Good Food Month kicks off on 5 October, with the chefs from around the country descending on Sydney to give diners a taste of their fares.
The annual food celebration’s Brunch Series will see high-profile industry duos Magdalena Roze and Darren Robertson and Matt Stone and Jo Barrett, as well as the team behind Paper Bird, set up in Hyde Park Palms.
“We’re going to do a few share plates with savoury and sweet bites, like a little kangaroo party pie, which will be really fun,” Stone tells Hospitality.
“Our main course will be a signature dish from the restaurant [Oakridge Estate] that we kind of replicate. It’ll be a taste of the Yarra Valley but with a bit of Sydney-style”
A locavore ethos dictates the menu at Oakridge and the local Yarra Valley will be showcased accordingly by Stone and Barrett.
“We’ll bring some stuff with us and get some things from around Sydney. It’ll be a nice mix — we want to offer a taste of what we do back home but adapted to where we are,” says Stone.
The pop-up brunch will differ from the usual Oakridge experience in a few ways, especially behind the scenes.
“[Pop-ups are] pretty unpredictable,” says Stone. “I’m lucky I’ve done a lot of pop-up restaurants in the past so I’m pretty experienced, plus we’re working with great caterers and they’re really onto it.
“It’s just a matter of organisation, making sure our recipes and prep list are done well in advance so we can send them through, the catering team can have a look at it and then we can answer any questions.
“We’ll do a practice run the week before, cook a few of the more challenging things and then have a couple of days to tweak anything.”
So what is that drives Stone to keep doing pop-ups like Good Food Month’s Brunch Series?
“They’re just really fun. In this case it’s much easier than doing a Greenhouse pop-up or something like that. We’re working with a really big team and I don’t have to worry about the infrastructure,” he says.
“It’s a really valuable experience, especially if it’s collaborative. It’s good to be active in the industry and Good Food are good operators so it’s nice to get on board and have some fun.”
Check out the event’s full menu to see what Stone and Barrett have in store.
Image: Good Food