Alastair Waddell will be joining us on the cooking stage at 3.30pm at this year's Eat the Street. Alastair is the new head chef at the very popular Byron Hinterland restaurant, Harvest Newrybar.
With a passion for root-to-stem cooking, as well as wild and native ingredients, the Scottish-born chef takes on the role following stints of leading the kitchens at Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island, and at Qualia on Hamilton Island.
Having settled in Australia in 2008, Waddell has also worked at Guillaume Brahimi’s two-hatted Bistro Guillaume in Melbourne.
He was been recognised with several awards including HM Magazine’s Hotel Chef of the Year (2012 and 2014) and a one-hat rating in the Australian Good Food Guide (2014 and 2015).
As Harvest's new head chef, Waddell will be involved in all aspects of the business, including developing new dishes for the restaurant, and creating bespoke menus for wedding and events.
Waddell will also oversee the artisan bakery and its historic 108-year-old wood fired oven, as well as the the boutique Harvest Deli and dry ageing room.
He will also work closely with in-house, wild food researcher and forager, Peter Hardwick.
As part of Harvest's weekly Wild Harvest Sessions, the pair will present a selection of ideas and flavours on a plate after a day of foraging, pickling, fermenting and cooking.
Waddell will also work alongside permaculturists Rachel Rouse and Janene Price in using Harvest’s sprawling gardens of produce and edible plants.
He says, "Passion lies in utilising the food from the land around us, from local farms and foraged items to our own garden.
"Building a close relationship with Peter Hardwick is helping me to unlock flavours from native ingredients and enhance dishes with the use of his unique ferments.
"I always look to extract the purest flavour from produce and serve it in a way that does the product justice."
What: Alastair Waddell with Peter Hardwick
Where: Cooking Stage at Eat the Street
When: Saturday 10 March, 2018
Time: 4.30pm-5.15pm
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