HOVERING around Kimberley Station's large, open kitchen, dinner guests' mouths water as they watch the chopping, carving, searing and sizzling of juicy red meat.
Tantalised by incredible aromas, they're excited about the pending fare. It's not often you have a multi-award winning, internationally renowned executive chef join you in the bush.
Egyptian Tarek Ibrahim, based in Dubai, is in Australia this month to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the Australian beef industry.
Named a master chef by the World Association Chefs Societies and a TV star in the Middle East, he will take the knowledge he gathers home to his myriad food-service contacts and consumers who follow him on social media.
"I'm on the paddock-to-plate journey," Tarek says.
"I'm seeing first hand the typical production practices involved in central Queensland beef production."
A corporate executive chef for Meat & Livestock Australia, he also trains executive chefs and food-service professionals on meat handling and cooking methods, and is a trainer to the Egyptian Culinary Olympics Team.
At Kimberley, north-east of Clermont in central Queensland, beef producers and hosts Blair and Josie Angus and their four children, twins Madelaine and Lauren, 18, John, 15, and David, 13, are making Tarek welcome.
Plunging him into the quintessential Australian experience, they had him on a horse within hours of arrival and later in a helicopter for an aerial view of the property.
The Angus Pastoral Company runs 35,000 head of cattle across four properties in central and northern Queensland - breeding, backgrounding and lotfeeding.
They have also developed Signature Beef, a vertically integrated wholesaling and beef-marketing company that takes their product through to the consumer.
The company's four beef brands - Kimberley Red, Angus Pastoral, Sondella and Boss - are sold in 24 countries around the world.
While inspecting grass and feedlot-production facilities, Tarek is also witnessing the Australian beef industry's commitment to food safety, product quality and traceability systems.
"This is the first time I've been to a cattle station," he said.
"I'm amazed by its vastness. And after my first horse ride - I'm hoping there'll be time for another before I leave."
Josie says having exported products for more than 10 years, she and Blair have increased their annual growth by more than 40 per cent annually over that period, and are now exporting into Europe, the UK, the Middle East, Japan and China.
"Developing a brand is hard work, and delivering on commitments, developing markets and relationships is essential for success," she said.
With more than 30 years' experience both in the US and the Middle East, Tarek has a wealth of knowledge and experience in all aspects of food.
He opened his first coffee shop and bakery in Minneapolis in 1984, and on the back of his success, opened five more casual dining restaurants, each with a different cuisine.
With his wife Sharon, he has two young children and holds a commercial pilots licence.
In the kitchen tonight, Tarek and Blair are working with a range of meat cuts to create an array of mouth-watering beef dishes for more than 30 guests.
The wait is over when one by one, flavour-popping dishes come out.
Denver steaks on rosemary skewers, crispy fried heart and miso cured spinalis skewers to oyster blade, picanha and cheeks from the oven, grilled sirloin and rump, roast Delmonico (chuck eye log), Kalbi short ribs and crispy beef breast (pork belly-style brisket) all play starring roles.
Served with these delicious meat-focused dishes are tahini and hummus-based vegetable dips and home-made thin bread sticks.
On this unique occasion, being served by the chef, at the source, calls for some serious taste-testing and extra clinking of glasses.
Tarek will attend Beef Australia 2015 as a guest international chef and share with delegates how beef is consumed in the Middle East region, and will learn more about Australian beef products and their suitability for markets across the region.
"Demand for Australian beef is increasing across the Middle East," he said. "I can now explain to Arabic customers why Australian produce is of such high quality and consistency."
