Guests at Melbourne’s Sandridge Bridge and Southbank enjoyed a four-course meal prepared and served by staff from Mission Australia’s Charcoal Lane social enterprise restaurant.
Some of the native-inspired dishes included rice paper rolls, house-cured kangaroo prosciutto with shrimps and ruby red chilli, and mountain pepper salmon pastrami with avocado puree.
Mains ranged from king fish with palm sugar, soy mirin glaze, finger lime and salt bush salad with a kumara puree to slow-cooked lamb rump, wild thyme and bush tomato chutney, native mint young potatoes.
The desserts were also infused with Indigenous flavours. Diners had the choice of ending lunch with a raspberry and rosella flower cannelloni; baked lemon Aspen tart and vanilla panna cotta with passionberry jelly.
This 2011 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival event was held on the Yarra's iconic Sandridge Bridge - a symbol of bridging the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Among the guests was Yorta Yorta Elder Pam Pederson, who enjoyed the opportunity to sample Charcoal Lane and make friends: "Thank you so much for inviting me to the luncheon and what a beautiful day,” she told Mission Australia’s organisers after lunch. “I just so enjoyed meeting new people and talking to them."
The Charcoal Lane trainees who served and prepared food also enjoyed the day, according to the social enterprise’s Youth Support Worker Shera Angela: "The students had a great time and did really well. We are very proud of their efforts and perseverance on such a warm day."
Pictured, from left: Paul Bird, Mission Australia’s State Director Victoria, with Rod Jackson, CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service and Susan Riley, City of Melbourne Deputy Lord Mayor.
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