The Hunting Club

Alastair is best known from his roles on Channel Seven’s Great Day Out and Network 10’s Ready Steady Cook. Alastair has a recipe column in the Brisbane News and he is frequently heard on ABC and 4BC radio. Alastair is the national MC for the Good Food and Wine Show, and since 2014 has been the food ambassador for the Lockyer Valley region. Growing up in a multicultural family, Alastair experienced a large range of cuisines and thus a career in cooking ensued. His experience in the kitchen is extensive, having worked at Michelin listed restaurants across the world, such as Roscoff in Belfast, United Kingdom and Da Giovanni in Torino, Italy. His Australian tenures have included roles as Executive Chef at Brisbane’s Baguette, which under Alastair’s stewardship won back to back Restaurant and Caterer awards and saw the restaurant inducted into the hall of fame. Alistair established Tank Restaurant and Bar in Brisbane’s CBD, which was named in Australia’s Hot 50 Restaurants two years running. More recently, Alastair launched Al’FreshCo; his own business that provides small and large-scale catering to private and corporate clients. For more information on Al’FreshCo, head to his website.

Doug Piper

Doug has a diverse career in the meat industry that spans over 40 years, from owning and operating his family retail butcher shops, managing high volume retail meat outlets for major supermarket chains, production/processing management, and, as a meat specialist for the wholesale and foodservice industry leaders. Over the past 14 years Doug has been working for Meat & Livestock Australia as MLA`s Corporate Butcher, educating in Australia and across the globe about the attributes of Australian beef, lamb, goat and veal. Doug is a certified trainer and shares his meat knowledge and passion in a range of interactive and educational meat appreciation sessions that involve whole carcass utilisation, product development and cut identification. As well as this, Doug shares his knowledge on alternative cut usage solutions that benefit retailers, wholesale/foodservice companies, multi-national hotel chains and restaurants both at home and internationally. Doug now resides on the Central Coast of New South Wales.

Paul West

Australian Good Meat advocate, Paul West, regularly hosts cooking demonstrations at food festivals around Australia and can be seen as a guest presenter on Gardening Australia, Back Roads and Catalyst. He is a passionate supporter of many charities including National Parks and Wildlife Foundation, OZ Harvest, Earth Hour, REAP, NEST and Cure Cancer. Paul is a trained chef and has worked in all areas of food production, from WWOOFing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) around Australia to cooking in the bistro of Melbourne’s renowned Vue de Monde where he served his apprenticeship as a chef. In 2012 Paul hosted River Cottage Australia, moving to Central Tilba to film the show. Having turned his back on haute cuisine, Paul has since expressed his passion for sustainable farming and organic food.

Paul regularly hosts cooking demonstrations at food festivals around Australia and can be seen as a guest presenter on Gardening Australia, Back Roads and Catalyst. He is a passionate supporter of many charities including National Parks and Wildlife Foundation, OZ Harvest, Earth Hour, REAP, NEST and Cure Cancer. Paul is a trained chef and has worked in all areas of food production, from WWOOFing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) around Australia to cooking in the bistro of Melbourne’s renowned Vue de Monde where he served his apprenticeship as a chef. In 2012 Paul hosted River Cottage Australia, moving to Central Tilba to film the show. Having turned his back on haute cuisine, Paul has since expressed his passion for sustainable farming and organic food.

Jake began his cooking career at the Lake House in Daylesford under the guidance of respected chef and owner Alla Wolf Tasker. In 2004 he was the winner of the Borges/Ferran Adria Culinary Scholarship and in the following year he was also selected to represent Australia at the International Food and Wine Festival in Dubai. Jake was named Appetite for Excellence Young Chef of the Year in 2008, which saw him travel to Venice where he competed in the prestigious international San Pellegrino Cooking Cup, placing an extraordinary third. Jake worked at Circa the Prince in Melbourne for seven years, taking over as head chef in 2010 where he was recognised with two Chef Hats from The Age Good Food Guide 2012. Since joining the Ghanem Group in 2013 as the Executive Chef, Jake's portfolio has continued to grow. Starting with Byblos Brisbane and Melbourne, the award-winning Blackbird Bar and Grill, Lord of the Wings Australia and most recently Donna Chang and The Boom Boom Room. Outside of his kitchen, Jake is a member of the Queensland State Judging Panel for the Delicious Produce Awards, ambassador for Electrolux Appetite for Excellence Program and a member of the Royal National Agricultural Beef judging panel.

Matt’s passion for new experiences was the driving force behind taking him to the MasterChef Australia kitchen for its eigth season. Immediately after finishing the MasterChef Australia competition, Matt secured a 20ft shipping container at Eat Street Market in Brisbane where he served a successful stint. Matt and three friends have now opened Sum Yung Guys in Sunshine; the success of this venture being reflected in the regularly booked out restaurant. The Cook's Pantry with Matt Sinclair was developed for Channel Ten in 2017, with Season three being filmed and airing in 2019. TV work continues with Matt being chosen as the new mentor on MasterChef Australia Season 11. Matt is the new Ambassador for Tourism and Events Queensland, promoting the various regions and amazing food offerings of the state. More recently, Matt has been approached to head a number of major campaigns with the likes of Redrock Deli, Thermomox and his continuing Ambassadorship relationship with Cobram Extra Virgin Olive Oil. For more information on Matt, head to his official website.

