A Melbourne Food and Wine Festival wrap

As a partner of the 2011 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, our kitchen was bustling with world-renowned chefs and winemakers who worked with our own chefs to prepare dishes in the lead-up to their Langham MasterClasses, held right here at MCEC.

It was a fantastic opportunity for our food and wine team to work alongside some revered chefs and wine personalities in town. Here are our highlights from the festival, photos and some great feedback from those we cooked and shared our kitchen with.

Nigella Lawson, who took a liking to our Sunnyridge Strawberries and ice cream machine
The quirky London jellymongers Bompas and Parr who crafted their amazing edible jelly creations right here in our kitchen
Geoff Lindsay who worked with our food and wine team in preparing dishes for the Spice and Wine matching event, along with our friend and wine guru Roy Moorfield
Adrian Richardson whose whole suckling pig left nothing to the imagination in his Perfect Match: Red Meat and Big Reds session
Andrew Blake with Eric Walters, from the award-winning Grand Ridge Brewery (and MCEC’s chosen beer supplier), along with Kirrily “Beer Diva” Waldhorn
Michelin starred Spanish chef Elena Arzak who impressed with her fractal fluid demonstrations and monkfish ocean creation
Not to mention Australian chef Anna Gare who fancied our chefs’ hats so much, sous chef Tony Panetta gave her three to take home.

Roy Moorfield: “Both Geoff Lindsay and I were very impressed by how well our session went and how perfectly the recipes were prepared by the MCEC kitchen. They were punctual and stuck to the plan. I know Geoff {Lindsay} was impressed, and the skills and attention to detail in kitchen was very refreshing. Everyone had the same comments: the kitchen system works so well, the staff are friendly and nothing is too much trouble.”

Geoff Lindsay: “I’ve been involved with the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (MFWF) since its inception and I’ve cooked in all sorts of bizarre places, but the MCEC kitchen is by far the easiest and most well-equipped kitchen I’ve ever worked in at a MFWF event. It’s a world-class set-up which makes me feel insanely inadequate in my own little environment.”

London jellymongers Sam Bompas and Harry Parr:
“It’s the quality of the ingredients on offer – that’s what’s been amazing. The enthusiasm of staff and the level of detail behind what’s been going on this week is so slick, you don’t realise the hard work that goes into it – it appears as if by magic. The thing we find incredible is the fact there is so much going on; you’ve got three different conventions happening and no manicness in the kitchen. And that to us is so impressive.”