It was a wholesome night at Pomona’s historic Majestic Theatre when Slow Food Noosa presented its film with food event as a highlight of Noosa Alive arts and performance festival.
There was a warm atmosphere on the mid-winter’s nights as more than 100 food aficionados attended the screening of the French comedy-drama Kitchen Brigade, which was complemented by a mouth-watering menu that honoured the movie.
Chefs Matt Golinsky, Josh Smallwood and Dee Young created a delightful three-course dinner utilising fresh, seasonal and in most cases local produce.
It showed the quality of food that is available in the Noosa, Gympie and Sunshine Coast regions. Much of it was sourced from Slow Food Noosa members – particularly those who have been credited with the Snail of Approval in regard to providing good, clean and fair food for all.
When introducing the menu for the night, Matt Golinsky thanked Kay and Jeff Kelloway for their 14 years of service at Pomona’s Little Pantry in supplying fresh fruit, vegetables and mixed produce as they hand the business over to new owners Nina and Mitch Bray.
For Matt, a patron of Slow Food Noosa, the original concept of the dinner was to show a foodie film and have some chefs get together, watch the movie and come up with a concept for the menu. It would be one to complement the movie and create an interactive experience with what is seen on the screen.
For this movie Matt chose some good quality blue-eyed trevally for entree: “A good fish that you don’t see very often … it cooked up really nicely.”
It was probably about an 8kg fish and to accompany it Matt had celeriac – a bulbous root vegetable not unlike celery in shape and flavour.
There was a mayonnaise using eggs from Forage Farms at Kybong, and served with parsley, shallots and capers – then some beautiful oyster mushrooms from Eastwell Farms at Kin Kin.
These were pan-fried in a white wine sauce with vinegar.
The capers came from Bunya Red Capers, which Matt said was an amazing experience to see how they are hand-picked individually.
These are a flower from the caper plant – something like a strawberry bush growing along the ground, not on trees.
A salad of watercress came from Pomona’s Little Pantry.
“Enjoy the movie and thanks for supporting this event,” Matt said. “It’s an honour to be part of it every year.”
For main course Josh Smallwood of Noosa Cartel chose pork from Bamboo Park at Valdora, a new member of Slow Food Noosa.
He wanted to showcase the flavour of the pork from there, and the way they are raising it to make a big difference to the taste.
They are pasture-fed pigs – a heritage breed of Tamworth cross duroc that live outside.
Slow cooked in white wine and apple juice, garlic and thyme for 10 hours that created amazing flavour … especially when served with some French lentils, jus and a macadamia yoghurt sauce, then topped with Kenilworth yoghurt.
Dessert chef Dee Young of Noosa Forager honoured her time in France by creating a chocolate and almond torte with red wine poached pear, chocolate sauce, pear syrup and clotted cream.
For Dee, the packham pears were from Fonlea Orchards in Thulimbah, near Stanthorpe.
Packham are a popular Australian pear variety known for their large size, sweet flavour, and versatility.
“We get them from the Noosa Farmers Market,’’ Dee said. “They might look lumpy, but they are definitely absolutely gorgeous.
“They did a great job tonight being poached then served with a recipe for clotted cream from Fairhill Gardens.
“For the torte the eggs are from Bamboo Park while the cream in the sauce is from Maleny Dairies.”
The level of laughter, shared conversation and camaraderie highlighted what a beautiful evening it was. It underpinned the values of supporting local food production in regard to fostering a sense of community.
A TIMELY REMINDER
Kitchen Brigade (French: La Brigade), is a 2022 French comedy-drama directed by Louis-Julien Petit.
Cathy Marie leaves her position as chef at a fancy restaurant, and takes a position at the canteen of a shelter for immigrants, mostly African and South Asian youths likely to be deported at age 18.
Finding the shelter incredibly under-funded, in desperation she attempts to introduce a brigade de cuisine in the kitchen.
This is a system of hierarchy found in restaurants and hotels employing extensive staff, commonly referred to as “kitchen staff” in English-speaking countries.
The concept was developed by Auguste Escoffier and the system delegates responsibilities to different individuals who specialise in certain tasks in the kitchen or in the dining room.
The movie was a reminder there is the need to either stay connected with the land or reconnect with it.
This is particularly important as urban cultures and modern living push the divide between the city and the bush even wider.
It is so easy to lose that appreciation of good, healthy and fair food that has been produced in a sustainable way – free of chemicals, free of harmful pesticides and fertilisers.
The simple fact of preparing the land, planting the seeds or seedlings, nurturing them, watching them grow, and then mature into bountiful crops is something that everyone should try to experience.
This is whether it be a suburban backyard or community garden, a small acreage or working farm.
That puts food into perspective as something nutritious and something to be enjoyed in good company rather than just a commodity … something to stop us feeling hungry.
At the same time the movie reminded us of the need to transfer knowledge, foster and encourage the skills around the production, harvest and then the presentation of food.
That talent is something that is either natural, learned or experienced within the environments that we live in – the landscapes, the communities, the cultures.
Food, like music, like art and like film, is something that can be shared across lifestyles, across beliefs, across age groups.
The underlying message – in this case young refugees looking to follow their passion or their skills – recognises the chef’s need to value the background of her students. She discovers that they love the game of football so she switches the kitchen from that of a professional operation to one in which they can all relate to their various positions – on a sports field, in a team, in a restaurant, in life.
