By Rebecca Harris
One hundred licensed premises across Australia will take part in a beer and food matching challenge that will see chefs compete to create dishes matched to James Squire beers.
The 2008 James Squire Chef’s Match will feature chefs competing in either the ‘Restaurant’ or the ‘Gastro Pub’ category in venues like the Seven Mile Inn in Western Australia, the Full Moon Hotel of Queensland and the Dog and Duck Alehouse of South Australia.
Last year’s winner in the ‘Gastro Pub’ category was the Rose of Australia Hotel in the Sydney suburb of Erskineville. Chef Byren Norton Figtree impressed the judges with his “innovative” menu, including the ‘Prawnography’, a salad of fresh tiger prawns, green mango, chilli, lime, cashews, spinach and fried ginger matched to a James Squire Golden Ale.
Back again this year to defend his title, Figtree said the competition was a “good way to promote the idea of beer and food matching, instead of just wine matching, especially seeing as we are a pub”.
James Squire managing director and chief brewer, Chuck Hahn, said the competition was about pushing the limits on what chefs can do with food and beer matching.
“So many people think that only a bottle of wine will go with food, but that’s not true at all. One of the advantages of matching food with beer is that it comes in a smaller bottle and with a lower alcohol content, (meaning) you can have a different bottle with each course,” he said.
The dishes will be available in participating venues between August 4 and August 23.