Sydney Royal Celebrates Australia’s Finest Producers at Chef’s Table Lunch

The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) has brought together some of the nation’s most awarded producers at an exclusive Chef’s Table Lunch, held at Izy.Aki in Paddington on Monday. 

Hosted by Sydney Royal Fine Food industry advisors Tawnya Bahr, Sally Gosper, and Venessa Barnes, the event showcased exceptional medal-winning products from the prestigious Sydney Royal Fine Food Show, with the aim to elevate awareness of Sydney Royal medal-winning products among chefs, buyers, and industry professionals.

Guests were presented with valuable insights from renowned food identity, Lyndey Milan OAM, Sydney Royal Fine Food Chair, Michael Bullen, and RAS Executive Chef, Cyril Milleto, who, along with Tawnya Bahr, guided attendees through the stories and standards behind Australia’s top-performing producers.

RAS Councillor, Lyndey Milan said she is immensely proud of the Sydney Royal Fine Food competitions and the continuing role they play in elevating industry standards and championing talented producers across Australia’s food industry.   

“We inaugurated the judging of these diverse categories of food in 1998, and they were the first of their kind in Australia”, Milan said.

“We have always prioritised the integrity of the judging process: blind judging, three judges per panel with different skills, supported by associate judges in-training; no collaboration between judges until scores have been submitted; and constructive feedback provided to all exhibitors.

“All of this was developed with the view to improve excellence in Australian agriculture.”

The luncheon offered a curated selection of Gold-winning producers, including Australia’s Oyster Coast, Aquaculture Enterprises, Gumshire Pork, Stockyard Beef, The Food Farm Chicken, Rodriguez Bros, Noosa Black Garlic, Edible Alchemy, Smoketrap Eels, The Yoghurt Shop, Rice Culture, Lily Yarra Semi, Mandolé Orchard, Pacific Salt and Olsson’s.

The specialised menu was carefully curated by Chef Darren Templeman of Izy.Aki, who also conducted brief explanations of each course before they were served.

The menu was accompanied by a showcase of Sydney Royal trophy-winning wines from acclaimed vineyards Printhie, Evans & Tate, Byrne Farm and Berton Vineyards, illustrating the depth and diversity of excellence across Sydney Royal competitions.

In addition to Fine Food and Wine, The Sydney Royal Competition series also encompasses Cheese & Dairy, Beer & Cider, and Distilled Spirits. Together, these competitions serve as an ongoing national benchmark for quality.

Underpinned by a rigorous and expert-led judging process, a Sydney Royal medal assures trade professionals they are selecting from Australia’s very best, as determined by their peers across the food and agricultural industries.

For further information about Sydney Royal Competitions, please visit our website.

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Food Industry advisors and RAS Chef, with Chef Darren Templemen and his team at Izy.Aki