Ōra King has unveiled the Australian finalists for the 2019 awards, with all three chefs located in Victoria.
The theme of the program was ‘sustain’, with chefs basing their dishes around a nose-to-scale ethos.
Judges Jason Roberts and Ian Curley travelled to each of the six semi-finalists’ restaurants to taste their dishes and spend time with the chefs.
In the end, Joachim Lim (MPD Steak Kitchen), Michael Demagistris (Polperro Winery) and private chef Michael Cole were selected as the three Australian finalists.
“We were incredibly impressed by the connections that each chef demonstrated with this year’s theme, sustain,” says Roberts. “Not only did we see a growing awareness and mindfulness of the food ecosystem in this year’s entries, we also saw how having integrity and embracing community are integral to real sustainability.”
The three finalists will travel to New Zealand for a four-day trip, joining chefs from New Zealand, Japan and North America, with the global winner announced on 15 October.