Delighted diners eagerly devoured a delicious lunch prepared by former Master Chef contestant, Callum Hann, on Sunday afternoon, at a special Whitsunday Chef’s Lunch hosted by local Asian fusion restaurant, Eastwoods.
The event was orchestrated by Whitsunday Coast Airport as part of an initiative to promote the upcoming direct flights to Adelaide in September.
“Callum has a massive network and is very high profile in Adelaide,” said Director of Commercial Businesses for Whitsunday Regional Council, Craig Turner.
“He came here eight years ago and commented how much our local food offering has improved since then.
“It’s been wonderful to see Callum use his celebrity to promote the region and to work with local produce.”
Mr Turner said that he is excited to see the Whitsundays become increasingly known as a “foodie destination”.
“From May through to October our region produces so much of our domestic produce, and often we do not celebrate it enough – it’s nice to see people get excited and with flights soon coming from Adelaide, we get to enjoy South Australian produce and they get the same in reverse.”
Owners of Eastwoods, Jack and Kirsty Mason, said they were thrilled to host Callum at their restaurant and enjoyed the “seamless collaboration” between them.
“It was incredible!” said Jack.
“Callum and I come from very different backgrounds, but we collaborated on the menu and we are happy with the final product, it all went really well.
Kirsty added they are “grateful for the experience”.
“We look forward to continuing to work with our amazing local produce and creating amazing food to promote our region.”
After the Whitsunday Chef’s Lunch, Callum headed to Flagstaff Hill in Bowen where he cooked with locally caught tiger prawns and created a Bowen Mango Salad.
He also ventured out on Cruise Whitsundays for a day trip to Whitehaven with his family.
1: Callum Hann (centre) with owner of Eastwoods, Jack Mason (right), and the team of chefs who worked on the day. Photo credit: Rachael Smith
2: Eastwoods owner Kirsty Mason (backrow centre) with her dedicated service team. Photo credit: Rachael Smith
3: Director of Commercial Businesses for Whitsunday Regional Council, Craig Turner welcomes diners to the event. Photo credit: Rachael Smith
4: Callum Hann addresses the crowd. Photo credit: Rachael Smith
