Award winning New Zealand chef mingles with the Worlds top chefs at the Margaret River Gourmet Escape in Western Australia

Top Kiwi chef and restaurateur, Al Brown, has returned from Western Australia’s premier food event, the Margaret River Gourmet Escape, having presented alongside some of the world’s best culinary talent including; Heston Blumenthal, George Calombaris, Luke Dale-Roberts and Sat Bains.

Al Brown was the only New Zealand chef to attend the Margaret River Gourmet Escape event in Western Australia as a guest chef.  The hugely popular foodie event showcased the best international and Australian food and wine talent including three restaurants in the world’s top 50, eight Michelin stars and over 20 Chefs Hats.

Describing the location in Margaret River as ‘Gobsmackingly Beautiful!’ Al Brown said the highlight of the event was meeting all the chefs and of course the food. His favourites were the marron and local scallops saying they were “off the dial”.

The Margaret River Gourmet Escape is in it’s second year and ran over three days from 22-24th November. The event offered an expanded program of satellite events includes indulgent long lunches, a pop-up beach BBQ restaurant, exclusive dinners, wine tastings, and masterclasses which highlighted the Margaret River wine region and Western Australia as a world-class food and wine destination.

Margaret River is famous for its exceptional food and wine, but also boasts beautiful beaches, spectacular tall tree forests, cave systems, incredible surfing, whale watching and Wildflowers, making it an extraordinary holiday destination.  It is also the perfect base from which to explore the natural beauty, unique attractions and the fresh produce of the South-West corner of Western Australia.

Some notable quotes on the Margaret River Gourmet Escape Event included:
AA Gill, London Sunday Times restaurant critic, Gourmet Traveller columnist described the event as being “like an animal shelter for chefs. They spend their whole year in the kitchen, their whole lives abused in kitchens being kept in these dungeons of heat and oil and ovens. To see them so happy to be out is great. They're like little puppies wagging their tales.” 

Shane Osborne from St Betty’s restaurant in Hong Kong described the highlight of his time in Margaret River was ‘Surfing and having dolphins swim around us while thunder and lightning was going on overhead”.

For more information on holidaying in Western Australia visit www.westernaustralia.com 
For event information www.gourmetescape.com.au