MEDIA RELEASE: 25 April 2014
The organizers of Pinctada Cable Beach Polo, Australia’s only beach polo tournament, announced today that international celebrity chef Barclay Dodge will be joining the festival to create the fabled “Dinner Under the Stars” on the sands of Cable Beach on Saturday May 24.
Barclay Dodge hails from Aspen, Colorado, however his career has taken him all over the world, from the kitchens of El Bulli in Spain where he trained under Ferran Adria, to Relais & Châteaux resorts in Santa Fe and San Diego where he was Executive Chef. He is a culinary icon in Aspen, establishing his career as Chef de Cuisine at the valley’s fabled Renaissance Restaurant, opening his own much-awarded restaurant Mogodor there in 2001, and most recently, bringing his unique cuisine to Pacifica Restaurant & Oyster Bar, where he has been Executive Chef since 2012.
“Dinner Under the Stars” is one of the highlight events of Pinctada Cable Beach Polo, where guests enjoy a feast on the sands of Cable Beach and can mingle with polo players and friends from all over the world in barefoot elegance. Celebrity chef Barclay Dodge and his team have planned a menu celebrating the fabulous seafood and produce from the Kimberley region, including a dish inspired by Paspaley’s famous pearl meat.
Says Marilynne Paspaley AM, founder and organizer of Pinctada Cable Beach Polo: “Barclay Dodge is a brilliant chef. We have long dreamed of bringing his exceptional international talents to Australia and giving him the chance to work with the extraordinary local seafood and produce that we are so proud of here in the Kimberley. ‘Dinner Under the Stars’ will be truly magical this year; an event not to be missed.”
Pinctada Cable Beach Polo is a three day festival running from May 23 to 25 2014, featuring leading polo players and their ponies vying for glory on the sands of Cable Beach. Says Marilynne Paspaley, “It is an event with something for everyone; from the breathtaking spectacle of international and local polo players battling it out on the sand to the barefoot elegance in our VIP Marquee; from the relaxed schedule of social events to some exciting community initiatives such as the Kimberley Challenge, in which indigenous stockmen compete in the sport. And now, we have as an added a new epicurean experience, with a dinner under the stars created by legendary international chef Barclay Dodge.”
For information on Pinctada Cable Beach Polo 2014 and “Dinner Under the Stars”, please visit the website www.cablebeachpolo.com.au and to purchase tickets please contact [email protected] Tickets to the Kimberley Beach Polo Lounge are available for the Sunday tournament (cash bar, single day ticket) at $88. A limited number of VIP Beach Polo Passports are also available at $450 (save $65), providing guests with two days of beach polo action from the VIP Marquee Enclosure. The VIP Beach Polo Passport provides entry to each day session of the polo tournament for one adult, inclusive of premium beverages and cuisine.
Pinctada Cable Beach Polo 2014, please visit:
Website:www.cablebeachpolo.com.au
YouTube:www.youtube.com/user/CableBeachPolo
Facebook:www.facebook.com/CableBeachPolo
Twitter:@cablebeachpolo
For further information on Pinctada Cable Beach Polo 2014 or to request interviews and/or obtain still imagery and video footage, please contact:
Sarah Mansell
BLACK Communications
Telephone: 02 8399 3005
Mobile: 0422 909 972
Email: [email protected]
About Barclay Dodge
Executive Chef Barclay Dodge has truly dedicated his life to following his passion for cooking. Beginning his career at the age of 17 in his hometown of Aspen, Colorado, Chef Dodge worked in local restaurants washing dishes, prepping the kitchen, and bussing tables. After a few years working at the bottom of the culinary food chain, Chef Dodge decided to move to San Francisco to attend the California Culinary Academy. During his time in San Francisco, Chef Dodge worked in some of the city’s best restaurants. Hankering to go abroad, he moved to the Mediterranean, traveling throughout France, Italy, Spain, and Morocco.
Chef Dodge experienced a variety of cultures, which impacted his cooking and transformed him into an avid traveler. Chef Dodge Returned to the States working as a line cook for Charles Dale of Renaissance Restaurant in his hometown of Aspen, and quickly rose through the ranks to the honored position of Chef de Cuisine.
The turning point in Chef Dodge’s culinary career is the time he spent in Spain working under the tutelage of Ferran Adria at El Bulli, the acclaimed Michelin three-star restaurant. Dodge spent the next year in Spain, later working at another Michelin two-star restaurant Can Caig in Barcelona. After learning the intricacies of Catalan cooking, Dodge returned to the States, opening Restaurant Mogador – the culmination of his culinary endeavors abroad. He continued to study abroad in Spain during his off time– balancing time in Spain with time at his restaurant. While running Restaurant Mogador, Dodge cooked at the James Beard House, and won the Distinguished Restaurants of North America Award (DiRoNA).
Chef Dodge went on to work at the Rancho Valencia Restaurant, located in the Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa in San Diego, California.
He now brings his international culinary skill as Executive Chef to Pacifica Restaurant & Oyster Bar in his home town of Aspen, Colorado. Focusing on a core seafood menu has expanded Chef Dodge’s repertoire and mastery of seafood cookery. In May 2014, he will visit Australia to create a “Dinner Under the Stars” on the sands of Cable Beach as part of the Pinctada Cable Beach Polo Festival, and in a career first, Chef Dodge work with the unique local seafood produce of the Kimberley, including the famous local Paspaley pearl meat.