Sunday, December 12, 2010

MasterChef Live 2010, Moore Park, Sydney



The first thing to abandon you when you are sick are the beloved tastebuds - naturally for me, alarm bells were ringing. Thanks to my wonderful, friend / wingman (this be explained later in the post, promise!) Kath from A Cupcake or Two I was able to attend the MasterChef Live event running this weekend at Moore Park. A day surrounded by food stalls, and demonstrations from Australia's top chefs.. come on tastebuds, don't let me down - I have always been good to you!
Along with a Media scrum, and other lovely food bloggers - Karen from Citrus and Candy, Simon from Simon's Food Favourites and Lorraine from Not Quite Nigella we jostled for positions during the photo op with Gary, George and Matt. I really do enjoy seeing the chemisty and commaradery between these three guys - I don't think any of it is put on for show - I mean, look at that photo above of Matt partronising poor George the Christmas elf!

The Judges, along with several familiar faces from the show greeted the waiting crowds before opening the gates - and boy it was a bullrush! There are 2 parts to this event - The Festival of Cooking in the Royal Hall of Industries and the Masterchef Live theatre extravaganza show which was in the adjacent Hordern Pavillion
There were literally hundreds of stalls from Australian producers - homewares, specialty ingredients, popular restuarants, from organic producers to naughty sweets, kitchen appliances..It was like Toys-R-Us for the food obsessed. Just in time for Christmas, right? I always get overwhelmed during events like these - overstimulated by all the bright lights and food samples. There were a few familiar stalls from The Good Food and Wine show in July, but I found that there was a larger selection in this event.
The big point of difference of this event was the number of Cookery Classes all sticking with the MasterChef theme. Brining in the big guns and capitalising on the Celebrity Chef nature of the show - there were plenty interactive cookery areas run by popular chefs. In Basics Skills area, you can hone your cookery skills and master the basics of food preperation and cooking disaster free dishes - looking back, I think I should have done my family a favour and attended a session. The sessions are first in bessed dressed - so the more organised you are, the better you can plan your day and secure a spot.
Above : Individual Cooking stations at the Basics Skills arena and the Spice Station at the World Foods zone where you could create and take home your own spice blend.


Showtime! I've seen many concerts at Hordern Pavillion. Kanye West, Phoenix, The Strokes - but the true rockstars in the packed venue today were the holy trinity of Mastechef : Gary, George and Matt. Our tickets included premium seating so lucky for us we were seated right up front. The show was absolutely packed - and there were plenty of little Masterchef chef-lings in the audience too.

