Chef Gavin Draper was excited to take on the challenge of translating an art installation into a gourmet dining experience as part of the Biennale of Australian Art program.
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But the dinner featuring Japanese artists Ken and Julia Yonetani, which was scheduled for Thursday night, was cancelled on Wednesday morning.
BOAA managing director Julie Collins said no tickets had been sold to the event as of Wednesday morning.
“It is incredibly disappointing,” she said.
It is incredibly disappointing.
- Julie Collins, BOAA managing director
“Ken and Julia are amazing artists and it was also an opportunity for Gavin to launch his new gluten free cookbook.”
Tickets for the dinner with matched wine were $150 per person. Two other artist dinners are planned as part of the BOAA program.
Ms Collins said a dinner held with artist Asher Bilu on October 9 sold out.
“The dinners are set up in an intimate setting with a maximum of 30 people,” she said.
“The artist is there and talks about their work and people ask questions. It is like sitting around someone’s dining table and the artist tells a little about their life, previous projects and their stories.”
Ms Collins said she had been happy with the turn out for other BOAA events, but said she would rethink the price and marketing of the artist dinners which were more challenging to sell tickets for.
“BOAA is only a six week event. This is an opportunity for people to really connect.”
BOAA chef Mr Draper was set to launch his new cookbook at Thursday’s event.
The book, OMG Gluten Free Gourmet, is Mr Draper’s response to an increasing number of people eating gluten free.
It is available at Collins Booksellers.
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