Skip to main content
168-190 Port Douglas Road, Port Douglas, QLD 4877

Book Your Stay for this event

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam

Italian Harvest Feast
    Italian Harvest Feast

    About this event

    Join us for the Carnivale edition of Sheraton's ‘Italian Feast Under the Stars'. This exclusive outdoor dining experience celebrates the start of the local sugar cane harvest season 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.

    FOOD AND DRINK
    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 Harvest Feast Under the Stars evokes the spirit 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 the Sheraton by the local Verri family. Wines have been hand selected by Frank Dangelico from NQ Wine Tradition. 

    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 in the north 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 in a natural and authentic way.

    MUSIC - LIVE ITALIAN OPERA
    Dinner will be accompanied by unforgettable performances from renowned Australian Opera singer 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.

    Don't miss out, reserve your place on the long table. $169 per person + booking fee. Comfortable shoes recommended.

    • Event Schedule

      May 18, 2024

      05:30 PM - 09:30 PM | $169

      Join us for the Carnivale edition of Sheraton's ‘Italian Feast Under the Stars'. This exclusive outdoor dining experience celebrates the start of the local sugar cane harvest season 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.

      FOOD AND DRINK
      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 Harvest Feast Under the Stars evokes the spirit 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 the Sheraton by the local Verri family. Wines have been hand-selected by Frank Dangelico from NQ Wine Tradition.

      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



      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 in the north 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 in a natural and authentic way.

      MUSIC - LIVE ITALIAN OPERA
      Dinner will be accompanied by unforgettable performances from renowned Australian Opera singer 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.

      Don't miss out, reserve your place on the long table. $169 per person + booking fee. Comfortable shoes recommended.