Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards

On Monday night Sydney's Fooderati gathered at Carriageworks, Redfern, to hear who was in and who was out.

I have wanted to host The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards for as long as I have known they have existed. To be in the same room as all my food heroes - both chefs and reviewers - and to get to announce the year's winners and losers is a true foodie's secret fantasy.

So being asked to MC the 25th Anniversary celebrations on Monday night sent me into dizzying convulsive raptures!

The highlight of the evening for me was Beppi Polese and his family winning the Silver Anniversary Stayer Award. Running a restaurant is such a fickle business blighted by trends and fashions, tax changes and recessions. But Beppis Restaurant has weathered all these storms and is still going strong after 53 years. My favourite dish at Beppis is the very simply done angel hair pasta with blue swimmer crab and chilli. Can life get any better?

My other favourite moment from the evening was the shuttle bus trip back into the city. The mood was tipsy and celebratory even though the coach was packed with both losers and winners. Sydney ABC radio host extrordinaire Simon Marnie grabbed the coach microphone and started giving us an impromptu running commentary about the deserted, poorly-lit road the driver was taking through the Carriageworks complex. ''This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is what's known as the 'Ivan Milat Route','' Simon declared to raucous laughter. You're a funny man Mr Marnie.

Click on this link for all the night's highlights.
http://media.smh.com.au/lifestyle/essentials/good-food-gongs-go-masterchef-719851.html?from=pplayAll frocked up: Checking my notes during interval.(Hair and Make-up by Clark Sheedy of Polished Appearance http://www.polishedappearance.com.au/)