have cultivated a thriving, sustainable food culture, utilising the rich expanse of native Australian flora and fauna. This is the first time that a team of young Indigenous Australian chefs has been invited to celebrate their own cuisine and culture overseas, and we couldn’t be more proud.

The four Chefs (pictured left to right) Luke Bourke (Rockpool Bar and Grill) Josh Moore (Bistro Guillaume) David Gray (Cafe Giorgio) and Sam Bourke (Rosetta) have been mentored by iconic Australian Chef Neil Perry, and will be cooking up uniquely Australian flavours such as kangaroo, wallaby and sustainably produced Hiramasa Kingfish, supplemented by pepper berries, dried lemon myrtle, finger lime, davidson and kakadu plum. On the menu will be Roasted scallops and oysters with finger limes; Pepper-crusted wallaby with, macadamia and native mash; Potato damper; and Lemon myrtle panna cotta with chilled native fruit soup.

Two apprentices and two graduates from the National Indigenous Culinary Institute program, their jam-packed programme of cooking engagements will showcase modern Australian cooking rooted in 60,000 years of Indigenous culture. The visit is at the invitation of the internationally renowned food festival “A Taste of West Cork”, arranged through the Australian Embassy in Ireland.

“We are proud to showcase the skills of such talented young Australian indigenous chefs” says Australia’s Ambassador to Ireland, Richard Andrews. “This will be a celebration of the historic connection between this region and our country, and an opportunity to show how trade in food and wine can bring people together and spread ideas.”

National Indigenous Culinary Institute is a not-for-profit hospitality industry initiative founded in 2012, NICI trains Indigenous chefs in acclaimed Australian restaurants such as Rockpool and Rosetta, Bistro Guillaume and Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, with guaranteed jobs at completion.

www.nici.org.au