Cooking

It’s always a full house in the Narooma Betta Home Living Cooking Demonstrations where recipe cards, giveaways and tastings are all part of the experience.

Chefs love to visit Narooma to share their favourite recipes and explore the oyster farms and local producers.

Admission is included with Saturday’s General Admission Ticket.

Host: Courtney Roulston

In 2025 the impossibly talented Courtney Roulston returns to Narooma Oyster Festival for her fourth year of hosting the Narooma Betta Home Living Cooking Demonstrations.

An avid oyster lover, chef, caterer and Sydney Swans supporter (she’s their head chef too!) Courtney hosts the very popular cooking Series ‘Farm to Fork’ which airs on Network Ten. She travels all over Australia to meet Aussie farming Families and learn all about the produce they grow.

Courtney first rose to fame after finishing as a finalist in Series 2 of MasterChef Australia 2010. For over a decade, she has represented Coles Supermarkets and the Second Bite Charity organisation as an Ambassador and also returned to Masterchef Season 12 (All Stars Back to Win).

2025 Chefs

Nornie Bero

Chef, author, host of SBS’s Island Echoes TV Show & Ambassador for Coles

Cooking: Pepperberry Pickled Mackerel with Wattleseed Mustard

Nornie is a proud Torres Strait Islander from Mer Island, a trailblazing chef, author and advocate for Indigenous Australian cuisine.

From humble beginnings selling condiments and spices at South Melbourne Markets, Nornie now leads a team of over 80, running Big Esso restaurant at Naarm’s Federation Square along with Tuck Shop Catering and Kara Meta, the pantry shop where it all began.

In the Torres Strait, “Mabu Mabu” means “help yourself”, an invitation to share a meal and connect with family and community. Nornie invites you to embrace native ingredients every day, one pepperberry, yam and terpa (oyster) at a time.

Beyond the kitchen, Nornie is a strong advocate for Indigenous food sovereignty, preserving tradition and sustainability. As a 100% Indigenous-owned, women-led, and LGBTQIA+ business, Mabu Mabu welcomes everyone to be part of the feast – because food is meant to be shared.

Al Brown

Founder of Depot Eatery, Federal Delicatesson, Best Ugly Bagels And Tipping Point Wines, New Zealand

Cooking: Sashimi with Ginger Ninga, Kewpie and Wasabi Peas, along with Kingfish with Oyster Cream, Apple & Lemon Oil

Al Brown is a globally recognised New Zealand chef and restaurateur, known for celebrating people and place with simple, generously served local food.

After more than a decade at the award-winning Logan Brown, Al opened Depot in 2011, which went on to earn Metro’s Top 10 Iconic Eats and a 2021 TripAdvisor Top 10% Worldwide spot. He followed with Federal Delicatessen in 2013, inspired by old-school New York Jewish delis, and later founded Best Ugly Bagels, now with eight locations across New Zealand.

His TV career spans 15 years with shows like Hunger for the Wild, Coasters, and MasterChef, while his seven books, including Go Fish and Eat Up New Zealand, celebrate New Zealand’s food culture. In 2021, he launched Tipping Point Wines, producing six varietals, including an award-winning Rosé.

Come the week of April 26, we’ll be sharing Al’s Rock Oyster Week Road Trip to the Festival.

Analiese Gregory

Girls Guide to Fishing, Hunting and Cooking Wild

Cooking: Oysters Rockefeller, Grilled Oysters with Seaweed Butter & Oysters with Cumquat Mignonette

Hailed as one of the most exciting chefs of her generation, Analiese Gregory swapped dazzling Michelin starred restaurants for a 110 year old cottage in Tasmania. From Sydney’s Quay and Paris’s Le Meurice she now forages, hunts and dives for her ingredients, connecting with nature and other producers and cooking to the season.

Analiese’s book How Wild Things Are has more than 40 recipes, including ferments, and is interwoven with her compelling story, and accompanied by stunning photography. It is also a window to the joys of travel, freedom, vulnerability and the perennial search for meaning in what we do. Its is a blueprint for how to live, as much as how to cook.

Al Newbold

Co-founder of Mr Bold Catering & Mr Bold Next Door, Narooma

Cooking: Abalone & Mushroom Dumplings

Al, with his wife Kim, created Mr Bold, a local institution, a catering powerhouse and home of ready made meals that sell out as quickly as they are announced.

Mr Bold Next Door is a “little oasis” serving fabulous coffee, small bites, their take home meals and other treats for your larder.

Al’s passion for supporting local business and producers is clear and a browse of his Instagram or Facebook page reveal a mouthwatering array of handcrafted foods, European influences and a world of flavours.

You’ll find pithivier, terrine and ballotine alongside escabeche and roasted, smoked and seared proteins. His abalone striped dumplings and fish tacos are legendary.

Clayton Wells

Executive Chef at Merivale’s Narooma venues Quarterdeck, Lynch’s, Inlet, and Queen Chow Narooma.

Cooking: Tiger Prawn & Guanciale Skewers With Smoked Rosemary

One of Australia’s most acclaimed chefs, Clayton began his career at Sydney fine dining icons Quay and Tetsuya’s before heading to London in 2009 to join the Michelin-starred Viajante under Nuno Mendes. Returning to Sydney in 2011, he helped open Momofuku Seiōbo as Senior Sous Chef alongside Ben Greeno.

In 2015, Clayton opened his first solo venture, Automata, to widespread acclaim. The restaurant was quickly named one of Australia’s hottest and most innovative, earning numerous accolades. His follow-up, A1 Canteen, opened in 2018 and won Time Out’s ‘Best New Restaurant’.

After closing Automata in 2022, Clayton launched Mod. Dining by Clayton Wells at the Art Gallery of NSW, further cementing his reputation for bold, refined cooking. In June 2024, he joined Merivale, bringing his globally inspired palate and deep technical skill to the South Coast.