The talented team from Grand Mercure Mount Lofty House represented the Adelaide Hills in the 2007 LifeStyle FOOD Channel Australian Regional Culinary Competition, run as part of Tasting Australia to promote professional cookery focusing on locally grown and produced foods. Grand Mercure Mount Lofty House's 'Taste of the Adelaide Hills' team competed against more than 60 chefs from across Australia to be awarded the Bronze Award for Best Region.
Team Captain and Grand Mercure Mount Lofty House Executive Chef, Justin Markos, says he couldn't be prouder of his team and the region they represented.
"This was our first year in the competition against some of the best teams in the country, so we were just hoping for a top ten finish. To take home Bronze is a real honour and an absolute dream come true," he says.
"I can't speak highly enough of the incredible produce we have to work with in the Hills, and the amazing support we've received.
"We've spent almost seven months preparing for this competition and the entire region has been behind us all the way - I'm so glad we have something to bring back to the Adelaide Hills!"
The team competed at tafeSA's Regency Campus on Tuesday, where they had three hours to create a three-course menu for four people, using ingredients sourced from the Adelaide Hills and pairing each course with a local wine. Points were awarded for everything from cooking techniques to use of regional produce, food and wine matching, uniforms and even table settings.
"We aimed to showcase the unique flavours of the Hills by including ingredients like partridge, venison and Lenswood apples and matching them with local wines from Hahndorf Hill and Bird in Hand," Justin says.
"Even our cutlery was hand-created for the competition by the Cutler's Cottage in Hahndorf, using locally sourced deer antler. I think it's this genuine passion for the region we work in that helped us stand out against some really stiff competition."
Grand Mercure Mount Lofty House is owned and operated by Accor Première Vacation Club which is one of the Asia Pacific's leading Holiday Ownership programs operated by wholly owned subsidiaries of Accor Asia Pacific - the region's largest and fastest growing hotel group. The Club has over 20,000 Member families who enjoy holidays at 19 Home Club Properties.
