Optus Stadium reveals new culinary ambassador

Innovative celebrity chef, restaurateur and lifelong AFL fan Shane Delia is to introduce his signature Middle Eastern flavour across Perth’s Optus Stadium with an exciting new retail food outlet and the addition of his menu to premium event spaces.

Delia - an award-winning chef and owner of Melbourne institutions Maha, Maha East, Maha North and Jayda as well as two Melbourne Airport food outlets - explains "VenuesLive is one of the country's best stadium caterers and Perth has always been a place of amazing produce.”

With a passion for Middle Eastern food based on his family heritage, he notes “it’s been a dream of mine to bring my flavour to WA for the first time and it makes perfect sense to go on this journey with one of the best operators in the market.”

Delia has collaborated with the stadium’s Executive Chef Jochen Beranek to develop an exciting new culinary experience for fans and guests to experience. He will initially bring elements of his fresh, unrestricted Middle Eastern menus to premium event spaces and suites during match days and the Stadium’s private functions on non-match days.

Optus Stadium Chief Executive, Mike McKenna said Melia was a natural fit with the stadium’s food ethos. The stadium is well recognised as a top-class dining option, with the venue inducted into the Restaurant and Catering Institute of WA’s Hall of Fame for Event Catering after winning the Best Venue Caterer three years in a row.

McKenna advised “bringing Shane’s flavours to our premium event space menu options will further enhance the range of choice available to our guests whether they’re being hosted in a suite, the  Victory Lounge or attending a gala function in the River View Room.”

“Key members of our team have spent considerable time with Shane, both in his Melbourne restaurants and at the stadium to understand his food philosophy. His influence will be seen right across our menus.”

Melia is also partnering with the venue to open the first Western Australian based Biggie Smalls outlet. Located at aisle 144, Biggie Smalls is a kebab shop McKenna offering cheeseburgers, fried chicken and falafel kebabs as part of the offering as well as spicy chicken dimmies (dim sum).

Naming the outlet after the late rapper, Melia adds “Biggie Smalls is not just a Melbourne hotspot, it’s a brand that has international recognition and appeal (so) … is the perfect fit for the Optus Stadium customer,

He is the stadium’s second Culinary Ambassador, alongside restaurateur Matt Moran, who partnered with Optus Stadium in August 2022.

Images courtesy of Optus Stadium.