Lauren Eldridge, the talented group pastry chef behind Stokehouse St Kilda, Stokehouse Brisbane, Fatto and Pontoon, doesn’t do things by halves – her knock-out raspberry-soaked peaches with lolly ice-cream and meringue kisses is testament to this. Eldridge truly offers a taste of the sweet life, but she’ll also show off her savoury smarts with seared yellowfin tuna enlivened by wasabi and pickled radish. Take home the keys to restaurant-quality ice-cream, as well as the only chocolate tart recipe you’ll ever need.

The head chef at Brisbane’s stylish ARC Dining, Alanna Sapwell, continues to go from strength to strength. The Gourmet Traveller Best New Talent winner is making her mark at Howard Smith Wharves and beyond, building a stellar reputation for the way she handles produce in clever new ways, never compromising on flavour or technique. Get a front row seat to see her confident riffs on European classics, including celeriac tarte tatin with beeswax cream – it’s a buzz.

Always wanted to cook lobster but not sure where to begin? What about nailing the secrets to perfectly pink wagyu striploin? Enter Scott Huggins. The Magill Estate chef is here to help you choose your charcoal, show you how to fan the coals, and season and caramelise with Penfolds-level finesse. Elevate timeless dishes with new techniques and flavours, from smoking asparagus in hay, to infusing vinegar with shiso leaves to supercharge your sauce béarnaise. Australian surf and turf has never looked so good.

As one of Merivale’s longest standing executive chefs, Dan Hong oversees the mod-Asian menus of multiple Sydney favourites including Mr Wong, Ms. G’s, Queen Chow and Lotus. Whether the lazy Susan is spinning, or not, the man knows the makings of a good feast. With Hong’s help, master a party-starting menu that will see you bouncing effortlessly between the deep-fryer and the steamer without ever breaking a sweat: think all-time-favourite prawn toast with a zingy yuzu mayo, and the delicate likes of steamed whole snapper.

Gourmet Traveller’s Regional Restaurant of the Year has been called “visceral, sensory and sensational.” We weren’t lying. Brae founder and chef Dan Hunter has made it his mission to celebrate sustainable and artisanal ingredients, and the restaurant’s ambitious dégustations always deliver. Get an insight into the everyday tasks of the Brae kitchen from the man himself, from infusing oils with flavour, to building depth in broths and terrines. Then learn to deploy these techniques in multiple dishes, not least a luxe chicken terrine “sandwich” with truffle ends.

When he’s not overseeing Sydney’s revered Quay and Bennelong restaurants, Peter Gilmore is busy growing heirloom vegetables at home. It’s how he discovered mitoyo eggplant, the flesh so tender and sweet it can be eaten raw, and one of his favourite varieties of pumpkin, Galeux D’Eysines. Join Gilmore as he transforms these humble ingredients into something special and generously shares his stories.

Get set for a summer of seafood feasting thanks to Louis Tikaram. The former EP & LP chef, now home from West Hollywood, is revelling in Australia’s incredible seafood bounty. But don’t expect prawns on the barbie. Mussels, scallops and more feature in his aromatic Oz-Thai coconut curry. Chinese-inspired whole snapper, meanwhile, is just what your next Sunday lunch calls for: quick, bold-flavoured, and a sure-fire crowd-pleaser.

Duncan Welgemoed knows how to host a party, and it almost always involves punch (“and man-hugs,” says the Africola chef.) Welgemoed joins Gourmet Institute to share recipes destined to become year-round staples at your place, from garlicky braised green beans given a South Australian twist with native samphire, to mackerel wrapped in crisp vine leaves, to the “perfect summer salad,” a punchy combination of dry-aged sirloin, chicory and walnuts with anchovy dressing.

Even before she became Sydney’s queen of hoppers with her buzzing Sri Lankan restaurant, Lankan Filling Station, O Tama Carey had serious cred in the spice stakes. She’ll show you how to build depth of flavour in everything from potato curry to fish cutlets, as well as the ins and outs of slow-cooked meats that stay crisp on the outside but fall away from the bone. Paprika, coriander, cumin and nutmeg, ahoy! It’s time to restock the spice cupboard: red curry lamb shoulder awaits.