MEDIA ALERT 15 February 2019

JOIN CHEF CURTIS STONE AT FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL The House of Food and Wine final program released today

Los Angeles-based, Melbourne-born chef Curtis Stone is returning home to join top Australian and international chefs at The House of Food and Wine as part of the 2019 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival presented by Bank of Melbourne (8-24 March). The House of Food and Wine will transform The Coopers Malthouse in Southbank - the historic beer-making malthouse turned theatre complex - into a premium drinking and dining destination on the opening weekend (8-11 March).

On Labour Day (Monday 11 March), Curtis Stone will host a barbecue in collaboration with a local butcher in The House of Food and Wine courtyard before taking the stage for a Super Masterclass where he will demonstrate a dish and join Food + Wine Victoria Creative Director, Pat Nourse, for a conversation. Curtis Stone’s appearance at the Festival is made possible by Tourism and Visit Victoria.

Curtis Stone said, “I'm so proud that my hometown of Melbourne is one of the most exciting culinary cities anywhere in the world, and I'm thrilled to be coming back for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. On Labour Day, I'll be having a cook and a chat at the House of Food and Wine and, in true Aussie fashion, putting on a good BBQ!”

Every guest at The House will receive a bespoke Sundae School Ice Creamery dessert, created in honour of four international stars appearing at the 2019 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival: the Joe Beef team (Montreal), Jowett Yu (Ho Lee Fook, Hong Kong), Nicolai Nørregaard (Restaurant Kadeau, Bornholm and Copenhagen) and Junghyun Park (Atoboy and Atomix, New York City).

The full three-day program as well as the menus designed exclusively for The House of Food and Wine are available from today at mfwf.com.au.

Masterclass supported by Sanpellegrino

International chefs will fly in from Copenhagen, Hong Kong, , Montreal and New York to join our own local food heroes in three days of live demonstrations in the ASKO

kitchen at The House of Food and Wine between 9 and 11 March. Highlights of Masterclass supported by Sanpellegrino include: • Kirsten Tibballs (Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School, Melbourne), 'Midnight' - Dark chocolate mousse, raspberry jelly, vanilla marshmallow and coconut pastry with fresh raspberries and gold leaf, Saturday 9 March • James Whetlor (Cabrito Goat Meat, UK), Whole Leg of Goat three ways - Kibbeh Nayyeh, Hunkar Begendi and Kid, Fig, Honey, Mint and Almond Skewers. James Whetlor's appearance at MFWF is made possible by Meat and Livestock Australia. Saturday 9 March • Adam Liaw (Sydney), Prawn and Cucumber Som Tam, Sunday 10 March • Jake Kellie (Burnt Ends, Singapore) and John Rivera (Lûmé, Melbourne), Wild- Caught Turbot, Roasted Tomatoes and Seven-Spice, Sunday 10 March • Rosio Sanchez (Hija de Sanchez and Sanchez Cantina, Copenhagen), Octopus Tostada, Mole Manchamanteles, Tama y Salsa Verde and Lemon Sea Buckthorn Paleta, Monday 11 March • Curtis Stone (Gwen and Maude, Los Angeles), Monday 11 March

Theatre of Ideas supported by The New York Times

Get inside the heads of some gastronomic greats and culinary creatives as they talk edible inspiration, the challenges facing the hospitality industry, and the evolution of eating and drinking. Highlights of Theatre of Ideas supported by The New York Times include: • Gender and restaurants: Do women and men cook differently? Eat differently? Taste differently? If they do, why? If they don’t, should they? In striving for equality should we also look to celebrate difference? Saturday 9 March, Shane Delia, Shannon Martinez and Alla Wolf-Tasker, hosted by Pat Nourse. • Kate Reid: The Power of Obsession: What drives a person to chase their Formula One dream to the other side of the world? What drives a person to pursue prevision in pastry beyond anything seen at home? What drives people to stand in line for an hour for a baked snack? Is it the same force? Is it always a force for good? Saturday 9 March, hosted by Sam Sifton. • Country, Community, Sustainability: Dan Hunter’s Brae: Dan Hunter is widely regarded as one of the country’s most innovative chefs but his far-reaching ambitions for Brae, which include a holistic food experience for his guests and a zero-footprint farming philosophy, make him as one of Australia’s most thoughtful food identities. Sunday 10 March, hosted by Pat Nourse.

• Peter Gilmore: The Secret Life of Plants: In just a few generations, we’ve forgotten whole libraries of information about the edible plant world, and given up our taste for countless species along the way. What have we lost? And what can we get back? Let plant-whisperer extraordinaire Peter Gilmore lead you down the garden path, in the best and tastiest of ways. Monday 11 March, hosted by Palisa Anderson.

