Indigenous hatted chef Clayton Donovan to curate Barrington Coast Long Table Dinner

Mr Donovan is Australia's first Indigenous hatted chef. He defines his cooking style as contemporary with an Indigenous twist and has a passion for introducing native flavours to modern Australian cuisine.

The inaugural Barrington Coast Long Table Dinner is being co-ordinated by Donna Carrier from Wingham's multi award winning café Bent On Food.

"We are so excited to welcome Clayton to the Barrington Coast, which takes its own inspiration from the Aboriginal description of the region, 'the place where the leaves touch the waters from the mountains to the sea'," Ms Carrier said.

"His exceptional cheffing experience in restaurants around the world combined with his passion for Indigenous flavours will produce a menu that will excite and delight.

"The Australian Good Food Guide notes his signature dish is cheese and macadamia nut beignets with a Davidson plum reduction, although his feature flavours are bush tomato, quandong and finger lime.

"Local apprentices, trainees and hospitality students will be assisting with serving and cooking at the event, affording an invaluable training experience for our up-and-coming foodies."

This very special culinary event is being held on the evening of Saturday, March 26 in the foyer of Yalawanyi Ganya, Taree.

Yalawanyi Ganya means 'sitting place' or 'meeting place' in the Gathang language of the Biripi and Worimi peoples of the Mid North Coast.

The building houses the offices of MidCoast Council and the name recognises the importance of the Aboriginal people and culture to the Barrington Coast and supports the re-emergence of the Gathang language.

Seats for this bespoke event is limited to 80 people at $150 per head. Local wine and beer will be featured alongside the fabulous produce of our region. Tickets are available online at Eventbrite.

The Long Table Dinner is a feature event of the North Coast Festival of Flavour and is a major event of the Barrington Coast bEATS Festival.

The bEATS Festival is a month-long festival celebrating our community and culture through local food, music and art. It's anchored by popular major events plus some exciting new ones:

Funding for the bEATS Festival and the accompanying Arts Trail is through the Regional Tourism Bushfire Recovery grants program, a NSW government bushfire recovery initiative.