The line-up for The Curated Plate, a new four-day food festival on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, has been announced and guests are in for a treat. Acclaimed chefs, Raymond Blanc and Peter Gilmore, will headline the event from August 8 to 11.
Tokyo chef Zaiyu Hasegawa, whose appearance was announced earlier, will also be presenting at what promises to be a very special event. He was named “Highest Climber” in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list last year and his restaurant, Den, was named the Best Restaurant in Japan.
The Curated Plate will be staged across the whole region from the lush Hinterland rainforests and valleys to the majestic Glass House Mountains and stunning beaches. It will showcase the Sunshine Coast’s leading restaurants, brewers, producers, and food and beverage innovators.
You’ll find a list below of the experiences on offer. Sunshine Coast Mayor, Mark Jamieson, said there would be plenty for locals and visitors to taste and see.
“Our region is home to a bevy of primary and world-class food producers including Australia’s largest wild- caught tuna and swordfish company, Walker Seafoods, our famous Mooloolaba prawns, CoYo – the company that helped develop the non-dairy yoghurt category – and Gourmet Garden, Australia’s most visible retail product in supermarket shelves around the world,” he said.
Tickets have already gone on sale for subscribers of The Curated Plate e-newsletter, and tickets for the general public go on sale at 9am tomorrow.
The Curated Plate Feature Events
The Legends Lunch | Yandina Station | Thursday 8 August | 12:30pm-4pm | $350
Peter Gilmore (Quay, Bennelong, Sydney) and Analiese Gregory (Franklin, Tasmania) will team up for a lavish long lunch in the stunning surrounds of Yandina Station, overlooking Mount Coolum. Ticket includes three-course lunch with paired wines.
Seasonal Stars | Mooloolaba Beach | Thursday 8 August | 5:30pm-9pm | $350
This four-course dining experience features Raymond Blanc (Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Oxfordshire, England) and two Australian prodigies, Alejandro Cancino (ex-Urbane, Brisbane, now Lola’s Pantry) and Troy Rhoades-Brown (Muse, Hunter Valley). Blanc’s restaurant has retained two Michelin stars for an astounding 34 years. Ticket includes four-course dinner with paired wines.
A Hinterland Harvest | Wedding at Tiffany’s | Friday 9 August | 12:30pm-4pm | $350
This one is as much about the brilliance of the food as it is about the location, atmosphere and experience. Guests will enjoy lunch prepared by Blanc, Cancino and Nelly Robinson, owner of Sydney restaurant Nel. Ticket includes four-course lunch with paired wines.
Wild Forage Dining | Mooloolaba Beach | Friday 9 August | 5.30pm-9pm | $350
The Sunshine Coast will truly be in the spotlight when Japan’s Zaiyu Hasegawa joins Chase Kojima of Sokyo, Sydney, and Matt Stone, executive chef of Oakridge Estate (Yarra Valley), as they prepare dinner using the best locally-sourced ingredients. Ticket includes four-course dinner with paired wines.
Spicers Den | The Tamarind, Spicers Tamarind Retreat | Saturday 10 August | 5:30pm – 9pm | $290
Michelin-star chef Zaiyu Hasegawa, The Tamarind’s classically-trained executive chef Daniel Jarrett and Gelato Messina’s Donato Toce will collaborate at The Tamarind for a very special five-course dinner with matching wines. Ticket includes five-course dinner with paired wines. Accommodation packages available for Spicers Retreat.
A Regional Evolution | Mooloolaba Beach | Saturday 10 August | 5:30pm – 9pm | $290
Clayton Wells of two-hatted Automata (Sydney) and Sunshine Coast local Nick Blake, owner of Wild Forage Australia, will join New Zealander Monique Fiso, owner and head chef of Wellington’s Mo Hiakai, for this forage-focused dining experience. Together Clayton (ex- Momofuku Seiōbo, Tetsuya’s, Quay), whose menus are so seasonally-based that they rotate weekly, Monique’s sophisticated boundary-pushing concepts and forage-champion Nick, will showcase the quality of the Sunshine Coast’s premium local produce. Ticket includes four-course dinner with paired wines.
Urban List presents Feijoa Fiesta | Hinterland Feijoas | Sunday 11 August | 12.30pm-4pm | $150
Guests can graze the afternoon away at Australia’s first certified organic feijoa farm, with a menu celebrating the tasty uniqueness of the feijoa fruit. Bringing the farm to the table are Clayton Wells, Matt Stone and Darren Robertson (Three Blue Ducks & The Farm) who share a philosophy of preparing fresh, sustainable, locally-sourced wholefoods. Ticket includes substantial grazing menu with paired wines.
Urban List presents The Elements Long Lunch | Mooloolaba Beach | Sunday 11 August | 12:30pm-4pm | $290
This menu will be created by three highly-awarded chefs who push the limits of cooking to reveal flavour in its purest form: Monique Fiso, who plays a leading role in keeping Māori food culture alive while elevating it to new heights; culinary nomad Analiese Gregory; and Alanna Sapwell, seafood sustainability pioneer, nose-to-tail advocate, and now head chef of Arc Dining and Wine Bar in Brisbane. Ticket includes four-course lunch with paired wines.
The Beach Cinema | Eleanor Shipley Park, Moffat Beach, Caloundra | 8 – 11 August | 5pm – 10pm | $60
Eleanor Shipley Park, Moffat Beach, will be transformed every night to a celebration of food, film and beverage. Savour the sunset with a burger in one hand and a beer in the other. Gelato Messina are collaborating with local producers to create some candy bar staple, sweet treats. Program announced and on sale from May.
The Food Fair at Black Swan Park | Black Swan Park, Cotton Tree Maroochydore | 9 – 10 August, 4pm – late 11 August, 12:30pm – 9:30pm | Pre-register for Free entry
A Curated food fair for the senses – see, touch, sip, smell and taste the best of what the Sunshine Coast has to offer. Talk to the producers, enjoy pop-ups by local eateries and some family fun with entertainers. More details to be announced in early May.
The Culinary Collective | Various Sunshine Coast based restaurants | 8 – 11 August
Australians are known for their hospitality, so a selection of the Sunshine Coast’s best restaurants have opened their kitchens and invited The Curated Plates guest chefs in for a series of collaboration lunch and dinners. Chefs and restaurants announced and on sale from April 29.
The Destination Series | Various Sunshine Coast based experiences | 5 – 18 August
There will also be an extended program of food and destination-led experiences put together by locals, from Jet Ski food safaris, Hinterland helicopter tours, and horse riding along the beach, to craft beer tours, opera and firework displays. Full program to be announced in May.
More information: www.thecuratedplate.com.au
Photos supplied by Visit Sunshine Coast and used with their permission.