Sydney Eat Street: 2022 Sydney Royal Easter Show food trends
From the usual — and new — creative foods on a stick to the produce straight from farmers’ lands, the Sydney Royal Easter Show is the place to be for all the foodies out there.
Food
Don't miss out on the headlines from Food. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Founded in July 1822, the Sydney Royal Easter Show was an opportunity for farmers to present their prized produce and livestock, share insights about their new and unfamiliar landscape, and educate the public on the novel challenges they face bringing the food to market.
And of course, it was also a social gathering complete with games, entertainment, and food and drink straight from the farmers’ lands.
Today, the same traditions have continued but the food trends have evolved. Sydney Eat Street visited the Show on its opening day to showcase the tasty food and treats on offer from now until April 19.
For more details, go to eastershow.com.au
Take a tour of Sydney’s best eateries with The Sunday Telegraph’s Eat Street. Are you hungry for more inspiration? Follow us on Instagram or Twitter. #SydneyEatStreet
Food On a Stick
It’s hard to argue that food on a stick is one of the world’s greatest inventions, especially when you’re at the Show … how else are you supposed to indulge in show food, hold your kid’s hand, and their showbags, and a bubblegum pink teddy bear all at the same time.
Pure genius.
And this year there’s a veritable smorgasbord of skewered eats. Fans of these movable meals, quite literally the true definition of takeaway food, will love the huge selection — from corn to corn dogs, lasagne to lollipops, if its edible, odds are you’ll find it on a stick.
District Exhibits
For many a show-goer tradition dictates that once you’ve got your fill food (on a stick of
course) a saunter over to colourful District Exhibits where five regions, have crated truly
clever and creative displays showing their premium produce in the hopes of taking home the
Best Display award.
This year though, fierce competitors become fast friends, banding together to create an expansive display depicting the Royal Agriculture Society’s 200-year history.
Wendy Taylor who along with her husband Craig designed the mammoth project says: “It’s not so much a linear thing. This is a real pictorial thing through the eyes of a country town. Every country town.
“You can go to any country town, and it’s always going to have a two-storey pub, some sort of artsy craftsy store, a seed and grain merchant and cafe. So, this is representing not just one town. This is every country town.”
The end result is a fascinating visual portrayal of 30 pivotal moments that have helped define the Show.
“So on one hand, you’ve got country town and all the shops and on the other hand, you have all the amazing things that are as have done over 200 years. So, we tied them together by
doing the buildings to represent events.
“And so, we’re showing about 30 to 35 different events that have occurred in the RAS timeline and just picked out ones that resonated. Like the start of the wine industry in Australia in 1826 to the inclusion of the Fine Food category in 1988.”
Should all that gorgeous fresh produce make you hungry again, the districts will also be selling their produce (no, not ones plucked from displays), as well a honey, homemade jams, chutneys, nuts, and nut butter.
To wrap up the moment be sure to pick up the Northern District’s cute tea towel with a design that spells out some of the areas noted towns including Mullumbimby, Grafton, and Glen Innes. Come to think of it, maybe this should be your first stop.
— Woolworths Fresh Food Dome
Burger Head
Social media may lust over the outrageously large and loaded burgers but the three friends
and fine-dining chefs behind Burger Head — Timothy Rosenstrauss, Richard Borg and Joshua
DeLuca have raised the bar by keeping things simple.
Fresh off the opening of their third venue, they’ve returned to The Stables at the Easter Show, proving that flavour trumps size every time.
“Easter show has been absolutely massive for us,” Tim says.
“After the show, for a few months, we had people coming in (to Burger Head Penrith) saying ‘We tried you guys at the Easter Show and didn’t realise you were actually really close by’.”
While the trio’s combined pedigree at hatted and Michelin-starred restaurant (Quay, Momofuku Seibo, Master, Ormeggio) gave them street-cred it’s what was between he buns that got them noticed. It’s little wonder they are a hit at the Show.
When RANSW invited them to participate in the Easter Show, specifically in what was then a new addition, The Stables, a lounge-type setting offering more refined foods. They jumped at the opportunity.
“When we got our first call it was just after we opened,” Tim says.
“The Easter Show was trying to do a gourmet food offering. The Stables is actually a great location for us. We do well down here as it’s a quieter hangout.”
They aren’t ones to flaunt their credentials, but Burger Head story really can’t be told without a bit of (humble) bragging.
“It’s part of the business. Our story tells people why the burgers taste so good. It’s part of the training we had and where we come from. It’s easy to get a good product but to get a great one takes technique, and you must really know your ingredients,” Tim says.