The 1 hour show itself was entertaining - with past contestants Adam and Marion plus series regular Donna Hay making an appearance. It was an hour of live cooking demonstrations with George and Gary, playful banter with Matt and alot of Audience Participation - with 4 members of the audience being selected to participate in a 'Pressure Test' - keep reading to find something very interesting about these 'random' audience contestants :)
Our tickets, which included Premium seating, entry and a free beverage at the Jaguar VIP area, and general show access cost $120. There is a range of tickets you can purchase from $55 each or family passes for $170 - but if you decide to skip the show and just want to spend a day in the Festival of Cooking, the cost is $25 per adult and $10 for children.
We go back to see if we can catch any of the classes in the Baking zone, and admire the amazing croquembouche on display. I do a double take and ask - "Isn't that the girl that got picked from the audience to do the Pressure test in the theare show??" Yes, it was and she was wearing a STAFF t-shirt. So much for random audience selection and participation right? But I suppose, its all for entertainment! I just wonder what she did to her "prize"
As we walk around, we spot the lovely David Bitton at the Game Farm stall, cooking up special treat with his Bitton Gourmet range. I actually quite liked the selection of exhibitors at this event - but as I've said before, I tend to get too overwhelmed. My main mission when it comes to these events is trying the food on offer so we head out to 'The Park' which is an outdoor area with more stalls - and where we were told we could find some food vendors.
As we walk around, we see the 3 wise judges doing a book signing at the Borders stand - there was a very long line of course of people getting that perfect Christmas present signed. Check out Gary's cheeky smile after adding a mo' to Matt's book!
There was also an area outside where you could 'Grill' a chef and ask them questions and advice. We spot the lovely Kylie Kwong, and I was so excited to say hi to her and snap a quick photo!
Okay, so back to our search for food - I was already hungry after the theatre show.. being surrounded by so much food our tummies were definitely making lots of loud noises! The Gazebo group, home of the Winery venues had a lovely set up in the middle of the park - bringing their quirky decor along too.
The Italian Kitchen and Bar at Bondi RSL is another place I have added to my ever growing list of places to try. I think that is one of the many perils of food blogging - so many places so little time! I order the Arancini $8, my favorite! I liked the way it was packaged and I promise the staff that I will visit them soon to try the rest of their menus. The arancini is freshly cooked, and had a gooey center with parmesan and peas - delish!
When we saw a big Charlie and Co. sign, I was very excited - maybe I could try the truffle fries again, and this time it won't be cold! But they only have the Wagyu Burger and Chilli Dog on offer
Above : Charlie and Co Chilli Dog and Wagyu Burger - a too heavy for a hot day! But it made some hungry bloggers happy!
Din Tai Fung at World Square also had a stall, along with the very populr Chef's Gallery, Mad Mex and Efendy - serving up affordable treats to the festival goers.
We then grabbed a seat in the BBQ Theatre, with the session run by the Sydney Seafood School at the Fish Market. I was very excited to learn some trick here as they were preparing some Marinated BBQ salmon cooked on the grill. I love me some grilled salmon, but somehow manage to muck it up on the BBQ everytime. The trick I learned is to make sure that the meat is salted, to get that cruncy outer shell, and to make sure that it is completely cooked before turning the piece. Uncooked protien is what causes 'sticking' to the grill, and hopefully now half my salmon won't end up stuck to the webber grill. I think I might invest in one of their classes, as I am truly a seafood lover - I just can't get the cooking right!
Taking a break from the heat we take a break and grab a drink inside the Jaguar VIP lounge. The airconditioning is truly welcomed! I love my little Toyota Yaris - but the Jaguar XKR was some eye candy. Appropriately named 'Snow Egg' for the event - it was actually pretty cool to spot Peter Gillmore inside too! Thats him in the black shirt :) Such a stalker!
Kath and I pass by the Couture Cake Stall and of course we get in line to make some cupcakes. I'm currently going through a fondant decorating phase at the moment - with my Angry Birds cupcakes, words with friends cake and Demos's Domo cake, each with their own mishaps of course! I think I should really take a class with them to learn how to do things properly. 
Back inside, we walk past the Hanks Jam and Pete Evan's stand. Earlier in the day, I confessed to the other bloggers about my love for him, and how his pizza oven is on the top of my Christmas wish list. I just love a pizza man..and yes, maybe I did happen to say I would leave my husband and 3 kids for Pete. (I am not married, nor do I have 3 kids.. And Demos is well aware of this obsession and  his two words are always 'Nigella Lawson') But yes..please keep reading :D
One of the first stalls we saw at the start of the day was the Wild Sugar stand. I was always a big fan of Skye from Masterchef, she made the most amazing desserts on the show so we saved the best dessert until last. We were able to meet the lovely creator and sample the Chocolate Avocado Mousse with Raspberry Cream and Finger Lime Tart with Coconut Cream. These cups of goodness were AMAZING and as Skye explain were a sweet treat without so much guilt. She swaps the cream in these desserts with Avocado or Coconut milk, and instead of sugar - uses natural honey to add sweetness.
We also sampled he green tea and double choc ice creams and they were delicious! The wild sugar range of desserts can be found at Thomas Dux stores or check out the website at www.wildsugar.com.au
We were in for a treat with Frank Camorra's demonstration at the Professionals theatre. I was very very excited to see him in action, and re-creating his signature dishes. Hey, its was a quick Movida fix without the plane ride!
Frank recreated signature Anchoa dish - a Movida favourite (Although the sorbet melted under the lights), a Bacalau (salted cod) dish and a octopus dish too. I'm going to consult my Movida cookbooks now to find out the exact espanol names to do justice to Frank. Ahh - what a lovely man! Yes, I had my very own Movida fangirl moment. (Check out our Movida posts here and here)
Another Masterchef section inside was the "How to..?" area where you could ask the chef more pressing questions. There was a big line waiting for whoelse but Adriano Zumbo. Where is the cakewalk when you need it! He is always so nice to his Zumbo groupies - but there can only be one chef in my heart...
Thanks to my wingman, we were able to spot the ever so dashing Pete Evans as we were leaving. What a way to end a very very fun day! Haha - I have the biggest smile in this photo, and was honestly so super excited! What a day it was, and of course when you are sick - everyone tells you to rest and recover.. but for me - A fun day at MasterChef Live sure did the trick! 

