There's no better way to celebrate International Women's Day than gathering the girls for a delicious meal and a few drinks and this year you can do just that while supporting a great cause.
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The Tusk Collaborative, a project first started in 2017, is holding events at Zaab in Braddon on March 13 to raise funds for victims of domestic violence and those who suffer from mental illness, by donating funds to Domestic Violence Crisis Service Canberra and Hello Sunday Morning.
At the same time, the Tusk Collaborative hopes to raise awareness of women in hospitality.
The 2022 lineup will include chefs from Rizla and XO, bartenders from Bar Rochford and High Jinks, and front-of-house from Pilot and Miss Vans, as well as many other venues across the city. Throughout the day there will be music from local artists and other female, non-binary, and female identifying people.
Co-organiser Charlotte Stevens has been blown away by the support she's received from women in the industry.
"We are doing this to showcase the beautiful community we have here," she says.
"Since organising the event there have been dozens of women who have reached out from the Canberra hospitality community asking how they can be involved.
"It would be great to turn this into a sustainable program, whereby those in the industry can come together to collaborate and share their creativity."
Talia Cullis, the head chef at Rizla, says the industry has changed in recent years.
"Ten years ago the industry was not for faint-hearted women," she says. "It took a lot of guts and determination to rise up in the hospitality scene, now we have an amazing industry in Canberra where everyone looks out for each other."
The event will feature a bespoke degustation and drink selection that will showcase the range of cuisines and styles across the venues involved.
To start, enjoy signature oysters with finger lime mignonette; for entree there's fig jamon and rocket salad with shaved pecorino served with whipped butter and crusty rolls; mains will include pulled lamb shoulder, roast root vegetables and salsa Verde; finish with peach Melba with shortbread crumb. Dietries to be catered for on request.
While the staff will be all women, there is a seat at the table for everyone, with the event organisers encouraging men, women, and all genders to show their support for International Women's Day this year.
The day will offer two lunch sittings and one dinner sitting, with four courses and a welcome drink at $80 per person, as well as a late-night drinks session, with all proceeds being donated. There are plenty of lunch tickets left and who doesn't love a long lunch?
Businesses around town have also donated gifts and services, which guests will be able to enter a bid for when purchasing their tickets - including meals from restaurants such as Miss Van's, and dance passes from Subsdance Dance Studio.
Becky Khanthavongsa, owner of Zaab, says she would like to see more women in leadership roles in the industry.
"I believe women have a certain style of leadership that just works," she says. "This could well motivate the younger generation to enter our industry when they have been afraid to."
Stevens says it will also be great for the community to get together post pandemic. The industry was one of the hardest hit by lockdowns and COVID-related restrictions.
The industry is still suffering massively from the pandemic, due venues constantly having to close due to workers being sick with COVID and staff shortages, and no government support," she says.
"However I think it's changed the way people value work, there is more of a focus on adequate time off and taking care of yourself.
"This dinner will be a great opportunity for us to say thanks to the community who supported us while also celebrating International Women's Day."
Khanthavongsa says nothing beats face to face contact with diners.
"The pandemic has been tough but it allowed me to reach all the skill sets I've learned throughout the years and implement them," she says.
"During lock down we were forced to provide take away, for us at Zaab it was an easy flip ... unfortunately this was not the case for everyone and some people and businesses are still trying to bounce back. This is one of the reasons we decided to get together to help our community.
"We thrive on face-to-face contact in the hospitality industry and we're ready for the good kind of chaos again."
- For tickets head to @tusk_collaborative
A taste of the night
Fresh shucked signature oysters with finger lime mignonette
For 12 oysters you will need:
1 finger lime, carefully opened and peel removed
1 tbsp of fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tbsp of rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
a pinch of sugar
1/2 tbsp of fresh, finely grated ginger
a pinch of cracked pepper
1 tbsp of good quality olive oil
optional: garnish with lemon balm
Combine the lime juice, vinegar, olive oil, ginger, sugar and pepper in a small bowl. Cut the finger lime in half and carefully squeeze out the pearls inside. Add to the mix and adjust to taste.
Spoon onto your freshly shucked oysters and enjoy.
Tusk gin highball
40ml Poor Tom's London Dry
40ml coconut water
20ml lime juice
20ml Makrut lime leaf syrup
top soda water
Make a simple syrup at home by combining 1/1 white sugar with boiling water. After the sugar has dissolved, let the syrup cool slightly, then drop in a handful of Makrut leaves in. Steep like a tea - keep the leaves in until either the syrup has cooled, or the flavour is rich and aromatic. Strain before serving.
Then combine all liquids except for the soda water into a tall glass, add a splash of soda water, top with ice, and then fill to taste with soda.
Garnish with a lime leaf, wedge of lime - or pop it into a coconut and pretend like you're on vacation. Enjoy!