Vivid Sydney has just announced its exciting line-up for its inaugural Vivid Food pillar which includes international and homegrown culinary superstars working alongside iconic dining establishments as well as taking part in pop-up foodie experiences.
Here’s a snapshot of what’s on offer during Vivid Food:
Vivid Residence
One of the world’s most revered and award-winning chefs, Daniel Humm of three Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park in New York City (World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ number-one restaurant in 2017 and the world’s first three Michelin-starred vegan restaurant) will be in Sydney with his team. Taking over one of the city’s most iconic harbourside venues, two-hatted Aria Sydney, Humm will create a unique dining experience for a two-week residency (6 June to 17 June), bringing his visionary approach to plant-based dining to Australia for the first time. Humm will champion NSW produce alongside his crew and Aria Sydney’s team, led by Matt Moran and chef Thomas Gorringe.
Humm and the teams will create two different menus available with a nine-course tasting menu for dinner, as well as a shorter tasting menu for lunch. Tickets for the nine-course tasting menu are $550 per person, with the shorter lunch tasting menu costing $395 per person. Bespoke beverage pairings will also be available. Tickets go on sale on 28 April at vividsydney.com/residence.
Vivid Chef Series
The Vivid Chef Series will take over Sydney’s food scene, with the city’s best restaurants and chefs pairing with some of the world’s most exciting talent to bring the global contemporary culinary scene to Sydney for a limited number of nights.
From relaxed to fine dining, and boasting something for all tastes, from contemporary European to authentic African cuisine, chef collaborations will include:
- Mitch Orr, from the current Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide best new restaurant Kiln, working alongside award-winning LA chef Jeremy Fox from zero-waste-focused Rustic Canyon.
- Brent Savage working at his award-winning vegan restaurant Yellow with two-Michelin-starred chef Rishi Naleendra from Singapore’s Cloudstreet.
- Hussein Sarhan, from Merivale’s Fred’s, will come together with one of London’s hottest chefs, Jackson Boxer, who runs Brunswick House and Orasay.
- Bar Morris, which launches in May via the Handwritten Collection, hosts Cape Town’s Mmabatho Molefe, one of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 50 Next hospitality pioneers in 2022.
- Tickets go on sale on 28 April at vividsydney.com/chefseries.
Vivid Fire Kitchen
Set alongside the immersive splendour of Vivid House, Vivid Fire Kitchen brings together Sydney’s hottest dining concepts, with the world’s best pitmasters, barbecue heroes, some of NSW’s finest producers and much-loved local flame-focused restaurants all coming together for a festival of accessible fire demonstrations and exclusive barbecue dishes with drinks.
Guests will enjoy demonstrations combining local produce and raw-fire cooking from chef and restaurateur Lennox Hastie, of three-hatted and current Good Food Guide restaurant of the year Firedoor; MasterChef Australia 2021 runner-up Pete Campbell; Dave Pynt from Michelin-starred restaurant Burnt Ends in Singapore (number 24 on the 2023 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list); Australian-born Texas pitmaster and TV celebrity Jess Pryles; Pitmasters Brasil’s founder and barbecue expert teacher Daniel Lee; 2022 World Barbecue Champion Sterling Smith from Arizona; and Byron Bay’s Pip Sumbak.
Alongside barbecue offerings, Vivid Sydney audiences will be able to enjoy dishes from a curated selection of Sydney’s hottest dining concepts, from casual eateries to acclaimed restaurants. Vivid Fire Kitchen events are free for all to attend every night of Vivid Sydney from 26 May to 17 June 2023. Find out more here.
Vivid Sydney Dinner
Following a sell-out event in 2022, the Vivid Sydney Dinner returns to the Ivy Ballroom, fusing Light, Music and Ideas into a special feast created by renowned Merivale Executive Chef Ben Greeno and powerhouse chef and author Danielle Alvarez.
In the exciting collaboration, Greeno and Alvarez will create a menu that celebrates their shared love of NSW’s fresh seasonal produce, served alongside paired wines. And it wouldn’t be the Vivid Sydney Dinner without world-class immersive lighting, inspired by nature and served to your table.
Host Eddie Perfect will guide guests through a night of music, art, nature and more, featuring performances from Eddie, alt-pop singer Montaigne, African fusion artist Julian Belbachir, and beloved vocal powerhouse Christine Anu, plus Australia’s ‘First Lady of House’ Kate Monroe on the decks. Find out more here.
Chefs on the Harbour
Take in Vivid Sydney in style onboard Sydney’s newest luxurious superyacht, The Jackson. Enjoy the finest view of the spectacularly illuminated harbour as renowned chefs cook up an unforgettable five-course degustation.
Set sail on Sydney Harbour for a night of world-class cuisine and entertainment against the backdrop of Vivid Sydney’s beautiful Light Walk. The event features Nel Restaurant’s Executive Chef Nelly Robinson, MasterChef Australia favourite Khanh Ong and TV personality Mark Olive, with more talent to be announced. Find out more here.
Carriageworks presents the Warakirri Dining Experience
The Warakirri Dining Experience features an intimate evening of First Nations food showcasing 60,000 years of culture through a guided dining experience, entertainment, music and storytelling.
Renowned Chef and Founder of Mudgee’s Indigiearth, Sharon Winsor will create a five-course menu that celebrates First Nations ingredients sourced on Gadigal Land. As a Ngemba Weilwan woman from Western NSW, Winsor has a deep passion for combining her culinary training with an unparalleled knowledge of First Nations food.
Carriageworks presents The Warakirri Dining Experience will be held on 14 and 15 June 2023. Find out more here.
Vivid Rooftop Experience in Aster Bar
Perched 32 floors above Sydney Harbour, rooftop bar Aster boasts breathtaking 270-degree views of Vivid Sydney that can be enjoyed during a spectacular three-course menu paired with cocktails to match, overseen by InterContinental Sydney’s executive chef Matt Hart. A one-of-a-kind immersive experience inspired by astrology will also take you to new heights in this special experience. Find out more here.
Here Now
Day-to-night party HERE NOW is a day-to-night festival of abundance, mixing food and wine masterclasses with music and art to celebrate our most important voices, artists and makers, curated by Mary’s Group.
For its inaugural party, HERE NOW will bring together our most exciting names, cult favourites and emerging artists who are forging new paths for food, wine and art to keep flourishing in our country. Find out more here.
Keep updated about the Vivid Sydney program here.