OzHarvest Table for 10

OzHarvest is celebrating its 10th birthday with a series of Table for 10 dinners at their new home in Alexandria, with a special guest chef every night and a three course menu with wines by Handpicked Wines.

OzHarvest Table for 10

Ronni Kahn, founder of OzHarvest, welcomed guests to the new OzHarvest HQ which was given to them by the Goodman Group in celebration of their 10th milestone. To date, OzHarvest collected over 30 million meals from 9 million kilos of surplus food that would have otherwise gone to waste and delivered it to people in need.

Ronni Kahn – OzHarvest Founder

Ronni spoke of the various programs OzHarvest currently runs. The Food Rescue Program collects excess food from a variety of both food wholesalers and retailers for distribution to those vulnerable members of our community. It is currently in operation in 4 state capitals and 2 regional cities and will soon expand into both Perth and Canberra. Food Rescue has delivered more than 29 million meals to those in need and at the same time has saved more than 10,000 tonnes of good quality food being sent to landfill.

Travis Harvey – OzHarvest Chef for a Cause

In August 2014, the Nourish Program commenced to provide education, training and mentoring for disadvantaged youth to have a pathway for careers in the food and hospitality industries. The pilot program was run in partnership with TAFE Sydney.

Community Engagement Programs will see OzHarvest visiting those in need in our community. This is to assist in ensuring that these members of our community are able to plan and prepare meals for themselves.

OzHarvest Garden

The evening began with a garden tour where much of the garden beds and produce has been donated by OzHarvest before inclement weather made everyone rush indoors.

Handpicked Wines Supporting OzHarvest

Table for 10 dinners are supported by Virgin Mobile, Vittoria Coffee and Handpicked Wines which we reviewed earlier. Over 10 night, different chefs will prepare a 3 course meal using rescued and donated food designed to be shared.

Handpicked Wines

On taste were Handpicked Wines Eden Valley Riesling, Margaret River Chardonnay, Central Otago Pinot Noir and to finish, Italian Moscato.

Labneh Stuffed Flatbreads

The Labneh Stuffed Flatbreads were of a very smooth texture with a light fresh flavour. The labneh was made from rescued yoghurt, the flat bread was made from rescued flour and the herbs came from the garden.

Spring Pea Falafel, Preserved Lime Hummus, Almond Dukka

Dinner started with two shared entrees. Spring Pea Falafel, Preserved Lime Hummus with Almond Dukka was made with spring green peas from the garden and rescued chick peas. The balls of falafel were a delight, crisp on the outside, soft, bright green and packing a lot of flavour on the inside.

Salmon Dolma, Cress

Next was the Salmon Dolma with Cress, an odd sounding dish of salmon stuffed vine leaves coated in a tempura-like batter and sprinkled with pomegranate. The salmon was perfectly cooked and sat on a bed on radish and spinach salad.

Handpicked Wines – Central Otago Pinot Noir

The Central Otago Pinot Noir from Handpcked Wines was poured from a gorgeous bespoke decanter which allowed the wine to release its fruity aromas.

8 Hour Lamb Shoulder, Tomato Confit

The 8 Hour Lamb Shoulder fell away is if it was butter. The accompanying tomato confit added a perfect balance to the dish.

Pistachio Pilaf

The Pistachio Pilaf had flavour and crunch through the nut while the pilaf was extremely light to taste.

Artichoke Salad

The Artichoke Salad was a simple salad with thinly sliced artichoke, parsley and mint leaves from the garden providing texture and flavour.

Cardamom Panna Cotta, Poached Rhubarb and Black Sesame Caramel

Dessert was Cardamom Panna Cotta, Poached Rhubarb and Black Sesame Caramel with rhubarb and strawberries from the garden.  The panna cotta had a thick creamy consistency and lightly spiced with cardamom. The black sesame caramel was simply the icing on the cake, naughty and totally irresistible.

Travis Harvey (OzHarvest Chef for a Cause 2nd from left) with Alex Flevill (Nourish Student 3rd from left) and Team

As Ronni Kan stated earlier, the menu for OzHarvest’s Table for 10 dinner by Travis Harvey was cooked with lots of love, providing nourishment for the body and soul.

Table for 10 dinners run nightly until October 24, 2014 and turn what would be refuse into restaurant quality meals.

The #mealforameal social media campaign is still going strong. If you include this hashtag when you post a photo of a meal on social media, Virgin Mobile will donate to OzHarvest so they can deliver a real meal to someone in need.

The OzHarvest Table for 10 dinner with chef Travis Harvey was held on Tuesday 14 October, 2014.