There is something really theatrical about a well-timed dinner service. Add in some exceptional artwork and world-class music and you have the perfect recipe for a memorable night.
This May, the Adelaide Festival Centre is combining all these elements for The Red Gum Dinner, featuring an incredible night of food by world-renowned chef Mark Olive.
Mark Olive is one of Australia’s most celebrated Indigenous chefs and has become a well-known Australian icon with his charismatic style and creative approach to food. His love of food and cooking started when he was very young.
“It all started when I was about eight or nine. I was just really curious about food and I think, like any Aboriginal kid in any Aboriginal family, you’re sitting at the table waiting for a feed. I used to watch mum and godmother cook and make stuff and I’d be sitting there watching them. That was fascinating to me, it was always like magic – I think that was the hook for me. How did all this stuff come together and make something really nice and tasty?”
Mark studied at the Victorian School of Arts which led him to directing his own short film titled Passing Through, exploring issues of identity, culture and family. A storyteller by nature with a love of music, Mark is a teacher and leader to many, not just within his cultural background. In 2022, Mark hosted a special evening of stories, song and food with late Archie Roach AM.
Theatre and performance has always been important to Mark, which he shared with Glam Adelaide.
“It’s all about theatre in the kitchen. For me, food’s always been about the theatre of sitting down, enjoying a meal, and performing for your friends. Everybody performs when they’re eating and sitting around a meal, so it is that performance element. Before I went to the theatre and film school, I worked in comedy cabaret theatre at a venue called ‘Dirty Dicks’. It was a show and dinner and I always found it fascinating: the theatrics of the performance, but then the precision of food having to come out at certain times to line up with the show, and all these elements working together to create such a wonderful night out. So performing has followed me around my whole career.”
The Red Gum Dinner, on 3 May in the Banquet Room at the Festival Centre, is part of the 2025 Tasting Australia program.
“I think it’s really important that we have that opportunity to sit down and have a meal, but not only that, a localised meal from a region that’s known to be rich in food. With The Red Gum Dinner, we’re including a lot of the Indigenous food that grows around the region. We’re also using Munda Wines. We have created the most incredible menu that we know the guests will like, and will only be enhanced by these great wines.”
Throughout the evening the sensational First Nations artist Karno Martin will provide live music.
Karno Martin is a cultural educator, performer, and artist with Aboriginal heritage from both the Kaurna and Narungga peoples. Since 2016, Karno has been a Cultural Educator at the Marine Discovery Centre and the Star of The Sea School, contributing to Aboriginal cultural learning through marine trails and educational programs. He is also a dancer and storyteller, sharing the traditional knowledge passed down by his uncle, Karl Telfer, and the Yellaka family group. Karno teaches a diverse range of subjects, including geographic mapping, hunting techniques, music, storytelling, and dance. He has collaborated with major South Australian arts organisations such as the Adelaide Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Restless Dance Theatre, Country Arts SA, Illuminate, and ActNow.
Artwork is from artists involved with the Adelaide Festival Centre’s OUR MOB program.
The Red Gum Dinner promises to be a sensational night celebrating great music, food and culture.
“What I’d really love for diners to experience is a night of different flavours, something totally different on their palate, to have a really good experience with the matched wines we’ve got from our indigenous suppliers and some excellent music. I’ll be on the floor as well from time to time chatting to everyone about the dishes they are experiencing.”
Red Gum Dinner
The Banquet Room – Adelaide Festival Centre
3 May, 2025
https://www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/whats-on/red-gum-dinner
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