Chapter two
Angela Hartnett, 2011; Fergus Henderson, 2008; Heston Blumenthal, 2009; Elena Arzak, 2011; Roy Choi, 2011; Massimo Bottura, 2010; Thierry Marx, 2007.
Around the World
Every year as the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival draws near there’s the inevitable mounting excitement about which chefs from overseas will be touching down in Melbourne for the duration. This, afterall, is an event that has pulled together a head-spinningly impressive line-up of overseas talent. Equally impressive though is the number of cuisines from all around the world that have been featured in the Festival over the years, a reflection perhaps of the multicultural city — and country — in which it’s based. This is particularly emphasised by the number of home-grown and Australian-based chefs who have, alongside their overseas counterparts, brought many different cuisines to the stage of MasterClass. Sydneysider Neil Perry has a love for Asian flavours but he’s also a dab hand with those from the Middle East, while George Calombaris (and his mum) have treated audiences to a unique take on Greek and Cypriot cooking and Greg Malouf, the father of Modern Middle Eastern cooking in Australia, has opened people’s eyes to the delights of sumac and orange blossom. Every year the Festival will feature flavours from nearly every continent, creating a three-week flavour trip around the world.