The night that was Rooftop Harvest: Meet the Masters
On a late summer evening in February, Ada Lane became a dining room under open sky. Longtables ran down the laneway, candles lit, peaches and garlic cloves arranged among purple calla lilies and deep red blooms. Ambient light washed the pillars around us. Guests arrived at dusk dressed for twilight glamour, flute and saxophone already playing as they made their way to the table.
Catherine Malouf opened with a few words about the night’s purpose. Gratitude for the land and the harvest, for everyone gathered, and for Sea Forest Foundation, who restore giant kelp forests in Tasmania. Guests were educated on the pioneering work of Sea Forest, who have developed SeaFeed, a seaweed supplement that cuts methane emissions from cattle by up to 90 percent. Dishes with beef and dairy came from livestock raised on SeaFeed, and all the proceeds from the night went to their restoration work.
Six culinary masters, seven courses, each paired with wine from Cru Bar and inspired by produce picked from our rooftop garden. Lobby Bar cured salmon with marigolds. Hellenika wrapped vine leaves for dolmades. Biànca sent out their infamous focaccia with whipped ricotta and peas, sAme sAme plated prawn betel leaf, SK Steak & Oyster served rare beef tenderloin, and Lobby Bar closed with a grape bomb made with rooftop grapes and passionfruit marigold.
With each course, servers moved as one down Ada Lane, every plate touching down in unison. And when it started to rain the moment the last speech ended, it felt less like an interruption and more like the night had been in conversation with something larger all along.
Gratitude
People have been generous with their words of praise since. Seamless. Joyful. Purposeful, you said. The best event we’ve held. Those words belong to the chefs and sommeliers who brought the menu to life, to Kind Sir, Art Club, and il Delfino, to the team, servers and musicians who made something ambitious feel effortless, and to every guest who came and helped raise funds for Sea Forest Foundation’s work.
Thank you SK Steak & Oyster, Hellenika, sAme sAme, Biànca, Lobby Bar, Cru Bar, The Standard Market Company and the team at The Calile Hotel for bringing their best to the table.
