Tasmanian Business Reporter August 2017

6 Tasmanian Business Reporter - AUGUST 2017
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
www.tcci.com.au
Top chefs to show Japan our best
Restaurants and hotels across Japan will
again show off their creativity using the
finest Australian produce
AUSTRADE in Japan
will again hold a “Taste
of Australia” menu competition
to strengthen our
position as a partner of
choice in supplying Japan
with premium food
and beverage products
I was in Tokyo in
May for the launch of
the competition by the
Australian Ambassador
to Japan Richard Court,
who is also an honorary
judge of the competition.
Nineteen chefs and
two food journalists visited
Australia in March
as a precursor to the
competition.
The Tasmanian Department
of State
Growth sponsored seven
of the Japanese chefs
to visit Tasmania in a
program that showcased
Tasmania’s capability to
produce fine, world-class
food and beverage products
for the food service
and hospitality industry.
The key concept of the
menu competition is for
Japanese chefs to cre-
Sally
Chandler
Tradestart Adviser
atively fuse Australian
premium products with
the Japanese culinary
style and to continue to
strengthen the Australia-Japan
relationship
at all levels through the
enjoyment of innovative
menus and delicious
food and beverages.
Restaurants and hotels
across Japan have been
invited to participate in
the menu competition.
The inaugural competition
in 2016 attracted
47 team participants.
From a team of two or
three members, one team
member is required to be
a working chef aged 35
years or less.
Each team is required
to use premium Australian
produce already
available in Japan as the
centrepiece of each dish
and is required to create
a three-course Australian
menu consisting of an
entree, main and dessert
while embracing the Japanese
“WA” style.
Additionally it is required
that each dish is
paired with an Australian
alcoholic beverage of either
premium wine, spirit
or craft beer.
Each participating
venue is required to offer
the special three-course
Australian menu at their
premises for a minimum
of two weeks between
August 1 and October
31.
At the end of October
Austrade will announce
the top 10 teams who
Tokyo Trade Commissioner Julianne Merriman with Sally Chandler at the launch of the Taste of
Australia menu competition 2017.
will compete in a live
cook-off competition on
November 30 and the final
award ceremony will
be held on December 1 at
the Australian Embassy
in Tokyo.
The overall winner
will be presented with a
team trophy, certificate
and a visit to Australia
for one person in late
January, 2018.
There is a similar prize
for runner-up and category
prizes for Best Clean
and Green, Best Aussie
Beef and Lamb, and,
Best Food and Beverage
Matching.
The celebrity judges
include Japan’s original
Iron Chef Hiroyuki
Sakai.
The menus presented
in 2016 were inspirational
and the dishes extremely
artistic, colourful
and full of flavour - I
expect the same this year.
For international
trade and investment
assistance contact the
TCCI’s TradeStart Adviser,
Sally Chandler,
at sally.chandler@tcci.
com.au or phone
1300 559 122