Food reflecting the diverse landscape of Port Douglas and prepared by celebrity chef Nick Holloway from the acclaimed Nu Nu Restaurant was the hero of an incentive featuring three stunning offsite dining events.
Chef Nick Holloway created a seafood showcase on an historic sugar wharf, served tender beef ribs from a cane blade grill on a working cane farm and dished up an intimate five-course dinner in a rainforest setting for 160 guests.
Veritas Events Director Eugene Kennedy said local food with a story was made the hero of the incentive by incorporating the cooking into the entertainment and using it to build anticipation for the event.
“Nick Holloway was the perfect chef for the brief as he was a guest chef on MasterChef and his restaurant Nu Nu on the beautiful Palm Cove beachfront was awarded Best Regional Restaurant by Australian Gourmet Traveller,” he said.
“All the event collateral including the pre-event communications created by Veritas Events provided the delegates a taste of what to expect including a teaser video created to showcase the destination and introduce chef Nick.
“Nick was filmed cooking one of his signature dishes – hot smoked red emperor and pink pomelo miang – on the beach at Palm Cove and the recipe was included in communications so that delegates could cook it at home. It was a huge hit as a communication.”
“The incentive began and ended with the focus on food. Nick spoke about his passion for cooking local produce and told the story behind the food at each of the three evening functions.”
The welcome event embodied the laidback coastal lifestyle of Port Douglas with the heritage-listed Sugar Wharf turned into an inviting waterfront networking space with a resident DJ. As the sun set, Nick shucked oysters and entertained the guests with local stories.
A working cane farm was transformed into the awards dinner venue with Nick serving coconut roast pork ribs with pineapple caramel and yakitori prawns from a cane blade grill. A cane field burn surprised guests as they enjoyed pre-dinner drinks and a band played classic Australian rock songs from a flat-bed truck throughout the evening.
For the grand finale a secluded bamboo grove in the rainforest was a stunning backdrop for an intimate five course dinner paired with wines. Guests danced to a live band and star gazed with an astronomer.
Nick said the guests enjoyed hearing the stories behind the food and where it had come from, giving them a greater appreciation of the region they were visiting.
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