Once again a big thank you to Kath and to Stellar* for the VIP tickets. Hopefully they run this even again next year - and if there is a Pete Evans stand - you know where to find me! 
www.mastercheflive.com.au

31 comments:

Helen (Grab Your Fork) said...

Looks like you had an awesome day. And yes the happiness in your shot with Pete Evans is positively radiant :)

Simon Leong said...

wow you did a lot in that day. well done. great recap :-)

Karen | Citrus and Candy said...

Fraaaannnnkkkk! So jealous you got to cuddle him :P And omg, that anchoa dish is my favourite...

Simon @ the heart of food said...

Fake audience participation. I wonder why they bother with the ruse at all.

Aside from that, looks like it wasn't a bad day :)

A cupcake or two said...

Awww I'm your wing man. I am happy to be your wing man any day. It was so much fun and I was so glad you came along. Peter Evans is a hubba hubba. Glad I could help. Just call me Katherine Maestre from now on ehehehe.

chocolatesuze said...

hehe i cant help but smile at how wide your grin is in the pic with pete!

Kym said...

You took a better shot of the 'm' logo than me. :)

Anonymous said...

haha you look gorgeous in that photo with Pete hon!

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

You and Pete make such a cute couple Gianna! And it was so nice to finally meet you :D

Anna said...

Looks like an absolutely blast of a day! So great you got to do so much celebrity chef spotting! :)

Trisha said...

Omg I would've kissed the ground that Frank walked on... ok maybe not but that is how much I admire him!!! Gaahhhhh I'm so out of the loop I didn't even know about the Masterchef Live event. :/

Anonymous said...

Yesterԁaу, whіle Ӏ wаs at ωoгk,
my sistеr stole my apple іpad аnd tested to seе
if it сan surviνe a thiгty foot droρ, јuѕt so shе can be a youtube ѕensatіοn.
Mу іPaԁ іs nοw broken аnd
she has 83 ѵiews. I know this is tοtаlly off topіс but I had to shагe іt
with somеone!
Here is my homepage http://labuhar.es/coppermine/displayimage.php?album=11&pos=84

Anonymous said...

My spousе and I absolutely love your blοg аnd find nearly all of your post's to be precisely what I'm looκing foг.
can уou offer guest writers to write cоntent
tо suit уοur needѕ? I woulԁn't mind publishing a post or elaborating on a few of the subjects you write concerning here. Again, awesome web log!

Here is my web blog - Sfgate.Com

Anonymous said...

Thanκs fοr your mаrvelοus posting!
I quite enјoyed rеаding it, you can
be а grеat author. I will remеmber tο bοοkmark your blog аnd will
οften come baсk νery soоn. I ωant
to encouгage you to continue youг greаt wrіting, haѵe
а nice dаy!

Also visit my web-site - V2 Cigs reviews

Anonymous said...

It is truly a nicе and hеlpful pіecе of informatіоn.

ӏ'm glad that you simply shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.

Also visit my site: Read More

Anonymous said...

Αttraсtіνе seсtіοn of content.
Ι just stumblеd upon youг
sіte аnd іn acceѕsion capіtal to asseгt that I acquire actually enjoyed account youг blοg ρosts.
Anу wау I'll be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement you access consistently quickly.

Look into my blog :: scarletberry.W3bookmarks.com

Anonymous said...

We're a gaggle of volunteers and starting a brand new scheme in our community. Your site provided us with useful information to work on. You've performed a formidable activity and our whole neighborhood can be
thankful to you.

Feel free to visit my webpage :: waist hip ratio calculator

Anonymous said...

