In March 2024, Adelaide’s arkhé embarked on a year-long collaboration series, arkhé & friends. Since then, each month has seen a different chef join arkhé’s executive chef and co-owner Jake Kellie in the kitchen for a one-night–only takeover event in partnership with Laphroaig Whisky.
arkhé is announcing the final three events of the series that has seen some of Australia and the world’s best culinary talent head to Adelaide. The final three collaborations events will be Vaughan Mabee (Amisfield, New Zealand) on 16 January, Bo & Dylan (Bo.lan, Thailand) on 6 February, and Sean Gray (Sergeantsville Inn, New Jersey) on 13 March.
arkhé co-owner and executive chef Jake Kellie said, “When we decided to roll out a year of collaborations, some thought we were mad. I worried we might be mad! Inviting a different chef into the arkhé kitchen each month, with some travelling thousands of kilometres for the single event, has been a massive feat. However, we have had the most incredible experiences over 2024 and have made life-long memories with our teams. We are so pumped to be announcing the final three chefs who’ll be heading to Adelaide for this series in January, February and March of 2025, and can’t wait for everyone to see what’s in store.”
Vaughan Mabee will be the tenth chef to appear in the arkhé & friends series. Mabee is the executive chef at Central Otago’s Amisfield. He joined the restaurant in 2012, setting the goal of creating the best restaurant on earth (as stated in his contract). There, the classically trained chef offers a 22-course gastronomic menu which showcases his passion for quality New Zealand produce. Both Mabee and Amisfield are highly awarded; Amisfield was named Restaurant of the Year in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 by the Cuisine Good Food Awards, it has 3 Hats (maximum in New Zealand) and is listed amongst The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Discovery restaurants. Prior to joining the team at Amisfield, he spent time leading three Michelin-starred restaurants such as Martin Berasategui in Lasarte-Oria just outside San Sebastián, and spent time at world-famed five-times awarded “The World’s Best Restaurant” Noma in Copenhagen. Mabee has been referred to as a ‘mad genius’ and his event at arkhé promises to bring the innovation and excitement he has become world renowned for. Tickets are $450pp and include 8 courses, a Laphroaig cocktail on arrival and wine pairing.
Taking over the arkhé kitchen on 6 February will be Bo & Dylan. Bo and Dylan James of Bangkok’s Bo.Lan are partners in both life and business. It was their love of Thai cuisine that brought them together; a Thai native, Bo completed a Masters in Gastronomy in Adelaide (Aus) before heading to David Thompson’s Michelin-starred Nahm (London). Dylan, a Canberran, was working at Nahm at the time. The couple fell in love and moved to Thailand, where they opened Bo.Lan (a wordplay of their names and a play on the Thai word for ‘vintage’ or ‘ancient’, which sounds the same but is spelt slightly different). Bo.lan prides itself on working closely with local farmers, supporting artisans who preserve and maintain cultural culinary heritage and traditional methods. Bo & Dylan will bring their classic Thai flair and warm hospitality to Adelaide for a fire-kissed menu exclusive to arkhé. Tickets are $300pp, and guests can expect 5 courses, a Laphroaig cocktail on arrival and wine pairing.
Sean Gray, the former executive chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant Momofuku Ko in New York City, will be the twelfth and final chef to take over the arkhé kitchen as part of the arkhé & friends series. Gray spent almost 15 years at Ko and earned two Michelin stars during his tenure, known for creating boundary-pushing dishes with nods to Americana. In May 2024, Gray announced his next venture: revamping the dearly beloved, almost 300-year-old Sergeantsville Inn, in his New Jersey hometown. Here, old-world charm and innovative American cuisine combine in the form of simple, beautifully executed dishes and Gray relishes the freedom to reimagine fine dining techniques in a more approachable way. For a ticket price of $300 per person, guests can expect 5 courses, a Laphroaig cocktail and wine pairing.
The latest instalment of arkhé & friends follows highly successful preceding events with Elvis Abrahanowicz, Ben Milgate, Jemma Whiteman, Mat Lindsay, Jordy Navarra, Rosheen Kaul, Dan Hong and James Lowe.
Tickets to the final three events are now available via the links below:
Vaughan Mabee: https://www.sevenrooms.com/xJ0KS1cj
Bo & Dylan: https://www.sevenrooms.com/xp1VbIsd
Sean Gray: https://www.sevenrooms.com/xxiC4eQN
