Tweed chef Ben Devlin brings coastal fire-cooking to Vivid Sydney

Chef Ben Devlin will bring his award-winning Northern Rivers cuisine to Sydney through two exclusive dinners at Firedoor on 25 and 26 May, marking the first time the global Best Chef List honoree has collaborated outside his Pottsville base.

The dinners form part of Vivid Sydney 2026’s inaugural Regional Dinner Series. Devlin will work alongside Firedoor’s Lennox Hastie to create a six-course tasting menu showcasing sustainable Tweed Coast seafood and regional produce.

Devlin earned his place on the global 2025 Best Chef List while running Pipit Restaurant, which holds consecutive Two Chef Hats from the SMH Good Food Guide. Born and raised in Byron Bay, he returned to the Northern Rivers after training at Copenhagen’s Noma and Brisbane’s three-hatted Esquire.

“Growing up in the Northern Rivers, Devlin combines a deep passion for coastal produce, sustainable seafood and modern wood-fired cooking with foundational experiences at many award-winning restaurants,” according to Vivid Sydney organisers.

The collaboration highlights the Tweed region as NSW’s leading regional dining destination. Devlin practices Gyotaku, traditional seafood printing, turning sustainable sourcing into an art form that guests will see reflected in the menu presentation.

The restaurant opened in 2019 as a family venture with partner Yen Trinh and has since earned Regional Restaurant of the Year recognition.

Mark Best, participating in Vivid’s separate Fire Pit experience, described the festival’s fire-cooking focus: “The Fire Pit is an opportunity to explore why cooking over flame is so special — it’s elemental, expressive and deeply connected to place.”

Devlin trained at Noma during its peak influence period (2009-2011), followed by Brisbane’s Esquire (2011-2014) and Paper Daisy at Halcyon House (2015-2019). His return to Pottsville represents a deliberate choice to elevate regional dining rather than pursue city opportunities.

If you’re planning a Vivid Sydney dining experience, this collaboration offers direct access to one of Australia’s most acclaimed regional chefs in Firedoor’s intimate fire-cooking environment. The $295 per person dinners require full payment at booking, with cancellations within one week non-refundable.

The Regional Dinner Series spans multiple Sydney restaurants, with each event focusing on a specific NSW region. Devlin also participates in the new Fire Pit experience at Barangaroo Reserve, a free walk-up demonstration running daily from 6pm to 11pm.

The Tweed region’s subtropical climate produces some of Australia’s most diverse coastal ingredients. Pipit’s Two Hat recognition while based in Pottsville challenges assumptions that award-winning regional restaurants must operate in established wine zones.

Reservations open at 6.15pm on both nights. The dinners showcase how Vivid Sydney 2026 is amplifying regional culinary voices beyond traditional Sydney-centric programming, with Devlin joining Byron Bay’s Mindy Woods and Hunter Valley’s Troy Rhoades-Brown in the series.