The Beef Australia Celebrity Chef Program is back in 2021 with a lineup of Australia’s top chefs and innovative curators of beef dishes.

Have you booked your tickets to the Celebrity Restaurants? 

WHO IS COOKING IN THE CELEBRITY CHEF KITCHEN?!

The Celebrity Chef Restaurant pairs some of Australia’s best beef producers with chefs from across the country.

Each pair produces a lunch and dinner sitting – tickets available online now.

 

Monday 3rd May – Analiese Gregory (TAS) and Duncan Welgemoed (SA)

Tuesday 4th May – Matt Moran (NSW) and Dominique Rizzo (QLD)

Wednesday 5th May – Ben Willis (ACT) and Tony Howell (WA)

Thursday 6th May – Scott Pickett (VIC) and Martin Boucher (NT)

Friday 7th May – Adrian Richardson (VIC) and Nick Holloway (QLD)

 

Alison Meagher aka Butcher Girl and Beef Australia Executive Chef Shane Bailey will be helping to bring the full program to life.

Adrian is owner and head chef at the successful and bustling Melbourne restaurant, La Luna in North Carlton where he has been serving up fresh and innovative food since 1999. In 2016, Adrian opened his latest venue, Bouvier Bar & Grill in Brunswick, which continues Adrian’s love of great food. Adrian inherited his passion for cooking from his Grandfather and has a simple philosophy with his food, which he calls “modern Mediterranean” – he believes in using the freshest ingredients and keeping it simple with a heavy meat focus because he wrote the book on it!

In 2008, Adrian has shared his passion through his acclaimed book “MEAT” and Adrian’s second book “The Good Life” was launched in August 2011. In 2013, Adrian led a team of 3 Australian chefs to take on the US chefs (including Bobby Flay) on Iron Chef America. This was the first time that an overseas team was invited to take on the US teams.

Adrian is co-host of “Good Chef Bad Chef”, with 455 episodes to date. He also hosted two series of his own show “Secret Meat Business”, the hit series “Boys Weekend”, which now airs in over 110 countries, as well as his other series is 2018 “Richo’s Bar Snacks”.

Analiese is one of the most talked about & trailblazing young chefs in Australia today, with a string of enviable kitchen credits to her name, including The Ledbury, Michel Bras, Mugaritz and Sydney’s Quay. Having flirted with returning to France, she instead packed her bags on a whim in 2017 and moved to Tasmania where she headed up the state’s most acclaimed restaurant, Franklin in Hobart.

Tasmania has given her a semblance of meaning & the life she craved, & she cherishes her time in nature foraging, diving, hunting, cooking on beaches, & connecting with the people whose life work it is to grow our food.

As well as appearing with chef Gordon Ramsay in his National Geographic series ‘Uncharted’, where Analiese is Gordon’s culinary guide to Tasmania, she is also working on her own TV series ‘A Girl’s Guide to Hunting, Fishing & Wild Cooking’ that follows her cooking & outdoor adventures in Tasmania.

Ben’s career as a chef started in Canberra where he completed his apprenticeship before heading off to Sydney and then overseas to the UK, Ireland and Canada. In 2008, Ben returned home to Canberra where he and his wife, Andrea, took over Aubergine. 12 years on, Aubergine has received consistently positive press and reviews and is considered one of the best restaurants in the country.

Ben’s food style is contemporary, however, there is always a classic background to his ideas. His menu is evolving constantly and ultimately driven by seasonality. The menu is shaped by local farmers, producers, artisan growers and benchmark suppliers that offer the best produce available in any given season.

With over 30 years in the hospitality industry, and over 20 years’ experience as a chef and restaurateur, Dominique has really established herself as a well-known Chef in Queensland.

After selling her highly successful cafe/restaurant “Putia Pure Food Kitchen, School and Pantry” and her Wine Bar “Clapham Junction” in October 2019, Dominique relaunched her sell-out cookbook “My Taste of Sicily” showcasing delicious family-friendly Italian inspired recipes

Through her public speaking, cooking classes, cooking presentations and demonstrations, she is able to share her abundant knowledge around Australia and beyond. Her knowledge has lead to Dominique creating international food tours. They are a culmination of years of travel, research and relationships which take groups to Sicily and surrounding Islands, Puglia, Spain, Sardinia and Corsica.

South African by birth, Duncan was head chef at The Goose at Britwell Salome, Watlington, Oxford when it was awarded a Michelin star in 2005. In early 2010, he arrived in South Australia and then opened “Africola” in 2014. Over the years, Duncan has become Adelaide’s (un)official spirit animal – mythical beast, troublemaker, conversation starter. “Africola” tells a story close to his heart. It has since been awarded 4.5/5 Australians by The Australian’s food editor John Lethlean, featured in countless magazines, newspapers and TV shows around the world and frequented by rock stars and celebrities alike. Duncan’s first book, also named “Africola” has already become an instant best seller and Duncan himself shows no signs of slowing down.

Returning to Beef Australia as Head Chef for the third time of the Celebrity Restaurant Gareth Collins has been eagerly anticipating this event since 2018.

With 35 years’ 5 star experience Worldwide and currently at Maroochy RSL Sunshine Coast  Gareth is no stranger to challenging environments having worked previously as Chef Co-ordinator for Noosa Food & Wine, Head Chef at Noosa Beach House Sheraton Noosa, Executive Sous at Hyatt Coolum and also help establish some iconic restaurants such as Ricky’s In Noosa.

