Think that a vegan chef as a headline act at a meat-fest is a strange idea? Think again.
Meet Shannon Martinez – Melbourne’s trailblazing vegan chef – who will turn heads at next month’s Adelaide Beer and BBQ Festival. Shannon, who runs all things food at Fitzroy’s all vegan restaurant, Smith & Daughters, loves the challenge of serving up tasty meat-free options. She’s actually not a vegan – and says that’s what gives her an edge.
“It’s a great part of what we do every day – replicating the tastes and textures of meat, rather than putting out the same old bland, predictable, vegan food. Sometimes it is the textures that are missing in vegan foods, and the fats. You need these to get the right mouth feel,” she said.
“Many people believe veganism is a trend, that all vegan food tastes the same, boring way and, above all, that it is uncreative, not filling and lacks flavour. I like to turn that on its head.”
Her cooking challenges vegan preconceptions and assembles recipes that blow taste buds out of the water. Featuring ‘chorizo’ and potato, Spanish ‘meatballs’ in a saffron almond sauce, chipotle cashew ‘cheese’, ‘tuna’ and green pea croquettes to doughnuts – her new age veganism gives new life to classics and appeals to meat and vegetarian eaters alike.
At the helm of SA’s best restaurant Africola, and also by no coincidence ABBF BBQ Ambassador, Duncan Welgemoed is pretty stoked to welcome Shannon to the ABBF lineup. “Shannon is at the forefront of vegan food and she’s an ass kicking, name taking, beautiful chef that encompasses all that’s great about a festival with no real rules or boundaries” Duncan said.
Bringing some muscle to the American BBQ is “Fancy Hanks” own Mike Patrick. The man at the helm of the Melbourne Bourke Street restaurant, which is home to their star attraction puffing Billie, a hulking custom-made oddest smoker, Mike will be teaming up with local BBQ alum Low & Slow to showcase signature dishes such as beef brisket with black pepper rub, pork ribs and beef and pork andouille sausage links.
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The BBQ line up doesn’t stop here others include JKs BBQ & Smoke, Qweilo Gaijin Ghetto BBQ, Lyndoch Hill “Are You Game”, Drew’s Blues & BBQ, Gilbert Street Wings and NOLA.
International chef Matty Matheson from Canada the food star of next month’s festival, is coming to Adelaide for the first time and has promised to share some of his legendary BBQ and even more legendary life lessons. Matheson continues to create buzz with his massive fan base through his VICE show “Dead set on life”.
Tickets to the event, which comprises of 4 sessions across a 3 days weekend, range from $25 to $40 per session or $70 for a weekend pass.
Tickets are on sale now via the website. If you want to check out last years event then go to their Instagram and Facebook page.
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