Beef producers lock horns
Food Leaders Australia hosting best steak battle
ONE of Queensland’s finest meat-producing regions is hosting its first beef battle next month to showcase the Darling Downs’ top-quality brands, and judge who has the best steak in town.
Food Leaders Australia is hosting the event in Toowoomba next month for restaurateurs, chefs, procurement teams, and the steak-loving public both near and far.
Food Leaders Australia General Manager Bruce McConnel said his organisation was proud to help deliver the event – with local brands JBS, Stanbroke, Rangers Valley, Oakey Beef Exports, Mort & Co and John Dee going head to head.
“We wanted to bring the region’s top beef producers together to highlight the outstanding quality of beef we have in the Darling Downs,” Mr McConnel said.
“It will also help develop stronger relationships between suppliers and the food and hospitality industry, both locally and across the state.
“We’re pleased to have The Star Entertainment Group – via its Treasury Brisbane property – throw its weight behind this event by sending its top executive chef to work with our local chefs on the night.
“The event is essentially a blind-tasting competition where the 150-strong audience will try each of the brands’ sirloin steaks and then judge who has the region’s best.”
Treasury Brisbane executive chef Steven Jones said he was looking forward to coming to the region to learn more about its beef industry and help local Toowoomba chefs prepare and cook the steaks.
“This is an exciting initiative by Food Leaders Australia and we’re proud to be a part of the first one of its kind in the region,” Mr Jones said.
“It follows our visit to Toowoomba in July where we spoke to regional producers about the potential supply opportunities that our South East Queensland developments could create in the future.
“As a business, it’s important that we find the best and freshest produce right across the state to ensure we create authentic Queensland experiences for locals and visitors to our properties.
“The Darling Downs is famous for its tender and flavoursome beef, as well as many fruits and vegetables, and building relationships with these suppliers will becoming increasingly vital as we continue to expand our operations in both Brisbane and on the Gold Coast.
“Today at Treasury Brisbane, and for the month of December alone, we’ve ordered 8000 portions of steak from our current local beef supplier, JBS, to serve at our ‘Kitchen at Treasury’ outlet.”