Gareth says he can’t wait to be in amongst the vibe of working with some of the World’s best chefs and reacquainting himself with some of 2021’s Celebrities and of course working with Australia’s best Beef.

Having spent 40 years in the kitchen, working his way up from junior dishwasher at 14 & running multimillion dollar kitchens around the world, Martin has been lucky enough to work his way through the UK, Austria, France, the US, Spain & now here in Australia.

Being 5^th generation in hospitality & receiving accolades from major British institutions for quality of both produce & product his 1^st thought is to the provenance of ingredient.

After 10 years in Spain, it was again time for another change to Australia.

Martin has set up award winning restaurants in S.A & the Northern Territory including his current concept at Phat Mango. By melding ancient ingredients with modern style, developing product and merging tastes, it has opportunity to create a culinary identity for both locals & travellers to enjoy!

Matt’s food career began over 30 years ago as an apprentice at La Belle Helene, one of Sydney’s best restaurants at the time. He quickly rose to the role of Head Chef before taking the helm at Manfredi. He then took an entrepreneurial path and concentrated on overseeing the food and menus at his restaurants.

Matt is looking at a return to the kitchen to continue his passion with the foundation of cooking – the produce. This philosophy of being passionate about the produce was cemented in him at an early age. Growing, feeling, and ultimately cooking the produce was all apart of the greater experience for him and has fuelled his love affair with food ever since.

Matt is a true fourth generation farmer. With a rural upbringing on a classic Aussie dairy farm, his family still runs a property in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, which supplies beef and lamb to his restaurants. He was the pioneer of ‘paddock to plate’ philosophy in Australia and believes in the importance of everyone understanding the origins of the food being served on their plate.

Nick Holloway is the chef and co- owner of Nu Nu Restaurant, Numi Ice Cream and Pantry & Nu Nu Events & Catering in Palm Cove, Tropical North Queensland.

Since it’s opening in 2004, Nu Nu has gained the attention of the national media for its exuberant food, professional service and luscious tropical setting.

Nick’s passion for hospitality, cooking, and the ingredients of Tropical North Queensland is widely recognised.

His profile has enabled him to travel globally & locally to feature as a guest presenter at a myriad of high-profile events including the Noosa Food and Wine Festival, Delectable Queensland, Brisbane Masterclass and The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, as well as TV appearances on MasterChef, the Today Show, Sunrise and Foxtel’s Great Australian Cookbook.

As a Chef Restaurateur, Scott embodies the essence of Australian hospitality. Growing up in Kangarilla, South Australia — a region famous for the diversity and quality of its produce — Pickett’s early years were spent surrounded by family, traditions of his grandparents’ cooking and a native larder with which he developed a subliminal connection, henceforth informing his values as a chef.

Growing up on the land, Pickett’s strong connection to local famers & local produce blossomed into a lifelong love affair with all things Aussie beef. Firmly established as one of Australia’s leading chefs and restaurateurs, currently with offerings at “Estelle Bistro” and “Matilda 159 Domain” in Melbourne, Pickett’s generous spirit and personality are at the core of his establishments. Along with his deep understanding of seasonality and respect for Australian growers and producers, each are a testament to the origins of this country boy with an obsessive dedication to excellence.

Western Australian born and bred, Tony discovered his passion for cooking as a bright-eyed 14-year-old while working in a Mexican restaurant to pay for surfboards. Fast-forward 30 years and in that time, Tony has garnered a reputation as one of Australia’s best chefs. He is passionate about local, sustainable, seasonal produce and his approach to food is uncompromising.

He has worked in the State’s finest restaurants, cooked alongside the world’s best and represents Western Australia and Australia at international tourism and trade events.

It was during Tony’s 15-year tenure at five-star boutique hotel Cape Lodge in Yallingup, Western Australia, that saw his career flourish. Tony won a legion of fans and received many awards. Furthermore, Tony has appeared on numerous television cooking shows, hosted Channel 7’s hit lifestyle program Fresh TV, and as a guest chef on MasterChef Australia 2011. After a three-year break, Tony returned to Cape Lodge in 2018 as a consultant executive chef where he is today.

From growing up on a Western Victorian Beef farm to working internationally as a butcher extraordinaire, Alison brings an unrivalled knowledge of the meat industry. She often acts as the face of Australian Meat brands – connecting consumers with the produce, bringing a personal touch that is appealing to domestic and international consumers.

Her breadth of skills and knowledge offer an opportunity to bring together Australian Meat brands, food producers and the service industry to connect through events. Having had working experiences throughout South East Asia, China, America and United Kingdom, Alison is effective in building brand awareness and passion for Australian Meat. This is achieved by collaborating with Executive Chefs to develop exceptional menus and product promotions, showing best practices on how to maximise the yield from each cut, performing brand launches as well as on premises education training to the provide a greater knowledge of Australian Meat brands.

When Shane is not running the Celebrity Chef program for Beef Australia, he is Executive Chef of acclaimed Noosa Boathouse. Shane’s passion for connecting with producers is evident at both at Beef Australia and the Noosa Boathouse, where he creates relationships with more than 30 producers, utilising the best ingredients in Queensland. Shane began his culinary career at quintessential Melbourne restaurant Donovan’s, where he was sous chef for almost 10 years. He then travelled and worked in the UK, before settling in Noosa in 2004 and being appointed Executive Chef for both Berardos Restaurants and The International Noosa food and Wine Festival. Shane has been involved with the Capricorn Food and Wine festival since its conception and Beef Australia since 2014, helping to secure Chefs from around the globe to showcase beef in the Celebrity Chef Program.