Luke Piccolo is excited about taking charge of a Sydney CBD restaurant. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Griffith chef Luke Piccolo will showcase the best of Riverina cuisine at this year’s Vivid Sydney, as the world-famous festival expands its food program to include regional Australia for the first time.
The annual celebration of light, music and food has invited a select group of rural chefs to take over Sydney CBD restaurants for a series of special events.
“They’re creating a series where selected regional chefs take over CBD restaurants. They approached me to be part of it and allowed me to choose the venue,” Mr Piccolo said.
The 36-year-old, who owns Limone Dining in Griffith, didn’t hesitate in selecting newly opened Italian restaurant Flaminia at Circular Quay. The venue is owned by his former mentor, Giovanni Pilu of Pilu at Freshwater.
“I reached out to him and asked if I could take over his restaurant for two nights, and he was thrilled,” he said.
Flaminia is located right on Circular Quay. Photo: Flaminia Sydney Facebook.
The event — Riverina Harvest at Flaminia — will see Mr Piccolo lead the kitchen alongside local staff for a set-menu dinner on Sunday 7 June and Monday 8 June, which is the long weekend and peak period of the 23-day festival.
While the menu is still being finalised, he has already begun ordering produce from across the region.
“I’m thinking Aquna Murray cod, Myee Farm quail, lamb from Sally Jones in Carrathool, and produce grown on our Piccolo Family Farm,” he said.
“We’ll be serving Riverina wines and creating cocktails with Italian spirits. It’s about telling the story of the region through the food.”
The Murray cod is a signature dish at Limone. Photo: Supplied.
Almonds from Mandolé Orchard at Lake Wyangan, owned by Tom Stevanovic (brother of TV personality Karl), are also likely to feature, along with sweets from the Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory.
Mr Piccolo said his menu would also draw on his experience working in Sardinia.
“I worked at Pilu at Freshwater, which is Sardinian, and then spent time in Sardinia itself,” he said.
“I’ll incorporate some of that traditional cuisine — using local grain to make fregola, a pasta from the region. They also have a fish roe preparation called bottarga, usually made with mullet, but I’ll use Murray cod to give it an Australian twist.”
Mr Piccolo said being part of Vivid was a full-circle moment.
“When I was living in Sydney 10 years ago, Vivid was something I always looked forward to because it was so amazing,” he said.
“I’m chuffed to be invited to be part of it and it’s a good initiative by Destination NSW to get the regions involved.
“I want to show that Riverina produce is among the best in the world.
“This is an opportunity not just to serve food, but to tell the story of our region.”
