30 Under 30 at Matilda 159

*SOLD OUT* Pickett’s glamorous flame-powered South Yarra restaurant Matilda 159 will be the creative playground for six of our chefs, all keen to step into the kitchen and show Melbourne what they’re made of. Bianca Johnston is no stranger to cooking with fire – as the head chef of Geelong’s internationally celebrated fine diner Igni, she’s all about the coals. Wodonga boy Zack Furst learned the ropes at Provenance, Embrasse, Brooks, Attica and Ides before joining Bar Liberty, where he is now head chef. Mitch Haag apprenticed at Tarrawarra Estate and the Healesville Hotel in the Yarra Valley, staged at Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, worked at Portland Restaurant in London, and is now sous chef at Hazel. Matilda’s own Elijah Chen, an alumnus of Quay and Gaea, will be in full effect on the night, alongside Javier Ortiz, a Chilean-born fellow Scott Pickett Group chef who is currently rocking the brand-new Smith St Bistrot as a chef de partie. Bringing things to a sweet finish is Joane Yeoh, a chef who has worked at LuxBite, Spice Temple and Rosetta, The Press Club and Tonka and staged at Narisawa in Tokyo before heading up the pastry section at Coda and (soon) opening a Japanese-inspired ice-creamery called Kori. Entry Cost Adult $135