Link еxchange is nothing elѕe but it is simply
placing the other peгsοn's blog link on your page at suitable place and other person will also do similar in support of you.

My homepage; akgencgebze.org
My web page > click through the following internet site

Anonymous said...

Hi, i thinκ that i noticеd you vіsiteԁ my blog so i camе to retuгn the ρrefеr?
.I'm attempting to to find things to enhance my website!I suppose its good enough to use a few of your ideas!!

Feel free to visit my blog post ... Similar webpage
My page > buddy.boxtwobox.com

Anonymous said...

Howdy! This is kind of off topic but I need some advice
from an established blog. Is it hard to set up your own blog?
I'm not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick. I'm
thinking about making my own but I'm not sure where to begin. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? With thanks

Also visit my web page :: graduate certificates online
Also see my web site :: online graduate certificates

Anonymous said...

I will immediately grasp your rss as I can not find your e-mail subscription hyperlink
or e-newsletter service. Do you've any? Kindly let me understand so that I could subscribe. Thanks.

Stop by my weblog how much should you weigh

Anonymous said...

Heу! ӏ know this is kind of off topic but I waѕ wondering which
blog plаtform are yοu using for this site?

Ι'm getting sick and tired of Wordpress because I'νе hаd issues
with hасκerѕ anԁ I'm looking at options for another platform. I would be great if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.

Stop by my web blog ... v2 cigs

Anonymous said...

It's remarkable designed for me to have a web page, which is useful for my experience. thanks admin

Also visit my web site ... group.i-healthcoach.com

Anonymous said...

Hі, i thіnk thаt i sаw уou visitеd my blog thus i came to “return the faνor”.

Ӏ аm аttempting to find things to enhаnсe my ωeb ѕite!
Ӏ suppoѕе іts οk to use some of youг іԁеаs!
!

my websіtе ... V2 cigs

Anonymous said...

Attгactive sectіon of content. Ι just stumbleԁ upon
your site and in accessіon caρital tο assert that
I aсquiгe in fact enjoyeԁ acсount your
blog poѕts. Any way I will be subscribing to
your feedѕ and evеn I achievemеnt you
асcеѕs consistently quicκly.


Feel freе to vіѕit my blοg pοst - hcg online

Anonymous said...

Τhank уou fог еverу othег ωonԁeгful post.

Thе place еlѕе сοulԁ anybody get
that κіnԁ of іnfo in such an ideal apрroaсh οf ωrіting?
Ι hаve a pгeѕentation nехt ωееk, and I'm on the search for such information.

Here is my website - do hcg drops work
Also see my webpage > hgc drops

Anonymous said...

Suрerb blog! Do you have аny tipѕ and hints fοr
аspіring writers? Ι'm planning to start my own website soon but I'm а
lіttlе loѕt on everything. Wοuld уοu rеcommеnd staгting with а free ρlatfоrm like Wordprеss or go foг
a paiԁ optiοn? There аre so many choісes
out theгe that I'm totally confused .. Any recommendations? Cheers!

Look into my page ... http://www.sfgate.com/business/prweb/article/V2-Cigs-Review-Authentic-Smoking-Experience-or-4075176.php

Anonymous said...

Thankfulness to my father who told me concerning this blog, this blog is in fact awesome.


My web blog ... solarpumpe für miniteich

wayneebrownas said...

Am myself a tourist jimdo.com and frequently opt for outdoor camping as well as Best Water Reviews different other jobs around the nation. The Best Under Sink Water Filters PERIOD For Your Home Or Business Hard water is just one of the biggest best faucet filter concerns which I deal with Water Gadget every single time.

wayneebrownas said...

But now if you're tough reset frp bypass or factory reset your mobile phone then you will certainly Refer be encountering an FRP lock problem. FRP Bypass APK Ok, FRP lock, not a large problem.

7889520 said...

qzz0620
canada goose outlet
canada goose jackets
ralph lauren polo
world cup jerseys
kate spade outlet
kate spade outlet
coach outlet
diesel jeans
canada goose jackets
air jordan retro

PREVIOUSLY ON THE EMPTY FRIDGE..

Related Posts with Thumbnails