Moama RSL executive chef David Palmer says the competition, promoted by Clubs NSW, serves as a valuable coaching opportunity.
“The head chef is able to use his team, use his skill set and the skill set around him and come up with a dish that they are going to present continually and consistently,” he said.
The featured dish combines house-made gnocchi with prawns, tomato, zucchini, lemon and capers, served on a bed of Jerusalem artichoke and topped with parsnip crisps and fresh dill.
“The head chef and his team came up with the gnocchi as they wanted to improve their skill set of making the gnocchi, rather than like many places that buy it in,” Mr Palmer said.
Your Local Perfect Plate Awards are the NSW club industry’s premier dining competition.
It is designed to showcase the incredible quality and diversity of food on offer at clubs across NSW and highlight the many talented chefs who work within the industry.
There are three incredible food categories: Main dish, Dessert and the new 2025 category, Pizza.
Chefs Matt Moran and Courtney Roulston are the ambassadors for the awards, with Matt visiting the Moama RSL in 2024 to sample that year’s dish, a Massaman beef cheek.
“The dish last year did exactly what we wanted it to, created many talking points, a lot of training internally for us to train the chefs to be able to cook it consistently over six weeks, but also our hospitality leaders to be able to lead it and manage it,” Mr Palmer said.
“We did really well last year and have already had to adjust how much gnocchi we have on hand because it is selling really well, so that is a good sign early.”
Mr Palmer, who oversees a team of 12 chefs and eight kitchen hands, emphasises the importance of skill-sharing among his diverse staff.
“We have chefs in the kitchen from many different nationalities and when it is quieter, we get them to share their skill sets that others don't have,” he said.
“We do that to be able to allow them to share, teach and train each other and improve each other, helping with team camaraderie and management.”
Diners can vote for their favourite Perfect Plate dish via QR codes provided with their meals.
For those unable to use QR codes, Moama RSL staff are available to assist with voting.
