JSFWT26: The Gourmet Traveller Chef Stage

Returning for the first time since 2019, the Gourmet Traveller Live Chef Stage invites you inside the decisions, techniques and ingredients behind some of James St’s most memorable plates.

Hosted by Gourmet Traveller Editor David Meagher, the free-to-attend program brings together Sushi Room, ESSA, Anyday and Hellenika for a day of live demonstrations and culinary know-how.

Meet your makers and get to know what they’ve got cooking below.

11AM + 3PM | Sushi Room

Who’s cooking: Master fishmonger and ZERO-ICHI founder Mitsu Sakurai joins Sushi Room Head Chef Shimpei Raikuni for two of the day’s most technically impressive demonstrations. Japanese-trained, Raikuni built his reputation through fine-dining kitchens including Kiyomi, before helping shape Sushi Room’s refined menu and ingredient-led approach to Japanese dining.

What’s cooking: Together, the pair will perform the ancient Japanese tradition of whole bluefin tuna carving, an art that takes years to perfect. Wielding a maguro bōchō, also known as a tuna knife, Sakurai will balance performance and precision as he breaks down both the fish and the knowledge behind it before the audience.

12PM | ESSA

Who’s cooking: Phil Marchant is the Owner and Executive Chef of ESSA, the James St restaurant named Gourmet Traveller’s Queensland Restaurant of the Year for 2025. His career moves through some serious kitchens, including Michelin-starred Pied à Terre in London. At ESSA, that experience takes shape in a style of cooking that is instinctive, produce-led and deeply connected to fire, seasonality and the rhythm of the harvest.

What’s cooking: Phil will demonstrate woodfired Moreton Bay bug with chilli XO butter, a dish that brings together local seafood, smoke, heat and savoury intensity in a way that speaks directly to ESSA’s approach.

1PM | Anyday

Who’s cooking: Ben Williamson’s influence runs through some of Brisbane’s most acclaimed dining rooms. As Co-Founder and Culinary Director of Anyday, he has helped shape venues including Biànca, LOS and sAme sAme. His cooking carries the imprint of a formative period in Bahrain, where he developed a lasting connection to Middle Eastern cuisine and a broader philosophy around food, place and hospitality.

What’s cooking: For the Gourmet Traveller Live Chef Stage, Ben turns his attention to grilled eggplant with macadamia, agrodolce and sweet potato leaf, showing how vegetables can hold depth, texture and complexity when treated with the same care as a centrepiece protein.

2PM | Hellenika

Who’s cooking: Bryan Kelly brings a career shaped by seafood, European kitchens and Mediterranean food culture to his role as Head Chef of Hellenika. Having worked closely with owner Simon Gloftis on the inception of the original Gold Coast restaurant, Bryan was a natural choice to open Hellenika’s Brisbane outpost at The Calile Hotel, where his cooking centres on premium produce, traditional Greek flavours and the confidence to let simple things speak.

What’s cooking: A dish that relies on feel as much as formula, Bryan will demonstrate chargrilled South Australian octopus. Expect a closer look at the timing, patience and technique behind achieving tenderness, char and balance.

If you would like to catch all the action in person, find the Gourmet Traveller Life Chef stage located in the carpark between Harveys and CAMILLA. Refer to the JSFWT map here to plan out your Trail.