Eat Well Tasmania event turns waste into joy

Who knew leftovers could taste this good? Chef Sam Bray’s inventive dishes transform food that might have been wasted into a feast, writes Alix Davis

Guests enjoying the Eat It All dinner party event hosted by Eat Well Tasmania. Picture: Toby Rudov Media

It’s been many decades since I’ve set foot inside a university student association building, but with a blast of brass from the Balkan band on the steps and a warm welcome from the volunteers on the door, here we are. It’s not hot chips, gravy and cheap beers that have brought me here tonight, but rather a dinner party event designed to shine a spotlight on the issues of food waste and food insecurity.

The event is hosted by Eat Well Tasmania, a statewide non-government organisation that champions healthy eating and promotes opportunities to eat healthy, Tasmanian-grown, produced and value-added food.

Two hundred and fifty guests are attending the event, and the room is filled with beautifully set tables for six to 12 people, each decorated with bunches of parsley grown at UTAS’s city campus and a “conversation tree” designed to prompt discussions about food insecurity.

Tonight’s menu has been created and cooked by local chef Sam Bray, who has applied his creativity and expertise to ingredients that would otherwise have been discarded – with delicious results.

A selection of the healthy delicious dishes at Eat Well Tasmania's Eat it All event. Picture: Alix Davis

One of the table settings at the Eat it All event, hosted by Eat Well Tasmania, which included big bunches of fresh parsley. Picture: Alix Davis

Our first course is a selection of dips and pickles. Tasmanian tofu company Soyoyoy has donated okara (the insoluble, fibrous residue left after soybeans are filtered to make soy milk or tofu) to the event, and Bray has used this to create a creamy hummus topped with oil and spiced seeds. Fat slices of bread donated by Pigeon Whole Bakers are perfect for swiping up the hummus, along with the rillette made from fish that’s usually discarded (not because there’s anything wrong with it, just because it’s not considered appealing enough to sell). Crunchy, brightly coloured pickles of onion, cauliflower, radish and beetroot complete the entree, which is shared among everyone at the table.

Along with the meal – which was priced at a pay-what-you-can-afford model for between zero and $50 per person – there’s a panel discussion about food waste where we’re reminded that Tasmanians discard about 4kg of food per household per week – equivalent to about $2500 annually.

The Balkan-ish main, which featured spiced sausages and meatballs served on a bed of lightly pickled onions and topped with a punchy salsa verde, was one of the standout dishes at Eat Well Tasmania’s Eat it All dinner. Picture: Toby Rudov Media

Though we’re not all chefs, Bray says that “we all work in the world of food, we all need to eat to live”. He believes we can help address the issue by “being honest about what you’re doing with food waste”, seeing it as an opportunity to get creative. He also encouraged guests to “buy less things from big corporations”. Instead, buy your food from people “who know the people who grew it, raised it or shot it”.

Main course is a “Balkan(ish)” spread of spiced sausages and meatballs served on a bed of lightly pickled onions and topped with a punchy salsa verde (an ideal way to use up excess herbs), along with heaping platters of chickpea-studded spiced rice, tender and slightly sweet potatoes and “meatballs” made from okara.

Service comes courtesy of student volunteers who clear tables and bring in a seemingly endless procession of platters of food.

Eat Well Tasmania currently runs two events such as this annually, though they are hoping to move to a seasonal timetable.

Another of the delicious dishes at the Eat it All event hosted by Eat Well Tasmaniat was the chickpea studded rice and sweet potatoes dish. Picture: Toby Rudov Media

The atmosphere is warm and inclusive and there’s even a table of seedlings donated by Tibbals Nursery to take home with you to keep the good vibes going (my tomato seedling from the night is already in my garden).

We are fortunate to have access to great produce in Tasmania and an event, and organisation, such as this is an inspiring reminder to make the most of it.

Balkan quartet Xenos keeps the energy
high as they roam the room throughout the evening and it’s impossible to resist the infectiously toe-tapping tunes.

Dessert is decadently rich chocolate cake made from okara (a truly versatile ingredient that I’d never heard of before tonight) enveloped in a silky chocolate sauce and topped with rescued meringues.

And, we’re thrilled to hear, recipes for all
the dishes we’ve eaten tonight will be available to download.

Takeaway boxes are distributed so we can take leftovers home and the only thing left to do is grab our bunch of parsley as we leave.

For more information about Eat Well Tasmania, visit www.eatwelltas.org.au

EAT IT ALL

UTAS Student Association,

Sandy Bay

On the menu:

Pigeon whole mattanai bread, smoked bycatch rillette, Balkan(ish) sausages, okara “meatballs”, use-up everything green salsa verde, okara chocolate cake with spent coffee meringues ($0-$50pp).