Taxpayers pick up tab

DRYSDALE’S 2017 Great Chefs Series was billed as being cost-neutral, but ultimately cost taxpayers $200,000, the Mercury can reveal.

The nine chefs in this year’s program, including San Francisco-based Dominique Crenn, Christian Puglisi, of Copenhagen’s Relae, and three Michelin-star chef Alain Passard, were paid a total of $81,000.

TasTAFE says the remaining money was spent on logistics. It is understood there was a lack of budgetary rigour around this year’s Great Chefs Series, with TasTAFE interim chief executive Mark Sayer confirming the $200,000 cost.

Ticket sales had been expected to fund the series.

The chefs visited TasTAFE between March and August to mentor students and present public degustation dinners.

Mr Sayer said the chefs were recruited by a senior TasTAFE Drysdale staff member who had professional relationships with them.

The staff member is understood to no longer work for the organisation.

French chef Passard, named the world’s number one chef, was the star attraction of a $250 a head dinner in Hobart during the series, which was reviewed by Mercury food writer Graeme Phillips as containing “bland” dishes.

“Though he says he creates and adapts dishes based on what’s freshly available and brought two kitchen assistants with him from Paris for the dinner, he seemed to have left his Michelin stars at home,” Phillips wrote at the time.

TasTAFE has confirmed the Great Chefs Series will be held again next year.

Mr Sayer said the event provided significant opportunities to promote the Tasmanian brand, attract interstate visitors and highlight premium local produce and producers.

“The Great Chef Series also increased the profile of training and careers in hospitality to help meet the demand from industry for highly skilled staff, providing significant real-life learning opportunities for, not only, TasTAFE apprentices and students studying hospitality but also provided practical learning opportunities.”

Australian Education Union Tafe organiser Simon Bailey said it was sad to see what had happened in the past, but there would be more frontline staff involved in future.