Courtney Roulston

Le Cordon Bleu Australia partners with Our Big Kitchen and Courtney Roulston to cook 1,000 three-course meals for Aussies in need

Nutritious, gourmet three-course meals distributed to five charities across Sydney

To celebrate this year's International Chefs Day, the French culinary masters Le Cordon Bleu Australia has teamed up with its partner Our Big Kitchen and former MasterChef contestant Courtney Roulston to cook 1,000 healthy, gourmet three-course meals for Australians in need.

The team of over 20 chefs and volunteers will be led by Le Cordon Bleu Australia's Sydney Program

Manager Karen Doyle to prepare 1,000 three-course meals, the menu includes:
● Entree: Pomegranate glazed Pumpkin, Organic Quinoa tabouli, radicchio & heirloom tomato salad, hummus, sumac flatbread
● Main: Pistachio crusted barramundi, Beetroot relish, rosemary roasted potatoes, crispy sprouts, Confit Tomato
● Dessert: Sour Apple cake, Coconut Walnut crumble, lime Coconut Custard

The carefully constructed menu has been designed around the International Chefs Day theme of healthy eating habits, with a touch of sweet indulgence from Le Cordon Bleu Australia. The five charities that will each receive 200 three-course meals donated by Le Cordon Bleu Australia
include: The Salvation Army, Bear Cottage, Wagec Women's Refuge, Tribal Warriors and Newtown Greek Community Centre.

"Every year, Le Cordon Bleu celebrates International Chefs Day across the 20 countries we operate in around the world. After a challenging 18 months for many Aussies, being able to use our culinary skills and experience for a good cause on International Chefs Day seemed like the perfect opportunity to give back to those who have been doing it tough," says Alan Bowen-James, Executive Dean, Le Cordon Bleu Australia.

"It's amazing to see such a fantastic group of chefs spending their International Chefs Day giving back and helping others. It really is in the spirit of what it means to be a chef - the happiness that comes from cooking delicious food and seeing the smiles on the faces of the people who get to enjoy it." For MasterChef alumni Courtney Roulston, the chance to spend her day cooking and giving back is an opportunity she is thrilled to be part of, "When I was asked to be involved in this amazing initiative, I jumped at the chance to lend a hand."

"As a chef, I can't think of a better way to spend International Chefs Day than by giving back to our community."

A partner of Le Cordon Bleu Australia, Our Big Kitchen is a community run, non-denominational industry kitchen located in Bondi which prepares meals to be distributed to those in need across Sydney. Last year the team at Our Big Kitchen distributed over 200,000 meals to disadvantaged

Our Big Kitchen has had a long-standing partnership with Le Cordon Bleu Australia having taken on a number of its interns over the years, so it was the ideal fit as a charity partner.

"We were thrilled when Le Cordon Bleu Australia approached us about partnering with them for International Chefs Day, to have such a fantastic team from Le Cordon Bleu Australia along with Courtney's experience and cooking expertise to prepare 1,000 meals for Aussies in need, we are
extremely humbled," says Rabbi Dr Dovid Slavin, Founding Director, Our Big Kitchen. "I know all of our charity partners will be very grateful to receive the healthy meals the team is cooking today."

Among the team of Le Cordon Bleu Australia chefs, Our Big Kitchen head chef and volunteers, students from Le Cordon Bleu Sydney will be able to get some valuable hands-on catering experience which includes learning to cook dietary specialty dishes as part of their study while contributing to a great cause.

The Le Cordon Bleu Sydney students will have the opportunity to work alongside Courtney Roulston and learn a few tricks of the trade from her throughout the day.

Danny Salsbury, Community Outreach Coordinator with the Salvation Army stopped by Our Big Kitchen to collect 200 meals which will be handed out to those in need across the CBD. "We're very thankful to Our Big Kitchen who has been supplying the Salvation Army with meals for five years. To provide a little Le Cordon Bleu culinary flair in the meals we give to Aussies in need will certainly help brighten their day," says Danny Salsbury, Community Outreach Coordinator, Salvation Army.

About Le Cordon Bleu Australia
Le Cordon Bleu established a presence in Australia in 1992 and has since opened campuses across Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Today, it is a global leader in culinary arts and sciences and business management. All programs have been designed to make you stand out in the crowd. With more than 30 schools worldwide and its rich history, Le Cordon Bleu is widely recognised and respected across many industries globally. Le Cordon Bleu Australia teaches internationally recognised culinary arts and hospitality management programs to domestic and international students. With industry-trained teaching staff and lecturers, its Australian campuses offer unique environments to master the art of French culinary techniques in cuisine and patisserie, in addition to world-class undergraduate and postgraduate business degrees.

About Our Big Kitchen
Our Big Kitchen (OBK) is a community run, non-denominational, industrial kitchen where meals are prepared for distribution to needy people across Sydney. OBK is Kosher and Halal certified, and HACCP approved. At OBK we offer a place for people to come together and cook for a good cause. OBK undertakes food rescue, working closely with organisations like SecondBite and Foodbank to minimise waste and turn fresh produce into home cooked meals. OBK does also need to buy ingredients as fruit and veg are the main food types we rescue.