OnePlate was officially launched on Saturday 13 May 2017 with over 300 people gathered together in a transformed warehouse in Melbourne’s CBD.
The OnePlate tribe celebrated with friends, family, chefs, restaurateurs, donors and partners over dessert and champagne.
In a moving video made by the street children of Manila, OnePlate was officially launched by the children themselves.
“These street children are the treasures of the world and have so much to teach us,” said Thérèse Nichols, Founder & Director of OnePlate.
The OnePlate team then made a surprise announcement that its first funded project, a rooftop farm for the street children in Manila, was completed, a statement greeted to thunderous applause.
It was a testimony to the hard work and dedication of the last 18 months.
“Food does not fix the horrific suffering and hardships that these children have to endure daily, but it is a start,” said Thérèse.
“I believe the Australian hospitality industry, united together, can be a great force for good and channel for change.”
“By the simple act of choosing to eat out at a OnePlate restaurant, café, pub or bar, the Australian food culture can be gradually transformed into an act of giving, one plate at a time,” she said.
The night continued and sparkling conversation were had over champagne, with hand-crafted desserts, while the jazzy rhythms of the Jack Earle Trio band provided the perfect musical backdrop. Haim Kadar from Magnet-Me captured the night beautifully through his stunning photos given out to all guests at the end of the evening on fridge magnets.
Le Petit Gateau’s, Pierrick Boyer, generously created an exclusive “OnePlate” dessert for the occasion – a sumptuously layered chocolate square, topped with a white chocolate board bearing the OnePlate logo.
The evening was curated by the talented and creative team at The Collective by Friends. Their fine artistry, spectacular floral arrangements, styling and attention to detail set the ambience for the evening.
OnePlate’s launch was a tribute to the dedication and passion of the OnePlate team, who turned what might have remained as a “good idea” to a living, organic charity.
It was a tribute to the OnePlate tribe. The enthusiastic network of restaurant, café and pub owners, donors, creatives, professionals, volunteers, family and friends, who believed enough in the project to make it work.
And it was a tribute to the children of Manila, those “treasures of the world” who taught the founders the power of one plate of food, served in love.
The Jack Earle Trio
OnePlate would like to thank the work of Melbourne-based enterprise The Collective by Friends, who sourced Melbourne’s finest for the evening, including Event Management by Emma Brennan from Event Management Studio, styling and design by Hannah Hladik from HH Aesthetic, artistry by Mari Hladik from MarMar designs, Floristry by Alice Woolven from Botanicals by Alice, music by The Jack Earle Trio, and the exquisite hand-crafted desserts by artists Pierrick Boyer from Le Petit Gateau, Laura from Kitty Pimms and Nicky from The Sweet Event Cupcakes. Thank you to our wonderful MC, Jo Hays and Tristan McLindon.
Special thanks to Haim Kadar from Magnet-Me, Brendan, Elizna van der Walt from Indimax Productions, Laura from l’capture photography and Rae from Canvas Print Studio.
