Chef’s delicious dish to suit all is no tall order

With the Chefs’ Long Table Lunch less than three weeks away, chef Tristan Rhodes has revealed the signature dishes he will be serving at the iconic event.

Tasked with creating a gluten-free, lactose-free and vegan dish, Mr Rhodes will present a Mushroom Trilogy to delight guests with even the strictest of dietary requirements.

“We are doing a trilogy of mushrooms with a gnocchi arancini stuffed in a Swiss brown with porchini dust with lime, egg-less mayo,” he said.

He said although the vegan option was a “bit of a challenge”, his role as a full-time chef at St John of God Hospital had prepared him.

“At St John of God you learn a lot about dietary requirements and all that sort of stuff, so for me it was probably a bit easier than most,” he said.

The chef also teamed up with long-time sponsor Mt Barker Free Range Chicken, Eagle Bay’s Wise Wine and Perth business Underground Dining to create the chicken course.

“We are doing a wood-fired char chicken with the skin on and that is going to be done with an American-style slaw and a chipotle dipping sauce,” he said.

“So it has a southern American influence with the nice fragrance and flavours of the char grill, which will be nice because we have never done that before and will send a nice aroma down to all the customers sitting at the tables.”

Despite having the pressure of serving 500 guests lunch, Mr Rhodes said the event was “good fun” and had a “great vibe”.

“You would think for 500 people it is five times the pressure because usually you cook for around 100, but with the long lunch it is so unique because all the chefs’ on hand to help each other.”

“The main thing is at the end of the day how much money we are making for the charities and hopefully we crack a million this year,” he said.