Culinary vision has little to do with sight.
That’s the message from Vision Australia’s Low Vision Feast, an event in which members of Perth’s blindness and low vision community worked alongside top Perth chefs at one of Australia’s top 100 restaurants, Co-op Dining in East Perth.
The event was the brainchild of chef Vincent Lim, who teamed with Co-op Dining’s Kiren Mainwaring and My Kitchen Rules season seven contestants Anna and Jordan Bruno to support people who are blind or have low vision to show off their culinary skills.
The menu included clam chilli, pork meatballs, herb and garlic roast chicken, a hearty beef stew and lasagne with a Greek salad.
Among their food preparation tasks, Vision Australia’s cooking team made meringues using his special microwave recipe.
Jordan Bruno, leaning across a long timber table inside Co-op Dining, guides a laughing participant whose fingers are covered in meringue dough. Picture: Picture: @jvrawung
Then the chefs joined diners to sample the collective handiwork of the cooking team with a twist –they were blindfolded.
The meal was capped off with a multi-layer cake, which was prepared by pastry chef Zie Zillah of Chu Bakery, decorated with strawberries and served with the group's meringues.
Vision Australia Perth Regional Business Manager Donna Fahie said the event demonstrated to the wider community what people who are blind, or have low vision can achieve each day.
“Some of our clients have goals around cooking and preparing food independently. Vision Australia’s Low Vision Feast gives them the chance to hone their skills while supported by professionals in the industry in one of Australia’s best restaurants,” she said.
Vincent Lim, a leading restaurant consultant, said he loves giving back to the community.
“I am always happy to work on events like this and I strongly believe that what I can contribute through my experience and community service will provide me and others with a happier and healthier living.”
Grace King, wearing a black shirt with powdered sugar across her front, tries a meringue/ Picture: @jvrawung
Participant Grace King said she loved getting her hands dirty in food preparation
“I am not a very good cook. I screw up Easy Mac,” she laughed.
“But with some of the stuff from Vision Australia we used, to assist us, like the talking scales, it made things easier. It was great because I didn’t realise you could pour, and wait, and have it (the scales) tell you how much of an ingredient you had in there. I had been pouring ingredients into a bowl, then weighing it, but this is much more efficient.
“We made up some dough for the meringues, which was really, really messy, but we got the meringues made and they were really good, and I’m glad to be learning some new skills for cooking and being a little more independent in the kitchen.”
Chefs (from left) Kiren Mainwaring, Vincent Lim, Anna Bruno and Jordan Bruno are blindfolded for their meals, presented on plates before them as (standing at rear, from left) Vision Australia's Kate Verkuylen, Donna Fahie, Jacqueline Walker and Shelagh Burger look on. Picture: @jvrawung
Donna said the experience of dining with a blindfold gave the chefs and waiting staff a small taste of what it’s like for people who are blind or have low vision when dining out.
“Every day, we hear some of the frustrations our clients experience when eating out; simple things like the need for waiting staff to tell then when their food has been served, or waiting staff addressing them when they approach or leave the table, she said.
“As key figures in hospitality, we hope the chefs can take from their experience and educate their staff on how they can make dining experiences more enjoyable and accessible to all. And we’re grateful that so many people and businesses are donating their time and produce to the feast to help us give our clients this amazing experience.”
Chefs (from left) Zie Zillah, Jordan Bruno, Anna Bruno, Vincent Lim and Kiren Mainwaring sit around a circular timber table with forks about to dig into a cake baked by Zie with the Vision Australia logo and strawberries as decorations. Picture: @jvrawung
Vision Australia’s Low Vision Feast was supported by WA businesses including Chef V Hospitality Consulting, Co-op Dining, Crema Coffee Co., Fin’s Seafood, Harvey Beef, Linley Valley Pork, Mount Barker Chicken and OZ Harvest.
Donna said she hopes Vision Australia can expand the Low Vision Feast concept in 2019.