Fantastic to see 2017 Brett Graham Scholarship winner Tobias Raley featured on NBN TV recently!

As the Brett Graham Scholarship winner, Tobias Raley will fly to London to work alongside one of the world’s best chefs at his two Michelin starred restaurant, The Ledbury. He also has plans to complete a stage at The Fat Duck by Heston Blumenthal while in the UK. 

The Brett Graham Scholarship was established in 2003 as a partnership between Hunter Culinary Association and TAFE NSW and is named after Brett Graham of The Ledbury in London’s Notting Hill, who is one of TAFE NSW’s most successful alumni.

Click HERE to watch the interview.

This month we were excited to see two of this year's Food Fight chefs, Frank Fawkner from EXP Restaurant and Hamish Watt from the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley gracing the cover of the Hunter Valley Blackboard.  

Read the full story through the digital version HERE

It’s the annual city versus country clash the foodies look forward to so much.

Four of Australia’s most respected chefs will step into the spotlight for the ninth annual Hunter Culinary Association (HCA) Food Fight.

The temperature will be hot in the Crowne Plaza kitchen as the country team of Frank Fawkner (EXP Restaurant) and Hamish Watt (Crowne Plaze) square off against the acclaimed Sydney team of Joel Bickford of Aria Restaurant, and Mitch Orr from ACME.

The challenge: to put a delicious twist on a classic dish. Each chef will prepare one lunch course – their own interpretation of a class dish or flavour combination.

Read the full story HERE

Joel Bickford likes to keep things simple when it comes to food. The newly appointed head chef of Aria Restaurant in Sydney has a “less is more” approach and favours seasonal, regional produce.

At this year’s Hunter Culinary Association Food Fight, though, he will be forced to think outside the square to win the popular vote.

Bickford will take on chefs Frank Fawkner (EXP.restaurant), Mitch Orr (ACME) and Hamish Watt (Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley) in a hotly-contested battle to create a course that is a “new twist on a classic dish”. 

Bickford knows what course he’s preparing but has yet to decide on a dish. He needs to speak to the other chefs first “to make sure the menu flows”.

“It will need to be functional, given the amount of covers you need to do in a short period. Something simple and tasty,” Bickford said.

For the full story click HERE

The 9th Annual Hunter Culinary Association Food Fight was recently featured in the April / May issue of Selector Magazine. 

On newsstands NOW! 

Four Australian chefs will battle it out at the annual Hunter Culinary Association Food Fight to be held on 18 June. 

Joel Bickford (Aria), Mitch Orr (ACME), Frank Fawkner (EXP Restaurant) and Hamish Watt (Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley) will go head to head to create a modern dish based on a classic.

For the full story click HERE

The annual Food Fight is the signature event organised by the HCA and is a highly-­‐anticipated occasion on the Hunter’s culinary calendar.

This year’s clash will see chefs going head to head, working their magic and creating a unique take on classic dishes that have stood the test of time. Each chef will prepare one lunch course – their own interpretation of a classic dish or flavour combination. Every course will be matched with a Hunter Valley Wine, and guests will vote for the dish they preferred at the conclusion of lunch.

For the full story click HERE

Mitch Orr of Sydney's ACME is excited to be participating in the Hunter Culinary Association's 2018 Food Fight. Dedicated to supporting the next generation of Hunter Region chefs, the June event will see him battle it out against fellow chefs Joel Bickford (Aria), Frank Fawkner (EXP Restaurant), Hamish Watt (Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley) over a 300-guest lunch to see who can create the best and most popular dish.

foodservice catches up with the chef and restaurateur to see what he has planned for the Food Fight and his current take of the Sydney dining scene.

To read the full interview click HERE

Let’s get ready to rumble!

Look out those diaries fight fans; it’s time to lock in June 18 for the ultimate food fight, when star Hunter Valley chefs Frank Fawkner and Hamish Watt take on two of their equally illustrious Sydney counterparts, Mitch Orr and Joel Bickford, for the ninth annual Hunter Culinary Association Food Fight title.

Watt’s Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley kitchens will host EXP’s Fawkner, Acme’s Orr and Bickford, who is newly installed at Aria, as the four chefs do battle. As well as gastronomic glory, the event also raises money for the Brett Graham Scholarship through a charity auction. Proceeds from this will send a young chef to study under Newcastle-born Graham at his two-Michelin-starred London restaurant, The Ledbury.

To read the full story click HERE