Chefs and CEOs team up for OzHarvest cook-off to tackle food insecurity
The annual CEO CookOff, hosted by food rescue charity OzHarvest, is set to return with chefs Neil Perry and Matt Moran leading a line-up that includes Darren Robertson, Peter Gilmore and Jacqui Challinor. They’ll be teaming up with corporate heavyweights like Canva’s Cameron Adams and Pinterest ANZ’s Melinda Petrunoff, swapping boardrooms for prep benches to help fight food insecurity.
Food insecurity is hitting harder than ever, with a 2024 Foodbank report showing 3.4 million Australian households affected, more than half of them experiencing “severe” food insecurity.
Rising living costs mean many are skipping meals, and OzHarvest founder Ronni Kahn says the landscape has shifted dramatically. “I have never seen and been in a situation like we are in right now. There’s a whole new demographic of need,” she said. “These are people who actually have jobs, whereas in the earlier years, oftentimes it might have been the stereotypical image of someone who was food insecure.”
The CookOff will be staged across nine events in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Launceston and Perth, with a goal of raising funds equivalent to two million meals.
On the night, chefs and CEOs will prepare and serve a gourmet meal before sitting down with guests from OzHarvest-supported charities.
For Perry, the message is simple. “It’s important we try and help those folks, because they’re all great people and deserve great dignity and opportunity,” he said. “And that’s exactly what OzHarvest does – it’s really about making sure the endgame is raising as much money as we can and to make these people feel as loved as possible.”
Moran agrees, noting the impact goes both ways. “The CEOs get a kick out of it too, they’re used to going to good restaurants but they often don’t get to see the other side of it,” he said.
“You realise how lucky we are and how privileged we are. All my recollections of all the nights [we’ve had so far], it’s been beautiful and humbling to share a plate of food with the community.”
As for any nervous executives, Kahn reassures them they won’t need to master Michelin-star techniques. “All they’re going to need to do is do a bit of prep. The chefs will take care of the major cooking,” she said. “It’s the experience of being in a kitchen with those fabulous chefs, that’s a money-can’t-buy experience. Then you get to serve the food and to break bread with people you would never get an opportunity to sit and talk with.”
Since its launch in 2012, the CEO CookOff has become more than just a charity dinner – it’s a chance for the hospitality industry and business leaders to work side by side, cooking with purpose and sharing meals that mean far more than what’s on the plate.
Jonathan Jackson, 25th August 2025
