If the World’s 50 Best didn’t make it clear, Australia is currently a hotbed for culinary talent. And what better way to celebrate the fact than over a meal created by said food superstars. It’s the idea embraced by Sydney fine dining space The Gantry for its next event – a month-long dinner series that will see a handful of the nation’s finest cooking talent join forces.

The Gantry’s Executive Chef Joel Bickford has teamed up with his culinary kin to create a one-off special menu that will be served for the month of July. It’s an innovative collection of dishes that celebrates the best Australian culinary talent and produce from some of the nation’s most loved chefs and restaurants.

That’s a team that will comprise of chef and director of Bowral’s two-hatted Biota Dining & Rooms James Viles, and chef and owner of regional two-hatted Muse Restaurant and Muse Kitchen Troy Rhoades-Brown. There will also be the presence of a rising duo from Stanmore’s much loved two-hatted Sixpenny – sous chef and winner of 2016 Appetite for Excellence Young Chef of the Year award Aaron Ward and fellow sous chef (and formerly of Amaru, Melbourne and Michelin-starred Ragu) Hanna Leinonen.

It was not hard for Joel to decide who he wanted to work with. “I chose these chefs first and foremost because they are my friends, but also because they have all influenced or inspired me in one way or another,” he says. “Hanna’s dedication, eye for detail and pursuit of excellence; Troy’s skill and professionalism having built such a successful iconic business; Aaron’s nonstop commitment to our industry and James really is all of the above and has been a great friend and mentor of mine for numerous years, all of these qualities I would love to possess.”

The ‘Friends of The Gantry menu will be available as a 5-course degustation throughout July, with each dish designed by one of the chefs. There’s the likes of a Murray cod, served with celeriac, black olive, and salt bush from Aaron Ward, as well as a sea buckthorn, carrots, and liquorice concoction from Hanna Leinonen that should give you an idea as to what the menu will entail.

Tickets are priced at $99 per person and include a donation to food rescue charity Ozharvest, which The Gantry is affiliated with.

To book your tickets for Friends of The Gantry, including a special hotel package, see here.