Estrella Damm Gastronomy Congress
The Estrella Damm Gastronomy Congress was the perfect opportunity for Le Cordon Bleu Melbourne students to work with some of the world’s leading culinary legends, networking with 160 guests including VIPs, media, influencers, foodies, culinary & hospitality professionals and industry partners. 

Hero demonstration
In the first session, iconic chef Joan Roca (who has three Michelin stars and came first in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2013 and 2015) spoke about his creative process during a live cooking demonstration. He shared that wine is used to steam seafood at the table on hot rocks, and apparently, the special dessert he showcased captured the emotion of Messi scoring a goal!

Local Chef Team
In the second session, Australian and New Zealand chefs Monique Fiso (Hiakai), Dave Verheul (Embla) and Peter Gunn (IDES) took guests through a local gastronomy demonstration with three Mediterranean ingredients nominated by Joan Roca: Fresh tuna fish, Preserved anchovies (in salt), Kalamata olive. Each chef discussed the construction of one dish in detail, followed by an open discussion.

Each dish was designed to demonstrate the unique style of the chef’s award-winning restaurant, and to perfectly complement the beverage. At the after party, guests enjoyed sampling each chef’s dish with Estrella Damm beers and cocktails.

Unique Le Cordon Bleu experiences
Le Cordon Bleu Melbourne students enjoyed an unforgettable learning experience and were praised for their professionalism (Aditya Pai, Sonia Patil, Dan Cheng, Nikita Jaypal Mathew Akhil, Kwon Junkyong, Aditya Ashwinkum, and alumni Ali Virji and Sebastian Kendrick).

These industry experiences are an exclusive opportunity for students to enhance their work-readiness and build industry connections. Le Cordon Bleu’s global network of industry partners has enabled past students to work at iconic restaurants such as Mugaritz, Noma and Nerua. Since this event, Le Cordon Bleu Chef/Lecturer Javier Perez has secured a placement for alumnus Sebastian Kendrick at Joan Roca’s El Celler de Can Roca.

Dreaming of a culinary future? Enrol to study at Le Cordon Bleu in 2020.

CRICOS: 02380M/RTO: 4959