5 minute read
COVER STORY: MELBOURNE CRICKET GROUNDS
Victoria's Best: Flavoured by Melbourne
Fresh local ingredients, multicultural flavours and passionate culinary talent are the key components for a winning recipe at this iconic venue.
While you were sleeping this morning, Melbourne Cricket Ground’s (MCG) culinary team was hand-selecting an unrivalled selection of wild and sustainable fish, unique oyster varieties and pristine shellfish, export quality dry aged and grain fed steak, rare breed pork, Victorian lamb, and free range and organic poultry to put on the menu.
Adding to this, hyper-seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables sourced mainly from the Victorian food bowl of Bacchus Marsh. Other ingredients have come from all corners of Victoria; olive oil from Cobram, flour from Laucke Flour Mills, cheese from the Gippsland region, goat’s cheese from the Yara Valley, eggs from Laverton that have been farmed in North East Victoria, berries from the Mornington Peninsula, and asparagus from Koo Wee Rup.
Executive chef Dylan Sanding, chef de cuisine Sweta Baichoo and chef de cuisine Luke Bowden.
This bountiful harvest is carefully sourced from individual local and specialist suppliers. Handpicked ingredients, traditional processes. No replicas, no shortcuts. Uncompromising quality and flavours that tell a unique story.
Our quest is for the unusual, the considered care and attention by the producer, and a focus on sustainability and the community, that results in exceptional ingredients.
Some might think it obsessive to hunt for the perfect ingredient, but to us, it’s a necessity that inspires everything we do. Combine nature’s unique ingredients with the melting pot of Melbourne’s multicultural DNA, and you get ‘Victoria’s best, flavoured by Melbourne.’
MCG executive chef, Dylan Sanding, embodies the food philosophy that underpins the MCG approach to culinary greatness.
After kicking off his culinary career at the MCG as a 1st Year apprentice in 2003, Dylan spent the next two decades working at some of the most iconic hospitality venues in Melbourne followed by International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) as executive chef. Now, after 20 years, Dylan has come full circle, back to where it all started.
“Spending some time in Sydney, I really got to experience how the culinary offering can differ so greatly between Australia’s two major cities,” Dylan says.
“I was captivated back then by how amazing this iconic venue was and what it means to so many people. So, coming back to Melbourne and the G as executive chef is a huge highlight.
“I knew exactly what I wanted the culinary focus to be, I wanted to tell the story of Melbourne’s flavours. Melbourne is the greatest foodie capital in the world. There’s so much variety and diversity, you can find something from every corner of the world.
“‘Flavoured by Melbourne’ represents many things to many people - it’s variety, it’s exciting, it’s radiant, it’s bold, it’s cosmopolitan, its multicultural, it’s greatness. But it’s definitely not vanilla!”
Melbourne has been celebrating its multicultural influence across menus for decades with a focus on traditional and fusion cuisine that highlights its precincts and laneways. MCG has elevated that notion, developing dishes that capture the very essence of these cuisines.
Desserts that celebrate native flavours, such as Davidson's plum and Geraldton wax.
“We are taking guests on a journey and introducing them to new sensory experiences,” Dylan says.
“There is so much talent and many different cultures represented within our kitchens. Each member brings their own heritage and cultural influence, that combine to make up this fusion of flavour that we are so proud to introduce.”
“To me, Melbourne is a flavour BOMB!”
MCG chef de cuisine, Naman Kochhar, is bringing the authentic flavour of India to the MCG at a time when visitation from the market is at its very highest – especially for the corporate incentive.
“I grew up in Amritsar, Punjab, in a large Indian family - all of whom are big foodies. All the family members ate together, it was like a large gathering. I miss those days,” Naman says.
“From the age of nine, I would watch mum in the kitchen, making the base for all the curries, and was intrigued by the spices from dried red chillies, cinnamon, fenugreek seeds, cayenne pepper, cumin, coriander, cardamom, turmeric and asafoetida to name just a few.
“One thing mum told me is to take time getting the base of the curry right and it’ll turn out to be a very good dish, whether adding vegetable or protein. Just keep it simple and the flavours will follow.
Proud to be on the plate
A key focus for MCG has been sourcing producers throughout Melbourne and Victoria that are proud to be on the plate.
“We love nothing more than uncovering some of Victorian’s hidden gems and showcasing them to the world. Every product on the plate should have a unique story, a local story. One that speaks to a quintessential Melbourne experience,” Dylan says.
One of Dylan’s favourites is Infinity Blue Barramundi. The Victorian barramundi farm is located in Wyndham, an historic agricultural area just outside of Melbourne. Here, the finest quality baby Barramundi are grown in pristine geothermally heated spring water, drawn from the same ancient aquifer that links Hepburn Springs and Peninsula Hot Springs.
Glazed Bendigo chicken galantine, sweetcorn, blackened onions, roasted wattle seed sauce.
This ancient water source located several hundred metres underground remains free of all industrial or biological pollutants, which supports their philosophy that a fish is only as good as the water it lives in.
In 2022, MCG was announced Gold Winner of the Victorian Tourism Awards for Best Business Event Venue. With an ongoing commitment to ensuring that the world class stadium is accessible to the growing business events market, and aligning its culinary greatness, MCG is showcasing why it is an event destination of choice.
