In what is bound to be a festival highlight again this year you will be able to catch some of the Northern Rivers’ most celebrated chefs cook against one another on the Sample Food Festival cooking stage. In our series of live cook-offs each pair of chefs will be given identical boxes of the very best local and unique ingredients and challenged to create something special! Keep reading to find out the chefs who will be battling it out live on stage!
Ally Waddell
Born in Glasgow, Chef Alastair Waddell “Ally” is a three-time winner of The Australian Good Food Guide’s one hat award. Ally has lived in the Byron Bay region since 2017, where he has forged strong connections with many local growers and producers and leads the Frida’s Field kitchen. Ally’s menus showcase his classical training and deft skills in creating delicious, produce-driven cuisine using seasonal crops grown at Frida’s Field eco-farm and by other local producers.
Watch Ally Waddell vs Jordan Staniford 2:45PM on the Sample Food Festival cooking stage.
jordan staniford
Jordan Staniford’s accomplished career spans Vietnam, the Mediterranean, Sydney, and recently, Byron Bay where he is the Executive Chef at Forest, Crystalbrook Byron. His menus highlight the abundance of the Northern Rivers’ region – produce rooted from the soil of local farmers, sustainably sourced seafood, native ingredients grown in the surrounding rainforests and along the dunes, and a focus on seasonal produce with a twist.
Watch Ally Waddell vs Jordan Staniford 2:45PM on the Sample Food Festival cooking stage.
joachum borenius
Originally hailing from the popular Swedish tourist town Falsterbo, Joachim Borenius has worked high profile jobs in New York such as Chef de partie under Thomas Keller in Per se, a three Michelin star restaurant and in Australia working in the now closed Marque under renowned chef Mark Best and Mjolner in Sydney, where he earned the nickname ‘The Viking chef’. In 2022 Borenius made the seachange to Byron Bay where he successfully launched Light Years Asian Diner in Jonson Lane, before heading over to the Light Years group’s latest, The Smoking Camel.
Watch Jason Saxby vs Joachim Borenius 1:30pm on the Sample Food Festival Cooking Stage.
jason saxby
Jason Saxby is Executive Chef of Raes on Wategos, Australia’s iconic boutique hotel set on the beachfront at Byron Bay. His casual, elegant menus are built from seasonal, local, sustainable produce, highlighting native ingredients and ethically sourced seafood and have earned Raes Dining Room numerous accolades including “Hottest Regional Restaurant” in The Australian Hottest 50 in 2019 and a coveted Chef’s Hat in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2023.
Watch Jason Saxby vs Joachim Borenius 1:30pm on the Sample Food Festival Cooking Stage.
diana desensi
As Head Chef of Pixie Byron Bay, Diana combines Australian and Italian flavours to create dishes that are at once familiar and reminiscent of the Adriatic coast. Growing up in Melbourne, Diana attributes cooking with her grandfather from the age of 3 and her Italian heritage as the reason she turned to the hospitality industry. After enriching experiences at the likes ofCargo, Grossi Florentino, Pt Leo Estate and Montalto, Diana made the move to Byron Bay in 2022 to join the team at Pixie Food & Wine.
Watch Matt Kemp vs Diana Desensi 10:15am on the Sample Food Festival cooking stage
matt kemp
Matt Kemp hails from the UK where he received Michelin-star training before taking the helm of Sydney establishment Banc. Kemp then opened his own venue, Restaurant Balzac. His move to the Northern Rivers has included a role as Executive Chef at the Byron at Byron (now Crystalbrook), Tweed Coast’s PLB Group (Taverna, Osteria, Baked at Ancora and Bombay Cricketers Club) and most recently at Beach Hotel Byron Bay.
Watch Matt Kemp vs Diana Desensi 10:15am on the Sample Food Festival cooking stage
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