Award-winning chef Curtis Stone serves up starring role for WA

• WA-inspired dishes on menu at Australian chef's Los Angeles restaurant
• Regional WA locations and produce to feature in Curtis Stone's TV series filmed during Gourmet Escape
• Supported by the State Government through Tourism WA and through the Gourmet Escape 2018 event 

Dishes influenced by the fresh flavours and produce of Western Australia are on the menu at Curtis Stone's Los Angeles restaurant Maude, as part of a State Government supported promotion.

Western Australian locations, produce and producers will also star in a new television series hosted by the internationally renowned chef. Curtis Stone recently visited WA with key members of the Maude culinary team to film the WA episode of the TV series, and source inspiration for a new menu at his critically acclaimed restaurant. The multi-course menu profiles the unique flavours of WA through food and wine pairings, and was designed especially for the fifth anniversary of the restaurant.

Marron, saltbush, wattle seed and macadamia are just some of the WA-inspired ingredients that feature on the current menu, alongside wines from WA vineyards including Leeuwin Estate, Voyager Estate, Happs, Cullen and Moss Wood.

Maude's menu changes just four times a year. Each menu runs for three months and currently draws inspiration from an internationally renowned wine region. WA's inclusion places it in the distinguished company of Rioja, Spain; Burgundy, France; and the Central Coast of California.

The new promotional initiatives featuring Curtis Stone originated through Margaret River Gourmet Escape event organisers IMG, following his involvement as a headline chef in 2017. Margaret River Gourmet Escape is also supported by the State Government through Tourism Western Australia, and the finale of the WA themed television episode filmed by Stone will feature the event's Gourmet Beach BBQ at Castle Rock Beach, Dunsborough.

Curtis Stone has promoted his visit to WA on social media and through his Maude restaurant website, which details his journey through photographs and descriptions of landscapes, produce and producers. Regional WA locations and produce featured on the site include:

• Yarrie Station in the Pilbara (sustainable beef);
• Kooljaman Cape Leveque, Broome (local seafood cooked according to traditional indigenous methods);
• Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm on the Dampier Peninsula (pearl meat);
• Shorthorn Farms at Pinjarra (Poll Shorthorn, Charolais and Angus beef);
• St John's Brook, near Nannup (Manchego-style cheese); and
• Gas Bay, Margaret River region (native ingredients, local wines). 

Maude's WA-inspired menu runs through March this year. Curtis Stone's new television series with episodes featuring Western Australian locations, produce and producers is expected to premiere later in the year.

Comments attributed to Tourism Minister Paul Papalia:

"Curtis Stone's promotion of our State is an excellent opportunity to raise the profile of regional WA and all it has to offer to a global audience.

"Food and wine tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the tourism industry worldwide and part of the State Government's strategy to increase WA visitor numbers and spend through tourism.

"This year will mark the launch of the exciting Western Australian Gourmet Escape, which will run over 10 days and include the Swan Valley, Perth and the Margaret River wine region."

Comments attributed to Curtis Stone:

"The whole Maude team was inspired by our trip to WA. The State is really biologically diverse so there is a bounty of amazing produce with unique flavours coming out of this part of the world.

"The local food producers we met with were incredibly welcoming and totally invested in creating quality product. Plus the landscapes are breathtaking; vineyards, beaches and the rugged beauty of the outback - WA has it all.

"The WA-inspired menu draws on our incredible experiences in the State and features indigenous herbs, fruits and nuts and quality beef, with the seafood courses inspired by the team's time spent fishing and foraging with Aboriginal elders; a real privilege and highlight. 

"The feedback we have received so far is phenomenal. It's exposed Maude's diners to some distinctly WA flavour profiles."

Minister's office - 6552 5600