
Top chefs unite for fires: How to get a seat at the table
TOO many cooks? Not when fundraising for the bushfire appeal is on the menu.
Celebrity chef Alastair McLeod will lead a team of culinary talents at a charity dinner in Brisbane on January 31, with all proceeds going to the Rural Fire Service and Wildlife Information and Rescue Service.
SEE THE FULL MENU AND LIST OF AUCTION ITEMS BELOW
Creating a five-course meal featuring kingfish, eye fillet, goat cheese and chocolate, McLeod said all ingredients had been donated as well as the beverages and venue, Lightspace in Fortitude Valley.
McLeod's AlFreshCo Catering team will be bolstered by big-name chefs including Matt Golinski, Matt Sinclair (Sum Yung Guys, ex-Masterchef), Will Cowper (Otto), Massimo Speroni (Bacchus), Dave Tsirekas (The Greek Club) and Ben Bertei (Same Same), who will donate for auction "money-can't-buy experiences" such as lavish dinner parties in private homes.
"I have been humbled by the generosity of the hospitality community," McLeod said.
"It's a reflection on how this tragedy has touched so many and also the innate good in people."

The $195-a-head event will be emceed by Sam Thaiday and Victoria Carthew, with Rush Entertainment also donating its services.
Book for Bushfire Benefit Dinner through Eventbrite here.
THE MENU
First course
Gilda (pickled chilli, olive, anchovy) and Tarama (whipped roe, Yarra Valley caviar, dill)
Second course
Verjuice-cured Kingfish, seaweed, soft curd, native lime, old bread
Third course
Eye fillet of beef, burghul, mushrooms, greens, Bauple nut puree
Fourth course
Saltbush goat milk chevre, flowers, burnt stingless bee honey, lavosh (served share style)
Fifth course
Soft chocolate, vanilla cheesecake, salted caramel, native violets
Beverages
Winston Quinn gin
Stone & Wood Green Coast Lager
Stone & Wood Pacific Ale
Howard Park Petit Jete
Harvest Sauvignon Blanc
La La Land Pinot Gris
Fraser Gallop Misceo Cabernet blend
Torbreck Shiraz
AUCTION ITEMS
Chef Chris Hagan - Dinner for 2 in Long Apron restaurant and overnight stay at Spicers Clovelly Estate
Chef Dan Jarrett - Cooking class for 12 at Spicers Tamarind Retreat.
Chef Dave Tsirekas (The Greek Club) - Dinner for 12, with wine, in your home.
Chef Glen Barratt (Wild Canary) - 4 tickets to Byron Bay/Northern Rivers producers' lunch at the restaurant, March 6
Chef Massimo Speroni (Bacchus) - Restaurant dinner for 4, comprising 28 dishes and matching wines, with pick up/drop off in a Land Rover Sport.
Chef Matt Sinclair (Sum Yung Guys) - Dinner and drinks for 10 in your home (between Brisbane and Noosa)
Chef Richard Ousby (ex-Stokehouse) - Dinner for 10 in your home
Chef Tony Tierney (ex-Ocean View Estate) - Dinner for 10 in your home
Chef Will Cowper (Otto) - A 'Journey through Sicily' 7-course degustation for 8, with matching wines, in the restaurant
Noosa Eat & Drink: 2 x VIP weekend passes (May 16-17); 2 x Dinner with Friends at View by Matt Golinski (May 16); 2 x Noosa Long Lunch: Sunday Roast (May 17)
Pip Spiro - original artwork
OTHER SPONSORS
AlFreshCo Catering
Basilea Living Herbs
Clovelly Estate wines
Croft PR
Fino Foods
Lightspace
Liquidity Marketing
Prime Cut Meats
River City Seafood
Rush Entertainment
Samford Valley Mushrooms
Stone and Wood
The Fruitologists
Volunteer wait staff
White + White Weddings & Events
Winston Quinn gin