Bryan began training as a chef in 1993 at Dunkerleys Seafood Restaurant in England, and once he completed his training he travelled throughout Europe. While abroad, Bryan explored diverse cuisines, methods and traditions, eventually falling in love with the Mediterranean. He loved the culture and the passion that these countries had for food and so decided to settle in the South of Spain. Following this, Bryan relocated to Australia. Bryan reflects on his unglamorous time as an apprentice, however he believes this was the period in which he developed a passion and pride for his work and creations as a chef. Bryan’s most recent venture, Hellenika, which has now opened its doors to its highly anticipated Brisbane location at The Calile Hotel, has been nothing short of a success for the chef. Bryan was the original chef at the very first Hellenika restaurant on the Gold Coast for six years prior to this. For more information on Hellenika, head to the official website.

Doug Piper

Doug has a diverse career in the meat industry that spans over 40 years, from owning and operating his family retail butcher shops, managing high volume retail meat outlets for major supermarket chains, production/processing management, and, as a meat specialist for the wholesale and foodservice industry leaders. Over the past 14 years Doug has been working for Meat & Livestock Australia as MLA`s Corporate Butcher, educating in Australia and across the globe about the attributes of Australian beef, lamb, goat and veal. Doug is a certified trainer and shares his meat knowledge and passion in a range of interactive and educational meat appreciation sessions that involve whole carcass utilisation, product development and cut identification. As well as this, Doug shares his knowledge on alternative cut usage solutions that benefit retailers, wholesale/foodservice companies, multi-national hotel chains and restaurants both at home and internationally. Doug now resides on the Central Coast of New South Wales.

Paul West

Australian Good Meat advocate, Paul West, regularly hosts cooking demonstrations at food festivals around Australia and can be seen as a guest presenter on Gardening Australia, Back Roads and Catalyst. He is a passionate supporter of many charities including National Parks and Wildlife Foundation, OZ Harvest, Earth Hour, REAP, NEST and Cure Cancer. Paul is a trained chef and has worked in all areas of food production, from WWOOFing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) around Australia to cooking in the bistro of Melbourne’s renowned Vue de Monde where he served his apprenticeship as a chef. In 2012 Paul hosted River Cottage Australia, moving to Central Tilba to film the show. Having turned his back on haute cuisine, Paul has since expressed his passion for sustainable farming and organic food.

Paul regularly hosts cooking demonstrations at food festivals around Australia and can be seen as a guest presenter on Gardening Australia, Back Roads and Catalyst. He is a passionate supporter of many charities including National Parks and Wildlife Foundation, OZ Harvest, Earth Hour, REAP, NEST and Cure Cancer. Paul is a trained chef and has worked in all areas of food production, from WWOOFing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) around Australia to cooking in the bistro of Melbourne’s renowned Vue de Monde where he served his apprenticeship as a chef. In 2012 Paul hosted River Cottage Australia, moving to Central Tilba to film the show. Having turned his back on haute cuisine, Paul has since expressed his passion for sustainable farming and organic food.

Having made the decision to become a chef at the age of six, Alanna Sapwell, Head Chef at ARC Dining and Wine Bar; a modern glasshouse restaurant located at Brisbane’s thriving Howard Smith Wharves, is now receiving accolades for her work. Prior to this Alanna had worked her way from Italy to Japan, returning to Brisbane to work for renowned restaurants Urbane, GOMA and Gerard’s Bistro. During this period Alanna founded the Drinks with Chefs initiative, where hospitality professionals come together to mentor one another, giving insight into the realism behind the success stories of the industry. Alanna moved on to become Head Chef at Saint Peter in Sydney. In her time at Saint Peter, the restaurant was not only awarded two hats but also a place on Good Food 2017, Best New Restaurant Financial Review Awards 2018 and Alanna personally received the Time Out Hot Talent Award 2017 and Appetite for Excellence runner-up 2017 (Australia-wide). Alanna has now returned to her home state to provide a contemporary and approachable dining experience within ARC’s incredible interior, placing great emphasis on the use of ethically raised and sourced produce. For more information on ARC Bar, head to the official website.

Ben grew up catching seafood alongside his family in the waters off Moreton Bay; and this is where you can still catch Ben most weekends – cooking fresh produce for friends and family. Ben’s passion for cooking was strengthened through his experience on MasterChef Australia and has fuelled his desire to continue his journey with food. Ben’s long-term vision and mantra, ‘catch and cook’, aims to teach those around him how to cook their fresh produce while still on board at sea. Ben has recently completed the second series of his online cooking show called, ‘Catch Me with Ben Borsht’, where he takes his viewers through the basics of preparing and cooking both seafood and entertaining food. The series is available via IGTV, Ben’s YouTube channel, as well as an eBook for purchase on his website. For more information on Ben Borsht, head to his official Facebook page.