In the past three years Tasmania’s world-class produce has been showcased to highly regarded national and international chefs who visited the state as part of the Great Chefs Series.
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This year, TasTAFE cookery students were given once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to learn discipline, technique and flare from Mark Best, of Bistro by Mark Best on the Genting Dream, Phil Wood, of Pt Leo Estate and Alex Atala, of D.O.M in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The series was expected to launch with Hobart chef Analiese Gregory, but she had to cancel due to personal reasons.
But Gregory’s absence did not dampen the rest of the series, with patrons packing the winery’s restaurant for the other three events.
It was the first year all the events were held at Josef Chromy Wines Restaurant, but three Michelin-star chef Alain Passard had cooked at the winery for the 2017 series.
Josef Chromy operations manager tourism Chris McGimpsey said the winery offered a beautiful backdrop, as well as high-quality facilities for the series.
“To make an event like this sustainable you need facilities like Josef Chromy’s that can seat 150 people plus,” he said.
“Josef Chromy is part of the solution, but we are not the sole organisation that should be running it.”
There are plans to host some of next year’s chefs in the state’s south, but Mr McGimpsey was tight-lipped about what venues and chefs were being scoped out for the 2019 series.
“Some of the names that I began talking to in July this year are pretty big names,” he said.
“I’ve got a list of people who are pretty significant as far as profile and genre.”
Two head chefs sharing a kitchen might sound like a recipe for disaster, but Josef Chromy Wines head chef Nick Raitt had done it four times in the past two years and he enjoyed the process.
Originally from New Zealand, Raitt moved to Launceston about two years ago and he brought with him an impressive resume.
Raitt was a personal chef for the Royals of Oman, and led the kitchen at Sydney's Public Dining Room, Steel and La Scala.
“When I first arrived here from Sydney I saw the great chef series and was blown away by the calibre of chefs they were bringing down,” he said.
Dealing with the international and nationally acclaimed chefs was a different experience every time for Raitt.
The head chef absorbed as much from his fellow chefs as possible.
“Mark Best was an idol of mine and has been since I moved to Australia. He is a clever cook, so it was interesting for me to see a few of his tricks to get his results,” he said.
“I sought advice from all three of them on their careers and their priorities as a chef.”
Raitt would foster relationships with the chefs several weeks before they arrived.
“Essentially I provide the kitchen, the produce, all the little things like plates cutlery and wine and they do the rest,” he said.
“It is a really different event for us.”
Although Raitt and his sous chef were there on the night’s of the degustations, he said the rest of the kitchen was filled with TasTAFE students.
Raitt would meet the chef and students on Wednesday morning to ensure they had everything they needed for the Friday night feast.
“I usually put one of my chefs with them as well. I like to have someone there to receive all the goods and work with the TAFE teachers to keep everything organised,” he said.
Tasmanian cookery students having the opportunity to work with chefs of such high calibre was important for retention, Mr McGimpsey said.
“There would've been, in that room, a number of students who in some time over the past seven months have thought about leaving and dropping out of class,” he said.
“We can provide that one moment or one incident where they think, ‘I’m going to go a bit further with this’ and they might stick at it.”
Mr McGimpsey said the experience was about manufacturing the moments and taking students from the known to the unknown.
The dishes the students would’ve seen this year will set the bar for their career, Raitt said.
“They’ll always remember them. It is an incredible leap,” he said.
The series not only has a positive influence on the students, it also showcases the state’s produce and tourism on an international scale.
“What I sell to them is a unique Tasmanian experience, come here, do some work with our students but at the same time have a look at some of our products and our produce,”
“Some people have never heard about Tasmania until I talk to them,” Mr McGimpsey said.
By providing a unique experience that complements other providers and businesses, Mr McGimpsey said the series had brought a people to Tasmania that had previously not consider the sate as a destination. “It is about getting people in her to visit but to also stay longer and spend more money,” he said.
