Local produce to shine in signature dish

The search has begun to find Western Australia's signature dish.

Buy West Eat Best has partnered with Celebrate WA to go on a Statewide hunt called WA's Signature Dish and the competition will crown the recipe that puts our State on a plate.

The competition requires dishes to use a WA-grown, farmed, fished, produced or processed food product as its main ingredient.

It will have some star power, with renowned French-born chef Guillaume Brahimi joining a panel of judges to choose the winning dish.

Brahimi is one of Australia's most acclaimed chefs.

He trained under Michelin-starred Joel Robuchon in Paris and moved to Sydney in the 1990s, where he took over the flagship restaurant at the Sydney Opera House, Bennelong.

Since then, Brahimi has opened Bistro Guillaume at Crown Melbourne and a second at Crown Perth.

He said the decision would be carefully thought out, as tough as it might be.

"It will be a hard a decision. I'm hoping it will be a hard decision," he said.

"It's about finding out what the person thought about, why it should be the West Australian signature dish and the philosophy behind it before you taste it."

To be in the running to win WA's Signature Dish, amateur cooks need to submit their recipe online and then battle it out in one of four regional finals held in the Great Southern, Southern Forests, Gascoyne and Perth and surrounds.

The winner of each regional final will work with a high-profile mentor chef in preparation for the grand final to be held in Perth on June 2 as part of the State's WA Day celebrations.

The judging panel will include Brahimi, Crown Perth executive chef Ralf Vogt and _The West Australian _'s food critic Rob Broadfield.

Brahimi said the winning dish would successfully highlight one hero WA ingredient, like marron, coral trout or Margaret River wagyu beef.

Brahimi said he was looking forward to discovering something fresh and new about WA produce.

"I would love to discover something I haven't discovered in Western Australia - that would be great," he said.

The competition was launched by Agriculture and Food Minister Ken Baston, who said West Australian food tastes had matured.

"WA's Signature Dish is a unique way to celebrate and show off the huge depth and breadth of local produce now on offer," Mr Baston said.

"Sell-out events, such as long-table lunches and 'gourmet escapes' featuring WA chefs, show there's a growing food culture in WA and a greater appreciation for fresh, locally sourced produce.

"Our food is world-class. There are so many examples, from Carnarvon bananas to Manjimup truffles to Great Southern marron and Margaret River wagyu."

For more information, or to enter visit www.wasignaturedish. com.au.