Sesame chicken salad, one of the home delivery meals now available from The Entertainment Grounds at Gosford.

It’s been a big week for The Entertainment Grounds’ kitchen team, launching the Thymely Food Co chef-quality meal delivery service from its Gosford turf club base and picking up third place in the Australian Culinary Federation’s Restaurant Challenge at Foodservice Australia at ICC Sydney.

Under head chef Darren Ho, Thymely Food Co offers restaurant-quality meals at a value-for-money price, delivered to the door of Central Coast homes. Meanwhile, Ho also pulled a team together of Adrian Winoto, Effendy Hendra and Ryan Ho to enter the ACF competition held at ICC this week. The Entertainment Grounds team was up against The ACF’s National A & B teams, with the B team winning the comp. Both ACF teams are training for the Culinary Olympics in Germany in 2024.

“We placed third overall with the two national teams taking first and second with less than one point separating all three of us,” said Ho. “We were the mouse that roared!”

Back at the commercial kitchen in Gosford, Ho says the Thymely concept has a simple ethos; create food with a passion for convenience.

“It’s perfect for couples and families who may be time-poor or would simply like to add some inspiration to the table,” he says.

Dishes include chef’s picks of Asian Noodle Salad with Salmon, Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli, Slow Roasted Chicken Breast and Italian Pork, Beef and Fennel Meatballs, alongside Asian-inspired dishes of Chicken Nasi Goreng with Cauliflower Rice and Miso Baked Eggplant as well as vegetarian offerings.

Ho, the former head chef at Grace Hotel Sydney and the Hunter Valley’s Terroir Restaurant at Hungerford Hill Winery, has developed the home catering offerings alongside Operations Manager Matthew Hill.

The overall vision of the pair is to become a sought-after function and entertainment venue on the Central Coast by continually raising the culinary bar at the venue and beyond by further utilising the kitchen.

The improved food offerings are part of a wider round of improvements at the club, which include private screens on tables, long-table trackside lunches, plus the installation of an all-weather Polytrack and the planning stages of new stabling facilities.

Darren Ho (third from left) and The Entertainment Grounds team came third in the ACF restaurant challenge.

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