“We make our own sauces; our own pickles and we mince our patties with meat from a range of farmers in Northern NSW. Burger Head doesn’t fill oversized sandwiches, instead focusing on pure flavour with burgers such as the Classic Cheese: a mashed Angus Beef Patty; cheese; house-made pickles; onions, BH sauce; and mustard mayo. It doesn’t mean they always play it safe though.
“Josh did deep-fried bacon at the shop. It worked so we gave it a go. Burger Head’s offsider, Bacon Head was born.”
Of course, they also have food on a stick: deep-fried bacon on a stick served from a food truck in a separate location.
“It went off,” Tim says. They expected us to sell 8000 overall and we ended up doing 1000 a day. The truck would open at 9am and by 9.30am there’d be a queue.” Don’t miss out.
— The Stables
Firepop
A champion of premium producers, particular Blackmore Wagyu, Firepop has hit the food
truck scene with a gastronomic bang.
It’s run by husband-and-wife team, Raymond Hou and Alina Van, and while they’ve been in the hospitality game for years, thus us only their second time at the Show which actually came about after they were spotted at an event in Parramatta in 2019, where they were approached by Easter Show organisers.
“One of the co-ordinators was there and loved what we did,” Alina says.
Firepop’s signature item, hands down is The Butter, grilled Blackmores Wagyu with Olsson’s Sea Salt.
“That’s what we’re doing here too. We love the show,” she says.
“We’ve been going every year with family and the thing we enjoyed the most was seeing all the animals and the amazing produce of the (district) exhibits. It’s such an amazing show. It should have the best of the best.”
That’s not to say that they don’t appreciate the show food.
“I literally skip meals to have chips on a stick,” says Alina.
“It’s not the Easter Show without them.”
Raymond and Alina did wonder how people would respond to their menu but then just decided to go for it.
“We want showcase for some of the best Australian producers.”
Immediately, the wagyu was a hit.
“From day one when we started in the markets, customers have loved it,” she reveals.
That was also the response at the Easter Show, which has led to quite a following.
“People will say, ‘We tried you guys at Easter Show’. That’s how we got to be one of your biggest fans. Now she comes to see us wherever we go,” Alina says.
Their reputation has not just received the attention from customers, but also the respect of
suppliers, which is how Ray is able to source products for menu items such as The Butter,
which is made with award-winning and internationally renowned Blackmore Wagyu, seasoned with Olsson’s Salt, a chef-preferred salt made by the Australia’s oldest family-owned sea salt maker based in the Southern Highlands.
Customers swoon over the flavour, but not Ray.
“The best part of Wagyu is when we cut it,” he says.
“We get so excited seeing all that beautiful marbling.”
He’s so passionate about this part of the process that they’re bringing the production to the show with a custom glass-enclosed temperature-controlled cool room where people can watch every step of the way.
“The producers (wagyu farmers) work so hard to get to this point for them to get to this point – we want to honour that and showcase something that is usually hidden,” he says.
Other must tries are The O.G. regionally-sourced lamb with house-roasted ground sesame and cumin dukkha and secret marinade, as well as the Sugar x Cheese roasted grilled corn.
Big Tony’s Italian Street Food
Restaurateur and chef Anthony Sabia came to the attention of the Easter Show organisers
more than 15 years ago when a publication named him the pasta master, a nickname he
earned after a decade of serving up some of the finest Italian food in Eastern suburbs
restaurant.
“An event organiser said they needed someone to do pasta. As a kid I always want to do the Easter show, and here was that opportunity,” Tony says.
He started with pasta then added on a woodfire oven, adding more show outlets along the way. But those in the know will tell you that Tony’s the original champion of food-on-a-stick.
“We’ve done a number of them over the years but probably the one that really got noticed is the lasagne on a stick – deep-fried layers of pasta and meat sauce,” he adds.
Tony now challenges himself to comes up with a new stick-worthy creation each year and this year is no exception as Show food fans can look forward to two food-on-a stick items: garlic bread, and a mac-n-cheese hotdog.
They may sound outrageous, but his taste testers haven’t failed him yet.
“If my kids say, ‘dad, I’ll eat that’ then I know it’ll work.”
Talk and Taste session – Riverina Fresh
At some point at shopping or perusing the shelves, you’ve probably noticed products
displaying the coveted Sydney Royal medal winner logo, evidence that they’ve impressed
industry judges, but if you’ve ever wondered what it is that wows the pros, the Talk & Taste
sessions featuring number of award-winning artisan producers such as Riverina Fresh’s Fresh Cream, recipient of the Sydney Royal Champion Cream Awards.
