The Book Café – Sofia Levin with Cheong Liew OAM, Laura Sharrad, Durkhanai Ayubi and Rachel Signer

A morning coffee, fresh-baked croissant and new recipe book to peruse. Sound like heaven? The Book Café was made with you in mind. Meet in Good Neighbour, at the northern end of Town Square, as MasterChef Australia judge Sofia Levin welcomes culinary and beverage stars to join her in conversation. We’re talking career paths and roads less travelled, pinch-me moments and lessons taken from time in top international kitchens. Guests will share behind-the-scenes stories and the inspiration for their latest books, available for purchase within this welcoming space.  

Gather with four remarkable minds as they chat open-fire cooking, fine dining and forging new paths. Joining Sofia Levin for this candid conversation are Cheong Liew OAM, Laura Sharrad, Durkhanai Ayubi and Rachel Signer.    

Liew took an unconventional road to the professional kitchen. While engineering was an initial focus – subject of his studies after emigrating to Adelaide from Malaysia – a passion for cooking soon became clear. This legend of Australian cuisine is best known for a pivotal stint at Hilton Adelaide restaurant The Grange, and particularly his groundbreaking signature dish Four Dances of the Sea. 

Sharrad was introduced to Australia aged just 18 in her first MasterChef appearance. It propelled her to an apprenticeship at Orana with the late Jock Zonfrillo, and later the launch of two standout Adelaide restaurants – Fugazzi and Nido – in celebration of her Italian heritage. Sharrad has also made two returns to MasterChef Australia, most recently 2025 when she won its Back to Win edition. Now she is busy writing her highly anticipated first cookbook, due by the end of the year.

Afghan-born Ayubi will share the inspiration behind She Who Tastes, Knows – a new memoir of food, exile and awakening. Her first book – Parwana: Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen – received global acclaim and charted the Ayubi family’s migration to Australia in 1987, the opening of their beloved Torrensville restaurant in 2009 and its power to share culture, spirit and history.  

US expat Signer is author of 2021 natural wine memoir You Had Me At Pét-Nat – named among the year’s best wine books by The New York Times – and the forthcoming How to Drink Natural Wine. She swapped the city bustle of Brooklyn for an Adelaide Hills vineyard and her own winemaking pursuits.  

Career evolution, media success, moving on from popular restaurants – it’s all on the table as Sophia Levin hosts this highly anticipated discussion. 

INCLUSIONS –

• Food: pastries from local bakers
• Beverages: one hot beverage 

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