Aussie chefs travel to New York for World’s Best Restaurant Awards announcement
All our big-name chefs are on their way to New York to help announce a major coup for Australia’s culinary industry.
Wondering where all Australia’s big name chefs are?
Wonder no more; they’re on their way to New York for the “secret” announcement Monday week that the 2017 World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards are to be held in Australia, although not necessarily in Sydney as previously reported.
As we broke the news here exclusively in March, a deal has been done between Tourism Australia, Qantas and the organisers of what are easily the world’s highest profile restaurant awards to host the event for the first time ever outside the northern hemisphere. For the host city, it’s a big deal, bringing with it a swag of “influencers” and traditional media, all of who are likely to eat, drink and spend before taking home their impressions of the country.
The organisers have refused to confirm the story prior to an official announcement in New York.
A source close to the deal, who asked not to be named, today confirmed that while the announcement of Australia “is definitely on” there were contenders other than Sydney. “I think you’ll have egg ion your face if you categorically say it’s Sydney,” he said.
What is known is a quartet of Australia’s best-known chefs internationally will fly into the Big Apple next week to prepare a special Australian dinner as part of the announcement. It includes Peter Gilmore (Quay/Bennelong), Neil Perry (Rockpool Group), Ben Shewry (Attica) and Dan Hunter, of Brae in Victoria’s Western District.
Several of the chefs are taking the opportunity to extend their visit to other parts of the US.
The dinner, which undoubtedly includes the support of Qantas, a major Perry client, will be along the lines of a similar event held in Hobart in November 2014, part of Tourism Australia’s “Invite the World to Dinner” event, a part of its Restaurant Australia campaign.
The awards night brings together a very powerful coterie of international chefs and restaurateurs; hitherto it has always been held in London. Next week (June 13) marks the first time the event has been held in New York.
Melbourne’s Attica is the only Australian restaurant on the coveted — if controversial — list, with a number, including Quay, Brae and Sydney’s Sepia, in the second tier of 51-100.