Yesterday afternoon I attended the most incredible event. The organisation, the style and the superb food and innovative menu would have done Prince Harry proud
Barrack Heights Public School who are competing in the 2013 Archibull Prize held a launch party to celebrate the finishing of their artwork and the students and teachers involved
The launch was co-ordinated by Julie Debnam and class teacher extraordinaire Natalie Harris (above) the room was decorated in everything black and white to celebrate Australia’s most popular breed of the dairy cow – the Holstein
Now a COW on a surfboard is not something you see every day, but it’s part of the Barrack Heights Public School Archibull Club’s grand vision for their fibreglass cow, Brocco. I will let the art judge share with you after judging all the very clever elements of the Cow Art
The 25 students taking part in the Archibull Prize competition this year, decorating their Archie with paint and recyclable materials to showcase their theme, “looking after waterways”.
Their Archie ‘Brocco’ is now covered in colours, a map of Australia’s rivers and indigenous artwork.
Yesterday was a celebration of all things dairy including the menu created by Azarak Experimental Kitchen owner and head chef Shane Debnam
Those who have dined at Azarak know we are always about surprises, and for the Archibull, we are surprises abound. We will be charging yoghurt with NO2, churning a milk sorbet with dry ice, smoking milk with hay, steeping milk in straw and souring it to make a soft curd, and wrapping beef in pastoral lucerne, and cooking it sous vide for six hours at 53’c. Like I said; Azarak is always about surprises. says Shane
Inspiration for the Archibull menu was drawn from the local urban and suburban environment. We will utilise localised foraging to enhance the menu items, paired with our unique brand of approaching ingredients in a scientific, and classical manner.
The best part about using dairy is the versatility of the core ingredient. Dairy encompasses milk, cheeses, yoghurts, sorbets, gelatos, and beef itself. We also want to showcase the local rural and urban environment, with sustainable foraging, pairing it with the best in handmade yoghurts, soft curd and sorbet.
Our five course degustation auditory and visual sensation
Cant wait to get permission to show the delight on the students faces to have the opportunity to participate in this experience that saw them create ice-cream through a haze of dry ice
Special thanks to Shane and Parmalat for providing the opportunity for all the students to have access to the perfect nutrient cocktail that is dairy
However I must admit the most rewarding part of the experience for me and the wonderful team behind Art4Agricuture was the feedback from the teachers, parents and students.
This is the best experience the school has ever participated in said headmistress Sarah Rudling
Ms Harris said it is great for the students to see a project come together over such a long period of time. “They really love the involvement and seeing it grow.”
Although the students have loved painting their cow, teacher Natalie Harris says they have been most excited when learning about their assigned industry, dairy.
“The kids love it because, one, they get to be involved in a huge art project with a lot of different aspects to it, but also because they’re involved in something they don’t know a lot about,” she says.
“Ninety per cent of it is working on the cow, but 10 per cent is looking at sustainable farming. I think in a way they’ve loved that part more.”
“Not a lot of our kids have been to farms, I think in the group there was about four that had been to a farm.
“For them to able to get some information about the farming industry . . . they have really enjoyed being able to find out where does milk come from, how they look after animals, what a farmer actually does.”
Ms Harris says many parents have told her that their kids have asked them to buy locally-produced milk rather than cartons from the major supermarket brands after their research into the Illawarra dairy industry.
The Archibull Club has also learnt about recycling and the impact rubbish can have on waterways, which Ms Harris says has led to students making a conscious effort to recycle and pick up rubbish at school.
They reminded us all the well being of our planet is the responsibility of everyone
The Challenge – WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Last words from Natalie Harris
That was the most parents that have ever attended a school function.
Thanks again 🙂 I have just loved the whole project
Follow Barrack Heights Public School journey through their blog here
If you would like to check out Azarak Experimental Kitchen on Facebook, please follow the link here. Don’t forget to like their page!