Previous Events

The Essential Ingredient Newcastle is proud to host four fabulous events over the course of Newcastle food Month –

A Chef’s Table Masterclass lead by young gun Chef Paul Niddrie (Flotilla, Muse Kitchen). Paul will present you with 4 fantastic courses and drink pairings all while walking you through the preparation of each dish. Expect to be surprised, delighted and charmed.

We will also be featuring a shorter, but no less exciting Chef’s Table Experience with Signal Box – one of the brightest stars in Newcastle’s dining scene.

Next up is a trip through a Newcastle icon – the City Farmer’s Market with Chef Paul. We’ll collect the best produce and bring it back to our cooking school to prepare for our Market to Table Class.

Finally we have a VIP shopping night celebrating delicious cheese, Thomas Wines, Styx Distillery Gin and more local products along with prizes and demonstrations.

Chef Shayne Mansfield and beverage director Eduardo Molina of Flotilla would like to invite you to a five-course degustation of our autumn menu with alternative natural wine pairings

Order lunch every Thursday in April and drive through McDonald Jones Stadium to pick it up.

Our menu is classic diner and BBQ style dishes from the Executive Chef at McDonald Jones Stadium.

Enjoy a 3-course sit-down dinner paired with hand-crafted cocktails featuring Earp’s No 8 Gin and the Just Juniper Gin.

Taylor Cawsey from Earp Distilling Co will be providing guests with a rundown on their local products and the story behind the Carrington based distillery.

Join us each Friday night in April for the Signal Box pop-up Sparkling and Oyster Bar. Enjoy half dozen oysters and a glass of sparkling wine for $25 per person. Each week we will feature a different oyster variety with the grower on hand to freshly shuck the oysters and answer any questions you may have about the region’s oysters. 

The Newcastle Seafood Festival will be showcasing why it is the seafood capital of Newcastle. You decide who is the best. From Friday lunch 9th April to Sunday dinner on the 11th April over 30 Pubs, clubs, restaurants and takeaways in the area will be putting on their best, most creative and impressive seafood dishes to wow your taste buds

Set menu showcasing our gourmet Churrasco style of service. A chef’s selection of seafood, a variety of cuts, sides and accompaniments, selection of traditional Brazilian desserts. An extensive selection of wines, beers, spirits and cocktails. Live entertainment with the Piano Bar and decor.

This evening in the Soul dining room will begin a close-up experience of Soul’s inner world that will include a beautiful 2-course meal prepared by the Soul volunteer foodies. A guided tour of the facility showcasing the extensive work of Soul to the city’s most vulnerable, guest and volunteer stories.

Meet some of Newcastle’s amazing local producers at a mini pop up market at the Newcastle Visitor Information Centre. Taste Urban Hum honey and learn about bees, nibble Destiny Haven chocolate and hear about its healing powers and sample flavoursome Oz Tukka’s Indigenous herbs and spices. A showcase of Newcastle’s talented foodies

If you love Gin then this intimate experience is for you.

Enjoy a selection of award winning gins paired with a selection of local seafood prepared by Executive chef, Tony Harrison, from Nor East Bistro, at Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club. Tony trained at Bistro Molines in the Hunter Valley and developed a love for classic French Bistro dishes and seafood. Distiller Analee will share the journey of creating gin.

With very limited places, demand will be high.

We’re sorry to bring you the news that this event has been cancelled.

Get your Gourmet on with us at Decadence Festival of Indulgence…. from Bubbles to Bries, Caviar to Chocolate and Truffles to Pates you get the picture….

Tantalise your tastebuds with Newcastle and surround regions best gourmet morsels.

This event is similar to one of our renowned Gluten-Free Moreish Mystery Monday’s, but it is on Sunday 11 April 2021, and we will be taking your palate on a little bit more of an intrepid adventure! Three courses plus bread – all gluten-free – for only $45. Our talented Chefs are in complete control – each course is a surprise until it is presented to you!

Two recipes and techniques will be shared with a small group of 8 partons, then the group will sit down in the dining room with views of the iconic marina for a 2-course meal with the chef and have a glass of Hunter Valley wine.

Let regional NSW’s Best Asian restaurant Nagisa take you on a seafood journey with some of our regions most incredible seafood sourced by Shane’s, and perfectly paired with four of the Hunter’s finest Semillons made by leading winemaker Andrew Thomas.

Join Chris Thornton, Sommelier Stephan Pommier and the Team at Restaurant Mason on a trip to France. The Dinner will feature a 6-course French menu designed by Chris, matched with incredible French wines by Stephane.

The team from Young Henrys & Grainfed will be each showcasing three beers accompanied by a special 6-course dinner designed by the Burwood Inn’s Head Chef Jeremy Salmon. Limited Tickets $89 – Phone 49635000. Great beer & amazing food in the beautifully relaxed atmosphere of The Burwood Inn! Awesome!

