Four of Victoria's best chefs. Some of Australia's best produce. One very special meal.
This is your chance to feast on some of the finest produce in Australia, with a menu created by four top Victorian chefs. Tickets are on-sale now for Produce to Plate at Cutler, on Tuesday, July 7.
Andrew McConnell’s Cutler is hosting the exclusive reader dinner to celebrate the finalists of the 2026 delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards, with an all-star line-up of Victorian chefs shaping a menu with the produce.
The finalists will be announced on the same day, with many featured on a four-course menu prepared and plated by Ben Pollard (Trader House) and the Cutler team, with guest-chef courses by Jo Barrett (Surf Hotel and Wildpie), Simone Watts (Barragunda Dining) and Jason Staudt (Stokehouse).
All four chefs sat on the 2026 state and national Produce Awards judging panels. For 21 years of Produce Awards, top chefs around the country have come together with one mission – to taste their way through the very best local produce. The closed-door State Judging sessions across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania determine the finalists that progress to the National Judging round, and the venerable National Judging panel.
Related story: Everything you need to know about the 2026 delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards.
To make it all the way to National Judging, finalists must display industry-leading quality, production practices and sustainability credentials. These are the farmers shaping and leading the Australian food industry.
At Produce to Plate, each chef/judge has contributed a course, representing the four key Produce Award categories of Dairy, Earth, Paddock and Sea, with Ben Pollard’s expert team preparing the menu.
To start, guests will be welcomed with a selection of Cutler snacks by Pollard and team, along with a welcome cocktail by Victoria’s own Four Pillars Gin and Marionette Liqueur.
Stokehouse chef Jason Staudt, who spends all day every day cooking by the ocean, has curated a seafood entree.
The second entree, from the Earth category, comes from Simone Watts, who represents one of the most game-changing farm-to-fork destination restaurants in Australia.
Jo Barrett will look to Paddock for mains, with the chef drawing on her experience as one of the foremost proponents of sustainable and ethical meat consumption.
Finally, Ben Pollard and the Cutler team will bring it home with dessert from the Dairy, representing an urban restaurant team that operates in lockstep with the seasons and premium Australian produce.
Tickets are $190 per head, and include a four-course menu and welcome cocktail. Additional drinks from Cutler’s acclaimed wine list will be charged on consumption.
The ultimate Produce Award winners will be announced online and at a private awards event on August 4 in Sydney. Watch this space to hear more of the finalists and winner stories until then.
The details: Cutler’s Produce to Plate dinner
What: A special event multi-course dinner in celebration of the 2026 finalists of the delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards
When: July 7, 2026
Where: Cutler; 55-57 Gertrude St, Fitzroy, Victoria
Price: $190 per head
How to book: To book your seat, visit cutlerandco.com.au
Related story: The recipes and kitchen tools bringing out the best in your cooking
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