One of the country’s most revered chefs, Gary Mehigan of the hit television show Masterchef, has applauded the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) for its culinary ability saying it’s the ‘real deal’.
Award winning chef and restaurateur, Mehigan, who owns some of the finest restaurants in Melbourne, was one of the three celebrity chefs to have his dishes prepared by the MCEC’s kitchen team during the Melbourne Good Food & Wine Show from 4 – 6 June.
Led by the MCEC’s executive chef Shaun Bowles, the dishes of each celebrity chef were re-created by the venue’s in-house team of experienced chefs and then served in a purpose built restaurant during the show.
On tasting Bowles’ dishes at the show, Mehigan says he has such confidence in him and his team, there’s no need to check anything.
‘What I love about these guys and this event in Melbourne is that I feel confident … you get the real deal, you get all the taste you want and don’t have to worry about anything, Shaun knows exactly what I want.’
His sentiments are echoed by My Kitchen Rules judge and respected chef, Pete Evans, whose dishes were also re-created by the MCEC.
‘It’s perfect. The quality is wonderful; the mussels are superb, probably better than I can cook!’
Evans also commended the MCEC on its philosophy of sourcing Victorian regional produce and preparing everything on site.
‘I love that they go to the effort of baking their own pastries and creating everything from scratch, which is something not always seen in the industry a lot these days, particularly in a venue of this size.’
Good Food & Wine group exhibition director James Laing says the MCEC’s approach has a direct impact on helping the event grow each year.
‘The quality of the produce and cooking is fantastic and we find the team so flexible to work with. Food and Beverage Manager Frank Burger’s willingness to always embrace new ideas – like the purpose built restaurant – is what keeps people coming back year after year.’
