It is set to be the year’s hottest dinner reservation – and it comes with a price tag to match.
For one night only, all of Birmingham’s top chefs, including three Michelin star holders, will stage a gastronomic feast as part of the new-look Birmingham Food Fest in October.
For £200-a-head, diners will sample a seven-course menu and wines inside the Gothic glory of the historic St Martin’s in the Bullring church. Both the cooking, from members of the Birmingham Chefs Alliance, and the ecclesiastical setting should make for a heavenly dinner.
The city’s Michelin star trio of Luke Tipping, Glynn Purnell and Richard Turner will each contribute a course alongside Aktar Islam of Lasan, Andy Waters of Edmunds, David Colcombe of Opus and Steve Love of Loves.
The October 13 dinner, possibly the most complex ever undertaken in the city, will be overseen by Simon Hellier, executive chef of the ICC.
It is just as well that Hellier is quoted as saying he is “keen to push boundaries and take things up a level” for this will be a culinary night like no other, both front of house and in the kitchen.
The chefs will introduce each of their courses and there is bound to be an unofficial competition to see who comes up with the best dish.
Members of the next generation of culinary rising stars will assist with the food preparation and intricate plating, the chefs drawing on the help of catering students at institutions such as Birmingham City University.
Ian Taylor, commercial director for Marketing Birmingham, which is organising the festival under its Visit Birmingham arm, said the event offered a once in a lifetime opportunity.
He said: “Where else will you taste a menu from all of Birmingham’s top culinary stars under one roof on the same night?”
The dinner, for 180 guests, will be hosted by Paul Thandi, chief executive of the NEC Group and a director of Marketing Birmingham. Tables of 10 will cost £2,000.
The diner is being targeted at the city’s corporate sector but festival organisers, stung by criticism that the previous Taste of Birmingham event was elitist, have given the revamped 2011 Birmingham Food Fest a much broader appeal with a 10-day programme of special restaurant promotions and food and drink related sessions and activities.