Chef Zach Green is returning to the Top End for an exclusive open-fire dinner under the stars at East Point on April 11th and this one is deeply, beautifully personal.
If you’ve been following Darwin’s food scene for a while, the name Zach Green will mean something to you. And if you haven’t heard of him yet – well, you’re about to.
One of the Top End’s most exciting culinary talents and proud Indigenous man, Zach Green is making his long-awaited comeback in Darwin this April, and he’s doing it in true Storyteller Chef style: with an exclusive dinner under the stars at East Point. Picture open fire cooking, native ingredients and a six-course menu that is going to have Darwin’s foodies talking for a very long time.
In partnership with the talented team at Fire and Forage, Chef Zach is bringing home an evening of culture and storytelling, that is as much about heart as it is about food, and trust us when we say, the food is going to be extraordinary.
A PLACE THAT HOLDS HIS STORY
East Point Beach wasn’t chosen by accident. Back in 2018, a young Zach Green opened Elijah’s Kitchen right here in the Top End – his very first pop-up restaurant, named after his son, who left this world far too soon. It was a beginning born of grief, love, and an extraordinary kind of courage.
Zach has spoken openly about what that time was like for him. He was struggling with his mental health, and the kitchen became his safe place. Not in a grand or dramatic way, in the quiet, everyday way that matters most.
“It wasn’t about making big meals or being perfect. It was about small steps. Boiling water, chopping vegetables, stirring a pot. Cooking helped quiet my mind. It gave me something to focus on when everything else felt heavy.” Zach Green
From those small steps, something incredible grew. Zach went on to build Storyteller Chef: a culinary movement that celebrates his Indigenous culture and storytelling, local ingredients, and the power of food to connect people. He weaves native flavours like saltbush, finger lime, quandong, and paper bark into modern cooking that is unlike anything else you’ll experience in Australia. He’s become one of the country’s most distinctive food voices, and a passionate advocate for mental health in hospitality.
And now, he’s bringing it all home.
“Cooking became a way to care for myself when I needed it most. It didn’t fix everything, and I still have tough days. But if you’re going through a hard time, start small. Even the smallest step can make a difference.” Zach Green
WHAT’S ON THE NIGHT
This isn’t just a dinner, it’s a full experience. Arrive to the glow of a magical Darwin sunset and a spread of canapés that set the tone immediately: we’re talking half-shell Scallops with warm saltbush butter, Barnda Bay oysters with native citrus, Wild Boar Albondigas with sticky tamarind glaze, Snapper Sashimi jewelled with finger lime pearls, and slow-braised Camel Sliders with desert spice aioli.
From there, a six-course feast takes you on a journey through the Top End’s larder. Tender Crocodile in fragrant coconut curry mee. Fire-charred Eggplant with saltbush dukkah and quandong. Roasted Magpie Goose glazed in maple and bush tomato balsamic. An ember-roasted whole Mud Crab in smoky mango broth. And then, the showstopper – a whole barramundi smoked in paper bark, laid down the centre of the table with charred karkalla and native greens.
It ends sweetly with a silky Rosella Panna Cotta finished in native syrup. Paired drinks flow throughout the evening, and so do the stories.
This is the kind of dinner that reminds you why you love living in the Territory.
A STORY WORTH CELEBRATING
What will make this night so special, beyond the extraordinary food and the magical location, is what it represents. Zach Green took the hardest moments of his life and turned them into something that nourishes people. He started with small steps, and those steps brought him here: back on Top End soil, back at the fire, cooking for his community with everything he’s got.
This is exactly the kind of story we love to tell at Territory Savvy, a local story, a human story, a story about what’s possible when someone keeps going. And we can’t wait to see it unfold under the stars at East Point on April 11th.
Find out more about Zach and his work at storytellerchef.com.au or follow along on Instagram at @thestorytellerchef.
DISCOVER THE FIRE & FORAGE LONG TABLE DINNER
Fire & Forage is an Indigenous-led catering and pop-up dining experience here in the Top End, in collaboration with Chef Zach Green, Aboriginal Community Harvest’s Shannon Motlop, and Soul Essence owners Petra and John. The magic you’ll experience on April 11th doesn’t end with one night. The Fire & Forage Long Table Dinner is a monthly immersive outdoor dining experience that brings guests together on Country to celebrate seasonal produce and native ingredients. Guided by fire and led by flavour, chefs cook multi-course menus over open flames, while cultural storytelling weaves through the evening. The communal long-table setting fosters conversation and connection as each course unfolds a story, with optional paired drinks chosen to complement every flavour.
What’s Included:
- Welcome to Country
- Multi-course long table dinner cooked over fire
- Seasonal, locally sourced and native ingredients
- Cultural storytelling throughout the evening
- Optional paired drinks available
Highlights
- Intimate communal long-table experience under the open sky
- Dishes made from locally sourced and native ingredients
- Cooking over open flames and glowing embers for unique flavours
- Cultural storytelling that connects food, land and tradition
Spaces are limited so we recommend booking as soon as possible or you might be placed on a wait list.
BOOK ONLINE: Long Table Dinner, Saturday 11 April, East Point. https://fireforage.com.au/