Rightly chuffed with the opportunity, Riverina Fresh’s CEO Rob Collier couldn’t be prouder.
“We are very excited to be involved. It is an iconic showcase of regional Australian life and is a unique opportunity to connect the city with the bush,” Rob says.
“As a regional dairy producer that is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year we are proud to showcase the best from our backyard in collaboration with the Royal Agricultural Society.
“Talk & Taste affords us the opportunity to share our story, our history and what makes our products special. Producing award-winning dairy products draws on 100 years of regional know-how and experience.
“We work closely with our local farmers who produce high-quality raw milk that we then carefully processed to produce award-winning products like our milks and champion cream.”
As one of the most widely used products across many of Sydney’s leading cafes, Riverina Fresh has become a favourite of leading roasters and baristas and even the competition milk for this year’s Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA) Australian Coffee Championships.
You can learn all about it at their Talk & Taste session on Monday, April 10 where they’ll be
working with Wholegreen Bakery with whom they’ve created a Thickened Cream & Gluten
Free Chocolate Eclair.
If you can’t make to the session, Rob notes, you can always swing by their stand where they’ll selling barista coffee as well as Riverina Fresh cream-filled.
— Woolworths Fresh Food Dome
Greek Street + Mr Tortilla + Phillies Cheesy Steaks + Joey’s Charcoal Chicken
Whether it’s Greek, Mexican, or any other cuisine, there’s no changing Joe Florio’s mind.
“I will not budge on quality. It must be premium ingredients,” he declares.
As the owner of multiple food trucks, which he runs along with his family and a dedicated team that has been with him for ages, that commitment extends to authenticity as well.
“In all my trucks the core ingredients are from that nationality’s country. The buns used for the Phillies Cheesey Steak sandwiches come from Philadelphia in the US, the salsa at Mr Tortilla is from Mexico.”
At Greek Street Food Truck, the flagship of his fleet, the pita bread may not come directly from Greece, but it does come from a Greek Bakery in Marrickville that’s been making it since 1980, so, close enough.
It’s also a key component to the truck’s signature item, the hot pita with slow-cooked lamb or chicken, Spanish onion, tomato, and aioli sauce. Be sure to order a side of the more-ish feta chips to your order (hot chips topped with feta, oregano, and aioli).
New to the menu is a vegetarian option – roasted vegetables served hot and put into sandwich.
For those who prefer meatier options there’s no going past Phillies Cheesy Steak Rolls where each sandwich is named after a movie filmed in Philadelphia such as Italian Job, Uncut Gems and of course, Rocky (which is actually a burger).
Joe suggests you start with the classic and order The Irishman – a soft roll loaded with steak, hot liquid cheese and onions. Finish your meal off with dessert, the truly show worthy deep-fried Twinkie. Starting with a frozen Twinkie, it’s lightly battered in a pancake mix, fried, and you guessed it, served on a stick.
The pick of the bunch at Joey’s Char Charcoal House is the Brick Chick, a charcoal chicken with lemon herb along with the smoky ribs and last but not least is Mr Tortilla, where unsurprisingly the tacos are a favourite but for another great option (and great value) is a burrito bowl with pulled beef or charcoal chicken, black beans, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. It easily feeds two, and at $25, that justifies head into Phillies for that deep-
fried Twinkie.
Fluffy Crunch
The show is a special time and event for husband-and-wife team Michael and Paola
Karamallis. It’s been pivotal in growing their business Fluffy Crunch and creating brand recognition, not just at the show but in their full-time business.
It’s probably also a gentle reminder that they needn’t have worried about Michael leaving the corporate world so they could the market scene to sell fairy floss cones with crunch toppings.
Once they got a hang of the fragile spun sugar, they creative juices began to flow and they created the now-famous, Flurrito. A cross between “fluffy” and “burrito”, wrapped in thick fairy floss, is a layer of rainbow dust, a handful of Froot Loops and two scoops of ice cream.
“We created the Flurrito especially for the Show,” Michael says.
“It was our way to break into the industry and stand out from the traditional fairy floss providers. We started with a range of six creations. Now we have over 20 different creations to choose from and with the help of our customers are always looking to create more.
“We had a request from a client to see if we could create a Nutella flavoured fairy floss for World Nutella day. A few weeks later we launched the world’s first Nutella inspired fairy floss, the Fluffy Tella.”
They have also made the Flurrito official.
“We’ve now trademarked the name the Flurrito, and people have come to know the fairy floss ice cream burrito as a Flurrito. We only showcase the product at the Royal Show and
some occasional events here and there,” he says.