Get a taste of some bush tucker food and enjoy a special dance performance by Catapult Dance in response to the Aboriginal exhibition ‘VOID’. Explore traditional and contemporary craft through artmaking activities and demonstrations.

Newcastle’s East End is bursting with fabulous food and restaurants. Visit four of the best east end eateries for a moveable feast with a course in each. It’s more like a long lunch than a food tour where the only thing that doesn’t change is the quality of the food.

Naturellement is coming for you. Taste the best from Newcastle & Hunter makers, meet the producers and soak up the refreshments across wine, beer and spirits. Want a more international treat? Then head to the one-time-only Baller Bar curated by P&V Merchants. A small run of masterclasses will be on to sink your teeth into, food will feature collaborations by some of the best local chefs with a new menu each session while DJ’s keep the good times rolling.

Join the Pork Ewe Deli team for an afternoon of delicious dining at their first-ever Seasonal Long Lunch. Celebrating the flavours of Europe over a leisurely Sunday lunch, enjoy a five-course feast including our signature charcuterie and of course a fabulous cheese course.

We’ve sourced 12 of the best cheeses from around the globe, to taste alongside Australia’s finest examples, all matched to stunning Australian wines. Your hosts, Black Pearl Epicure’s General Manager and cheese expert Peter Gross, and Wine Selectors’ Wine Educator Paul Diamond will guide you through the cheesemaking process, explain the vast array of cheese styles, and reveal the art of cheese and wine appreciation.

Join Ron & Raf with a special guest Hunter Valley winemaker for the second in our series of ‘Through Rose Coloured Glasses’ events. The event consists of a long lunch with matched wine from one of Australia’s most dynamic young winemakers – Usher Tinkler. The boys in the kitchen will be designing a stunning four-course menu that will perfectly complement the unique mix of wines that Usher will bring to the table.

Newcastle Music Festival and FogHorn Brewhouse invite you to an operatic amuse-bouche. This operatic comedy, Bon Appétit, depicts the beloved celebrity cook, Julia Child, baking a chocolate cake (Le Gâteau au Chocolat Léminence Brune). The words and actions are adapted directly from one of her TV shows. This new production stars acclaimed international mezzo-soprano Deborah Humble.

Fennel and Co Catering Sponsored by the Hamilton Business Association invite you to a 5-course native degustation. Chef James Borg and his team will connect you with our great land and showcase incredible native ingredients that have been used by our indigenous ancestors for thousands of years. Our 5-course degustation with paired wines will take you and your taste buds on an unforgettable culinary journey.

Join us at The Shorty Hotel for our Sixth South African themed banquet night. Our head chef Gerhard is putting together a menu not to be missed alongside award-winning fellow South African chef Jonathan Heath. Tickets are $55 per person and include a four-course banquet-style feast.

Newcastle’s best kept secret Binnie Beef Warehouse together with Binet Family Wines will be hosting a 4 course dinner accompanied by some of the Hunters best wines. The event will be prepared by our in-house chef James Borg from Fennel and Co and paired with wines from Binet Family Wines. Come along and enjoy some of the Hunters best full blooded wagyu straight from the farm.

5-course culinary lunch soaking up the amazing scenery of Shortland waters golf club. Gather the ladies and enjoy our beautiful boho-inspired table settings, with photo wall, roaming photographer and a live musician playing softly in the background.

Newcastle Music Festival & FogHorn Brewhouse present the outrageous talent of tenor, Brad Cooper, with pianist, Bev Kennedy, in an electrifying journey through the Kabarett songs of Weimar Berlin. Price includes a 2-course meal & drink on arrival.

It’s all trivial, come and test your knowledge and it’s all for a fabulous cause – empowering woman to thrive free from domestic violence. Join us at Earps Distilling Co for a welcome signature cocktail, food platters, a gin tasting challenge and a night full of friendly competitive fun.

Which style of Hunter Valley Shiraz goes best with Oysters, Salmon and Wagyu beef? You be the judge as we take you on a journey of discovery through this cleverly designed Japanese inspired feast for the senses which feature the finest local produce including Wagyu from the Hunter’s Binnie Beef, and 5 great Shiraz wines from Thomas Wines.

Hosted by Head Brewer Shawn Sherlock, join us for this feast of beer matched food. You’ll enjoy a beer and snacks on arrival, followed by a 3-course menu with accompanying beers which have been expertly matched by Shawn and our Head Chef.

Join Dan James and George Mirosevich for a five-course seafood degustation dinner at Signal Box. The evening will begin at our pop-up oyster and sparkling bar on the rooftop. We will then move downstairs to our dining pavilion to be taken on a seafood journey. $95 per person including sparkling wine on the rooftop.