2019
COOKING DEMONSTRATION STAGE
We have a fabulous lineup of top chefs sharing their talents with you at the Cooking Demonstration Marquee
COOKING DEMONSTRATIONS – Marquee
TIME PRESENTER
11.30 – 12.10 pm Franco and Andres, Peruvian chefs from A Chef’s Pocket
12.25 – 1.05 pm Terase Davidson – Chef and Founder of Taste Byron Bay & Simon Jones (Exec Chef, Elements of Byron)
1.50 – 2.30 pm Sean Connolly – Chef & Culinary Director, Balcony Bar & Oyster Co
3.00 – 3.40 pm Rahul Thacker – Head Chef Mumbai Masala
Terase Davidson – Taste Byron Bay, Founder
Simon Jones, Executive Chef at Elements of Byron
Terase Davidson, chef and founder of Taste Byron Bay is teaming up with Simon Jones, Executive Chef at Elements of Byron for this years cooking demonstration.
Simon and Terase are both passionate advocates for local farmers and producers both in Northern Rivers region and across Australia. They are well known for creating flavour driven menus that reflect the changing seasons and showcase the diverse range of produce available.
We are absolutely thrilled to have Terase and Simon bring their collective talents together at this years Ballina Food and Wine Festival, and can’t wait to see what delicious food they bring to the cooking demonstration stage!
Sean Connolly
One of Australia and New Zealand’s most respected and instantly recognised chefs, Sean Connolly’s wealth of experience spans the globe.
Since making the move to Sydney from his native England in 1988, Sean’s star has continued to rise. Starting with his position as executive chef at Astral restaurant in Sydney’s Star Casino, Sean keeps notching up formidable achievements.
In 2009, Sean hosted a 13 part SBS television series called My Family Feast. This was a celebration of Australia’s love affair with multicultural dining and no-fuss, family oriented entertaining. The series won an award for Best TV Show at the 2010 Australian Food Media Awards, plus the Best TV Series About Food and Wine Culture award at the World TV Food & Wine Festival, held in Paris. Sean authored a companion cookbook to the series, also called My Family Feast, which trumped international stars like Nigella Lawson to win Best Celebrity Chef Cook Book In The World at the 2011 Paris Book Fair.
In 2012, Sean opened The Morrison, a sophisticated New York-style restaurant and oyster bar in the heart of the Sydney CBD. In 2015 Sean expanded his business interests into South Australia, opening the aptly named Sean’s Kitchen in the Adelaide casino. His latest venture, The Balcony in Byron Bay, opened it’s doors early in 2016 and has already proven to be a significant player, impressing both discerning local diners and Byron Bay’s constant stream of domestic and international visitors.
For more information about Sean, visit www.seanconnolly.com.au
Franco Reverditto & Andres Soldi – A Chef’s Pocket, Le Cordon Bleu Peru
Franco and Andres are two Peruvian chefs looking to promote their food in Australia. They have this ongoing project for almost two years and run a market stall at Ballina Farmer’s Market every Sunday besides doing pop ups and other festivals around the area with a future dream of a restaurant.
For more information about A Chef’s Pocket visit their website: www.achefspocket.com
WINE | BEER | CIDER | APPRECIATION SESSIONS
WINE/ BEER/ DISTILLERY APPRECIATION SESSIONS
TIME PRESENTER
11.45 – 12.25pm Asahi Premium Beverages
1.00 – 1.20 pm Bellevue Estate, McLaren Vale
1.45 -2.05pm 2 Wild Souls Meadery
2.30 – 3.10pm Husk Distillers
3.30 – 4.10pm The Cellar
ENTERTAINMENT STAGE
TIME PERFORMER
11am-12pm Jockey Club Entrance – Kathryn Jones
1-1.45pm Rachael Beck and David Cameron
2-3.30pm The Mumblers
4-4.30pm Rachael Beck, Jed Zarb, David Cameron
4.45pm Raffle draw, Exhibitor Awards,
5-6pm Jed Zarb
We are super excited to announce RACHAEL BECK as our headline act.
Rachael is fresh off her season of Barnum the musical starring Todd McKenny.
Her film, “Me and My Left Brain” has opened to rave reviews and she is keenly working with schools to strengthen performing arts departments and talking about the link between the arts and mental health.
Rachael is widely known as Sam in Hey Dad and starred opposite Hugh Jackman in Beauty and the Beast, The Sound Of Music, Singing In the Rain and Ch 7's It Takes Two.
Rachael is a keen foodie and is excited to be back on her home turf to celebrate the best of what Ballina and the Northern Rivers has to offer.
Lennox Head-based bluegrass band, The Mumblers, play a mix of traditional bluegrass, original songs and evocative adaptations, bringing traditional sounds to life with plenty of thump and groove on the bottom end.
The six-piece band combines electric bass, kick drum and washboard with the more traditional fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar and three-part harmonies on vocals to create the unique Mumblers experience – a raucous coproduction of joyful performances and foot stomping crowds.
The band has been playing locally for more than 10 years, packing out iconic local venues such as ‘The Rails’, "the Shawsie’ and the Lennox Point Hotel, as well as festivals including the Redlands Blues Festival, The Ballina Country Music Festival and the Bangalow Bluegrass Barbeque.
Look out for the loyal fan base wearing the band t-shirt and mind your toes! 
David Cameron is one of Australia’s most experienced Musical Directors and accompanists. He began his career some forty years ago in Rock ‘n’ Roll and, since that time, he has worked in all aspects of the music industry.
David has toured nationally and internationally, accompanying some of Australia’s finest entertainers, including Hugh Jackman, Marina Prior, David Hobson, Judith Durham, Debra Byrne, Silvie Paladino, Denis Walter and The Seekers.
As Music Director, David has developed shows and also performed with Frank Holden, Denise Drysdale, Rachael Beck and many others.
David has also worked with international performers including Helen Reddy, Jose Feliciano, Max Merritt, and Gerry Marsden.
In contrast to working as an accompanist, David recently recorded an album - Sound of Breathing - on which he played the sitar and composed all tracks. The music has subsequently been used on in-flight relaxation channels, here and overseas, and in a documentary about Indian culture.
David currently combines his work as an accompanist and Musical Director with leading his own cabaret band. He has also recently co-produced albums for Marina Prior and Denis Walter.