The Fresh Collective known for exceptional experiences in hospitality and event catering across venues, cafés and restaurants in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane announced yesterday a new ambassador to head up its initiatives - multi-award-winning Chef, Ben Shewry for the Victorian chapter.
It is no surprise the business has gone in this direction given that both Ben’s 18 Chef-hatted restaurant, Attica and The Fresh Collective highly prioritise an ethos of eating seasonally and sourcing sustainably.
Ben’s portfolio will include iconic venues like Museum Victoria’s Melbourne Museum, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building and the Immigration Museum. His special menus will be available on request for all of The Fresh Collective’s other partnered venues including ACMI and the Melbourne Theatre Company, as well as for private events.
The tailored cocktail and lunch/dinner menus showcase Ben’s exceptional fine-dining skills and world-class expertise; the cocktail menu includes an assortment of cold and hot canapes, small bites, plates and bowls. Dishes from the menu include King George Whiting tartare, with sunrise lime and Geraldton wax; spanner crab and macadamia tart; Attica kabana gilda; salt and vinegar potato filled with goat’s curd; lamb and Pyengana cheddar pie; seared kangaroo with Attica kimchi; lamb brick with Mardanggich and Western King prawn cocktail mousseline.
There is also a seated menu, taking a slightly more traditional approach. Ben says: "I’m excited to share some of our dishes with a broader audience and provide interesting menus that take inspiration from around Australia and the creative work we do at Attica. These menus have been specially developed for The Fresh Collective, encompassing simplified ideas from our kitchen, alongside some classic Attica dishes from the past, but most importantly they are all dishes I love.
"Dishes to expect include rustic potatoes cooked in the earth - a simple take on an Attica classic - the original dish that put us on the map as a global dining destination. My appointment with The Fresh Collective has been a really exciting way for us to expand our offering outside of the walls of our dining room.”
