The team at Newrybar’s Harvest Cafe are having some fun in the kitchen this winter with their Wild Harvest collaborative chef series, featuring guests handpicked by head chef Bret Cameron and resident native foods expert Peter Hardwick.
The stellar line-up of out-of-towners includes Ben Devlin from Paper Daisy, Darren Robertson and Mark LaBrooy from Three Blue Ducks, and Phil Marchant and Cormac Bradfield from Gauge, to name a few. Each chef will collaborate with Cameron and Hardwick to design a menu around what has been foraged that day, be it finger limes, Davidson plums, wattle seed or coastal succulents.
“Our goal is to educate people and let them taste native ingredients in a way where they’ll be inspired to use them at home – as part of their everyday cooking,” says Cameron.
Despite working together for a year, Cameron is still amazed by Hardwick’s foraging skills. “Every week it seems like he’s bringing in new ingredients that I’ve never seen before.”
The Wild Harvest series will focus on that produce, catering to the more adventurous diner. So what can we expect to see on the menu?
“We mix it up all the time. It’s really going to be about what Peter brings in that morning,” says Cameron. The only thing that’s certain is the kitchen’s creativity.
Next up in the series is Ben Devlin on Wednesday 7 June, in collaboration with Maidenii vermouth. Full details of upcoming dinners are below.
Wild Harvest chef series, June to September, Harvest, 18-22 Old Pacific Highway, Newrybar, NSW, (02) 6687 2644, harvestnewrybar.com.au
The line-up:
Wed 7 June, Ben Devlin, Paper Daisy and Shaun Byrne, Maidenii Vermouth
Wed 26 July, Darren Robertson and Mark LaBrooy, Three Blue Ducks
Wed 23 August, Phil Marchant and Cormac Bradfield, Gauge
Wed 13 September, Mike McEnearney, No. 1 Bent St and Kitchen by Mike
