Adelaide chef Jock Zonfrillo announced as 2016 ambassador for Tasting Australia
HE may have been born in Glasgow to an Italian father and Scottish mother, but nomadic chef Jock Zonfrillo has been appointed Tasting Australia’s first food ambassador.
And the celebrated chef began his campaign in London on Friday night, wowing diners with his trailblazing use of indigenous ingredients, some of which he smuggled into the country for the event.
Tasting Australia is a premier food and wine event that has grown into a national food festival in the UK.
The Adelaide chef, 39, hosted the ill-fated Seven reality show Restaurant Revolution but his Nomad Chef TV series successfully aired in 220 countries last year.
He said he relished the challenge of convincing Europeans of the quality of Australian ingredients. “I’m always talking about Australia and its food so to be recognised as being that passionate about both is humbling,” he said.
“Growing up half Scottish half Italian, I was very aware of a cultural difference between people and, when I came to Australia, it became obvious to me that there was a problem with gastronomy, in my opinion, because why did this country not have its own easily recognised gastronomic identity?”
Zonfrillo made a name for himself not only as head chef at Restaurant 41 in Sydney but also in the UK working in Marco Pierre White’s three-Michelin-starred team. In Adelaide he runs Street-ADL and fine-diner Orana and is about to launch in Melbourne.
“I think attitudes are changing about Australian food. Myself and other chefs have been chasing that and I think Australia is being recognised a bit more now as a place for foodies,” he said.
Source: Adelaide Now - The Advertiser, Charles Miranda, September 25th September 2015
Originally published as: Adelaide chef Jock Zonfrillo announced as 2016 ambassador for Tasting Australia