“We get so excited we people come to our stand and say they have waited all year for the Flurrito. The Royal Show also opened the door to us entering the Sydney Fine Food Show and today we’re recognised as Australia’s only multi-award-winning fairy floss.”
You’ll find Fluffy Crunch in the Home and Lifestyle Pavilion. You can’t miss it. It’s the colourful stand with joyful crew that just might be even cheerier than the Flurrito. Happiness is contagious.
— Home and Lifestyle Pavilion
Brooklyn Boy Bagels
Michael Shafran, the patriarch of uber-popular Brooklyn Boy Bagels is excited – for the first
time he’s going from being a show-goer to a vendor.
“It’s our first time doing such a large event, so I’m excited to be part of such a prestigious, high-profile event that I’ve only enjoyed previously as a visitor,” Michael says.
“So instead of petting the alpacas this year, I’ll be slinging cream cheese schemers. I’m also looking forward to meeting a lot of our customer out in Western Sydney who’ve been begging us to do something out that way.
It’s not Penrith or Liverpool, but we finally get to meet them halfway.”
Brooklyn Boys Bagels specialise in the quintessential American snack.
“We’re selling our best bagels with cream cheeses, and since it’s a longer day, we’re doing pizza bagels as a special from lunch onwards,” he says.
“Most Americans grow up with pizza bagels, which we typically make at home. But most Australians don’t have toaster ovens, so it’s not really a thing here.
“We’ll be making our pizza bagels with the same kind of care as a proper pizzeria, so it’s a step up from the home variety – classic but quality. We’ll be offering Margherita and Pepperoni versions and using quality Mutti pomodoro for the sauce, pepperoni from Pino’s Dolce Vita in Kogarah, fresh basil, hand-grated Parmigiano and drizzling them with olive oil.”
It’s not food on a stick but as Michael declares: “It’s perfect food to carry around a busy festival.”
Other bagels on offer are sesame bagels with spring onion & garlic cream cheese; everything bagels with lox cream cheese; jalapeño bagels with jalapeño cream cheese; blueberry bagels with strawberry cream cheese; rainbow bagels with unicorn cream cheese; and plain bagels with plain whipped cream cheese.
“No one else makes bagels as authentically as we do,” Michael says.
“Properly kettle-boiled, slow-proved over two days and using top-quality ingredients like single-origin/single-varietal flour from Provenance in Northern NSW’s Golden Triangle.
“It’s also likely that this is the first-time fresh bagels have been sold at the Easter Show. On
top of that, we also produce our own cream cheeses, where we use fresh ingredients ranging from hand-cut spring onion to fresh jalapeño and strawberries. That makes a big difference from the supermarket-bought stuff.”
Actually, Michael is being rather modest, as its more of a ginormous difference.
— Woolworths Fresh Food Dome
The French Salami Cone
If it gets the thumbs up from French expats, you know Jean-Marc Amar’s artisan saucisson
have hit the mark.
A former executive chef, his skills and techniques are French but the meat he uses is all Aussie, so he has a keen appreciation for the importance of Australian farmers, especially after two years of Covid and now the fact they are dealing with the fury of Mother Nature.
It’s why he says the Show is so important for them.
“First, we must spare a thought for the farmers in these difficult times,” he says.
“Especially with these recent floods. Second, we will make sure that people have a great experience at our stalls, welcoming new and regular customers. We will make it party time.”
La Bastide has a booth in the Woolworths Fresh Food Dome and the star of their show is French salami cones, so much so, Jean-Marc says: “We have some new things this year. First, the name of the stall, The French Salami Cone. We make so many of these little cones that we decided to name our stall as. Second, our range of French Salami has expanded.
“This year we will be introducing some new traditional flavours. Rosemary & thyme saucisson, pepper saucisson, wine saucisson, chilli saucisson, 120 days aged saucisson and mini saucisson.”
Jean-Marc is proud of his range of meats.
“What makes us special is our French range, old school, and clean products, 100% Australian made,” he says.
“We have been recognised in France when presenting in the first Saucisson World Cup in 2018 and we came back with three silver medals on blind tasting. That’s our legacy.”
— Woolworths Fresh Food Dome
Originally published as Sydney Eat Street: 2022 Sydney Royal Easter Show food trends
Woolies gets in early on Christmas meal ideas
With just two months remaining until Christmas, supermarket giant Woolworths has released a range of festive meal ideas and budget friendly feasts.
Restaurateur update after Nazi symbol furore
A prominent hospitality group has cut ties with one of its co-founders after he was arrested for displaying a Nazi symbol at a pro-Palestine rally.