Our official “Aussie Beef Mate” and Marriott Senior Director of Culinary Development Stephen Toevs shared and showed out with a “Wagyu and Whiskey” event for industry colleagues, friends and neighbors. As a 20-year vet of competitive BBQ, Toevs was ready with the grills and smokers for the occasion, and by teaming up with Bardstown Bourbon Company, the stage was set for the cask-strength sipping portion, too. What more could you want?
“Going to Australia was an easy ‘yes’ for me,” Toevs says. “And now I want to draw awareness to the fact that if you put Aussie beef and lamb on the menu here in the U.S., it will resonate with guests."
Some savory storytelling fit the bill, as Chef regaled the guests with tales of his travels down under amid the bites from a variety of cuts of Australian Wagyu beef and backyard games. A highlight for the guests was a station created by Toevs as a “taste of Australia” Sydney spices, Tasmanian sea salt and Queensland tropical peppercorn.
“I was able to bring back those spices and tell the stories behind them to our guests,” says Toevs. “There was a lot of sharing. At one point, I had a circle of people around me and I was just feeding them little tidbits of meat—it made me really happy. Teaching our chefs and sharing the stories behind the meat to our guests is the next journey.”