Italian Feast Under the Stars - 30th Anniversary Carnivale Celebration

Join us for the Carnivale edition of Sheraton’s ‘Italian Feast Under The Stars’. This exclusive outdoor dining experience celebrates the heritage of local Italian farmers through fine food and wine, spectacular Italian opera performances and local storytelling. Enjoy a cocktail on arrival, followed by a four-course Italian feast with paired wines.

THE MENU
Executive Chef Belinda Tuckwell has over 25 years of experience around the world including resorts, upscale restaurants and the Sydney Opera House. Her menu for this special Italian Feast Under the Stars evokes the spirit of the original sugar cane farmers that settled in the region from Italy over a century ago, including a 100-year-old ravioli recipe gifted to Sheraton by the local Verri family. Paired Italian wines have been hand selected by Frank Dangelico of the Wine Tradition NQ.

To Start
Tomato bruschetta with whipped Mungalli ricotta, heirloom tomatoes and balsamic pearlsLocally smoked charcuterie, including selection of cured salami and meats

Entree
Nonna Verri's 100-year old ravioli recipe with slowcooked tomato sugo, parmesan and basic

Main
Porchetta flavoured with fennel, rosemary and garlic
Crispy rosemary-roasted potatoes
Housemade caponata
Garden salad with fresh oranges and crisp radish

Dessert
Lemon crema with fresh raspberries and almond biscuit

HISTORY
Long before tourism became the leading industry of the Port Douglas region, sugar cane was the backbone of the economy. The simple green stalk has played an integral role in the story of Tropical North Queensland since the late 19th Century. The trade brought prosperity to the region and an Italian legacy that lives on today. Following World War 1, a wave of cane cutters arrived from Europe seeking a better life in Australia. Today, many local farmers and business owners in our community are third, fourth and fifth generation descendants of these early enterprising Italians.

STORYTELLING
Intimate conversations with descendants from the region’s sugar farming pioneers telling family stories handed down from the past. Our local guests are farmers and business owners, not professional speakers, so the stories are told with deep personal meaning naturally and authentically.

MUSIC - LIVE ITALIAN OPERA
Dinner will be accompanied by unforgettable performances from renowned Australian Opera vocalist, Adrian Strooper.

Adrian Strooper – Tenor
Adrian is North Queensland's most successful international Opera singer. He has recently returned to Australia from Germany, where he was 10 years a resident soloist at the Komische Oper Berlin. His many roles included Il Conte Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Sivilgia, Lenski in Jewgeni Onegin, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail. He regularly performs Tamino in the world-renowned production of Die Zauberflöte appearing at the Opera Comique, Paris, Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow and Liceu, Barcelona along with the 2019 Perth, Adelaide and Auckland festivals.

Tickets are $169 per person + booking fee. Comfortable shoes recommended.