Drinks

Bar Kyoto Protocol: Belles executive chef and founder Morgan McGlone and beverage director Christian Robertson are opening a pop up bar at The House of Food and Wine. Their specially curated wine list features some of the world’s most heralded natural wines, including wines which no longer come into the country. The wine list will feature close to old and new vintages from around the world. In the same spirit as natural wine, Christian and Morgan have designed four lo-fi cocktails exclusively for Bar Kyoto Protocol: • BasicB Sour - Vodka, Watermelon, Yuzu, Cucumber - $12 • Harajuku Highball - Whiskey, Sake, Lime, Green Tea Soda - $12 • Hentai - Hennessey VS, House Peach Iced Tea - $12 • Tom Sonic - Goldy Gin, Meyer Lemon, Grapefruit, Soda & Tonic - $12 • Rosé All Day by Vintage Cellars: Wine-lovers of all stripes can try 12 hard-to-find rosés from around the world in this free tasting. With small group sizes and giveaways included, there’s plenty to be tickled pink about.

Riedel Sensory Workshop: This class will give you a glimpse into Riedel's 260-year history of design and invention, and demonstrate the important role our wine glass plays in wine enjoyment, including how the shape and size of your glass affects the aroma, flavour and overall profile of wine. Wine lovers will walk away from this one-off tasting with an enlightened perspective on the sensory experience of wine and a set of four Riedel Performance glasses. Saturday 9 March, 11:30am, $99 includes workshop and general admission to The House of Food and Wine.

Food

Belles Hot Chicken will be serving up Southern Fried Clams with Alabama white sauce, Belles livers and waffles and a one-off dish in collaboration with a secret international guest.

Mexican hotspot Mamasita’s House of Food and Wine menu features: • Esquites – chargrilled corn off the cob, chipotle mayo, queso, lime - $6

• Mariscos tostada – mussels, prawns and salmon, ‘Acapulco coctel’ sauce, guacamole - $14 • Grilled veg tacos (2) w cascabel, green almond, cotija - $13 • Lengua & cheek tacos (2), house pickles, ghost chilli crema - $13 • Tajin shoestring fries w chipotle mayo and cotija cheese - $4/ $7

All guests at The House will receive a complimentary bespoke Sundae School Ice Creamery dessert, created in honour of four international stars. The desserts combine Sundae School’s trademark playful style with ingredients inspired by the regions and restaurants of these visiting chefs: • Quebec Sundae: The sundae gets an avant-garde update: brown butter ice-cream, duck fat caramel, smoked whipped cream and a cherry on top, inspired by the team from Montreal’s Joe Beef. • Cantonese Crunch: Tropical fruit plus Asian flavours: custard apple and Sichuan pepper ice-cream rolled in honey-noodle crunch, inspired by Ho Lee Fook in Hong Kong. • Baltic Float: A dessert channelling the Danish summer: buttermilk ice-cream, elderflower soda, rosehip cream, inspired by Restaurant Kadeau on Bornholm. • Seoulful Sorbet: Traditional Korean punch, remixed: Sujeonggwa (sweet cinnamon punch) sorbet rolled in pine nut biscuit crumbs, inspired by New York restaurants Atoboy and Atomix.

The House after dark

Come night, the party really gets started at The House of Food and Wine with a collaborative menu of globetrotting chicken dishes, an open-air feast from Montreal’s hottest restaurant team and a gastronomic quiz night where your tastebuds are on the line.

Limited tickets for All The Chickens supported by Hennessy (Friday 8 March) and Kings of Quebec supported by Destination Canada (Saturday 9 March) are still available. MasterQuiz by the Hungry Gentlemen (Sunday 10 March) is fully booked.

Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is supported by Victoria’s tourism and major events company Visit Victoria and naming rights partner Bank of Melbourne, which has supported the Festival every year since the bank was relaunched to the Victorian market in 2011.

Tickets and more information at mfwf.com.au.

ENDS

Event details

The House of Food and Wine 12 noon to 6pm Saturday 9 to Monday 11 March 2019 The Coopers Malthouse Theatre 113 Sturt St, Southbank $65 for entry to the event, Theatre of Ideas and Masterclass as well as a bespoke Sundae School Ice Creamery dessert VIP tickets available for $130, including priority entry to the event, Theatre of Ideas and MasterClass sessions, wine, beer and soft drinks in the VIP lounge, a bespoke Sundae School Ice Creamery dessert, 2 x food tokens, a 12 month digital subscription to The New York Times and a goodie bag.

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