On Tuesday 9 Octoberwe’re having dinner with one of our longstanding favourite authors Tessa Kiros.

Every year, when asked which author we would like to have tour - Tessa Kiros has been at the top of our list.

Tessa is the best-selling author of some of our most beautiful cookbooks such as Falling Cloudberries, Apples for Jam, Twelve, Venezia, Piri Piri Starfish and Food from Many Greek Kitchens.

Visiting Australia for the first time since she became an author, to appear at the Sydney International Food Festival and to celebrate the launch of her new book Limoncello and Linen Water, Tessa will be our guest for dinner!

In Limoncello and Linen Water, this much-loved author celebrates the heritage of Italy, the country she has chosen to call home.  This whimsically feminine book is a tribute to the women in our lives – mothers, mothers-in-law, grandmothers – and the important lessons we learn from them.  With accessible, delicious recipes ranging from robust family dishes to quirky cakes and old-fashioned preserves, this book is a precious heirloom to treasure.

If you don’t know Tessa - no-one else captures the spirit and soul of a place or family quite like Tessa Kiros.  Born in London to a Finnish mother and a Greek-Cypriot father, she moved to South Africa when she was four, and at the age of 18 set off to travel, learn all she could about the world’s cultures and traditions and discover new ways of living and eating.  She has cooked at London’s The Groucho Club and in Sydney, Athens and Mexico. On a trip to Italy to study the Italian language and food she met her husband Giovanni, and they now live in Tuscany with their two children.

With the help of George Calombaris and Shane Delia we’ve organised a four course sharing style dinner at St Katherine’s

When:  Tuesday 9 October

Where: St Katherines - 237 Cotham Road Kew

Price : $95

To book call St Katherine’s on 9207 7477 or email [email protected]

If you can’t attend but would like signed copies of her books you can order online or contact us by phone and we’ll organise that for you

Come join Fergus for a drink!

[Fergus Henderson :] ‘The child of Elizabeth David and George Orwell.’ - A.A. Gill

Fergus Henderson will be in Melbourne for a day or two & we’ll be having a chat with Fergus about his books over a Fernet Branca at the European this coming Monday 21st May.

Fergus caused something of a sensation when he opened, with Trevor Gulliver, the restaurant St John in London in 1995.

Set in a former smokehouse near Smithfield meat market, its striking, high-ceilinged white interior provides a dramatic setting for food of dazzling boldness and simplicity.

As signalled by the restaurant’s logo of a pig (reproduced on the cover of Nose to Tail Eating) and appropriately given the location, at St John the emphasis is firmly on meat. And not the noisettes, fillets, magrets and so forth of standard restaurant portion-control, all piled up into little towers in the middle of the plate: Henderson serves up offal and secondary cuts in big, exhilarating dishes that combine high sophistication with peasant roughness.

In addition to wide ranging critical acclaim for his approach to ‘Nose to Tail’ Eating and the celebration and rebirth of British traditional foods in a restaurant context, Fergus is also an Andre Simon Award Winner for his wonderful book Nose to Tail Eating.

Fergus will be signing copies of both of his books, and rumour has it there might be mention of a new book to come.

What: A Drink with Fergus
When: Monday 21 May 6.30pm
Where: The Tea Room at The European, 159-161 Spring St

Bookings are Essential

Tickets are $10 per head which includes a glass of Fergus’ favourite tipple, Fernet Branca

To book call us on (03) 8415 1415 or email us

To celebrate the release of Matt Wilkinson’s Mr Wilkinson’s Favourite Vegetables we are excited to announce we are having a degustation dinner based on recipes from the book with Matt at one of Matt’s (and our) favourite hangouts - Gerald’s Bar in Rathdowne St North Carlton next Wednesday 28th March.

Matt will of course be chatting about his book, his views on Zucchini, Pistachios & Horseradish and pretty much anything else that comes to mind; just don’t mention Barnsley FC!

How much? $60 (drinks extra)

Where: Gerald’s Bar 386 Rathdowne Street, Carlton North

When: 7.30pm Wednesday 28 March 2012

40 seats are available

To book: - call Mario or Gerald at Gerald’s Bar on (03) 9349 4748 (ignore the message about not taking bookings - leave a message or you’ll miss out!)

Gerald’s Bar was Gourmet Traveller’s Bar of the Year in 2010 and Gerald was the recipient of the Donleavy Fitzpatrick Award in 2011.

Postscript (29th March)

Last night Matt cooked up a storm at Gerald’s Bar to launch his brand new book…

~
Smoked tomato gougeres
Radishes, butter & herb salt
Beetroot Juice, vodka shot
~
Horseradish & celeriac salad, grilled ox tongue
Shepherd’s pie croquette
Piquillo pepper, chorizo & mango salad, rare seared tuna
~
Sweet & Sour Goat’s neck, fennel & mozzarella salad, pumpkin salad
with macadamias, caper & raisin dressing
~
Lemon verbena scented blueberries, rice pudding

Thanks to Matt, Gerald & Mario, the evening was a great success.  If the measure of a good cookbook is the end of the meal…..nothing was left….!