He may be Canberra's most lauded chef, and co-owner of Canberra's only hatted restaurant, but Ben Willis is just a local boy at heart.
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So when the topic of the capital's centenary came up last year at a friend's party, the head chef of Aubergine couldn't help wondering - aloud - whether there was a menu in existence that showed what well-to-do locals were eating 100 years ago.
It would be a hoot, he thought, if he could recreate such a menu as a tribute to Canberra on its birthday.
Once centenary historian David Headon got wind of Mr Willis' idea, the wheels were in motion.
Dr Headon, who is history and heritage advisor to the centenary team, had in his possession a menu from the dinner served up to dignitaries on the occasion of the city's naming ceremony.
Mr Willis will be recreating the menu for a special dinner event at Aubergine on Tuesday night, the 100th anniversary of Canberra's official naming ceremony.
The original menu has a typical range of standard English fare, such as chicken, ox tongue and corned beef, but because we don't know how these items were prepared 100 years ago, Mr Willis said he had decided to just serve them up in his own way.
At the dinner will be a cast of descendants and dignitaries related to Canberra's history, including the current Lord and Lady Denman, members of the Burrell family who are direct descendants of the original Denmans, members of the family of then prime minister Andrew Fisher, and descendants of Fred Young, the carpenter and stonemason who built Canberra's foundation stone.
The guests will dine on corned beef served up with mustard glaze with ham, peas and smoked Dutch cream potato, while the chicken will be in aspic, with pickled fennel, French beans and tarragon.
Mr Willis admitted that some courses, such as "iced asparagus", had him stumped.
While it might, he said, have referred to chilled asparagus served as a palate cleanser, he had opted for a flavour-enhanced asparagus-based concoction that he had frozen using liquid nitrogen.
There will also be a consomme´ of Beef Royale, and a dessert of Charlotte Russe with local raspberries.
Mr Willis said there was some comfort in the fact that most people wouldn't know what to expect.
"I don't even know what to expect!" he said.