John Williams and Lisa Goodwin-Allen to lead chef line-up at Royal Academy of Culinary Arts fundraising dinner 

The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (RACA) is set to host a fundraising dinner at the Royal Brighton Pavilion with six critically acclaimed chefs curating the menu.

The dinner, to be held on the 21 November, will be prepared by RACA Master of Culinary Arts recipients Benoit Blin, Frederick Forster and Adam Smith, alongside RACA’s John Williams, Lisa Goodwin-Allen and Adam Byatt.

Each chef will reinterpret the dishes of Marie-Antoine Carême, the original Master of Culinary Arts and figurehead of RACA, and will create a dish inspired by the multicultural design of the Pavilion, once the royal seaside retreat of King George IV.

The canapé selection will be curated by Williams and will include dishes such as duck liver with sour cherry and gingerbread and smoked ox cheek pithivier, while the first course will be led by Goodwin-Allen and will be ballotine of foie gras with Sauternes, mandarin and brioche.

Smith is to lead on the main course and will serve partridge Perigourdine, chartreuse of celeriac and chestnut with spiced quince and sauce Périgueux. 

The dessert will be created by Blin and is set to be salted caramel mousse, dark chocolate ganache with hazelnut crunch and turmeric ice-cream.

As well as mixing with the chefs, 90 guests will be greeted by food and beverage service experts and Masters of Culinary Arts in service including Rob Rose, restaurant director at Core by Claire Smyth, and Luigi Gagnin, operation director at the Ritz Restaurant.

During the evening, an auction will take place to include prizes such as a seven-course tasting menu with pairing wines for two at the two-Michelin-starred Ritz London, and a Kensington Palace tour and lunch.

All proceeds will go to support RACA’s educational initiatives, including Adopt a School, which aims to inspire children’s enthusiasm for hospitality, and the academy’s recently launched College Community Programme. The programme aims to provide opportunities for college students and lecturers to directly connect with experts and ad operators within the industry.

Lisa Jenkins, chief executive at RACA, said the team was “incredibly excited” to host an “exceptionally exclusive evening”.

She added: “It promises to be a truly memorable night. But, more importantly, it’s an opportunity to raise vital funds for our educational programmes, which help young people develop a better understanding of food, cooking and the wider hospitality industry. Both Adopt a School and our College Community Programme play an essential role in shaping the future of our sector, and this evening will directly support the important work they do.”