Battle of the Chefs

You’ve seen them battle it out on television (Iron Chef, Top Chef).  Now you can see them battle it out in person at the Battle of the Chefs  in Adelaide  this week. For the first time, The Australian Culinary Federation (ACF) and Tasting Australia are combining forces in search of Australia’s Best Chef. The inaugural Battle of the Chefs 2012 will see chefs from across the nation come together to pit their cooking skills against one another at Regency International Centre TAFE SA for over $20,000 worth of prizes and cash and the title of ‘ACF Chef of the Year 2012.’ Each competitor will have two and a half hours to prepare and cook a main course for four to six people in one of three categories: Restaurant/Fine Dining Chef, Cafe/Bistro/Pub/Club Chef and Catering/Convention/Institution Chef. “We’re really looking forward to the excitement this new competition will bring to Tasting Australia.To take home the title of ACF Chef of the Year will be an honour for any chef,” says Ian Parmenter, Festival Director. “We’re eager to see how creative the chefs can be under pressure when developing their recipes and accessing the pantry.” A week- long celebration of food and wine, Tasting Australia has become a huge international success since its inception in 1997, providing a showcase for top culinary talents. This year it gets off the ground on Thursday 26^th April and winds up on May 3^rd.  More than 60 public events are scheduled including L-Plates (Learn from the Master), another new event which gives amateur foodies a chance to acquire skills in making artisan breads, pastries, sausages, cheese and contemporary cocktails along with sessions on native cuisine, barista skills and working with seafood, meats and chocolate. If you’re in Adelaide over the next couple of weeks, Feast for the Senses is your opportunity to join in the celebrations. Held in Elder Park  on the weekend of 28-29 April from 11am – 5pm, it’s the highlight of the Tasting Australia festival,  a free two-day extravaganza, attracting the world’s food, wine and lifestyle media, the keenest food and beverage enthusiasts and the general public alike.