COMFORT FOOD CABARET Michelle Pearson Music The Market Kitchen Until 18 Mar 2017 Review by Talia Gaertner-Jones Michelle Pearson’s “Comfort Food Cabaret” is like spending an evening in the warm surroundings of your closest family and friends, enjoying good food and even better company. Backed by her band – Aaron Nash on keys and Michael Ciramella on bass – Pearson presents her show literally in the kitchen, along with her ‘sous-chef’ Lauren Quinn and her mum behind the bar. The Market Kitchen, above the Adelaide Central Market is the perfect spot for this show. It creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere, where Pearson manages with ease to move in and out of song, her story and cooking demonstration for the duration of the performance. Beginning with the Michael Bublé classic “I’m Feeling Good”, Fringe goers are greeted with Pearson’s hauntingly stunning voice. She is quite versatile as she continues through songs such as “At Last” by Etta James, “I Need A Hero” by Bonnie Tyler, which transitions into “Teenage Dream”, and a beautiful soulful version of Guns ‘N’ Roses “Sweet Child Of Mine”. What is equally impressive in Pearson’s performance though, are her culinary skills. The night is a series of 3 courses (which the audience is given to taste throughout the evening), both in food and in life experiences. Pearson cooks for us a delicious entrée while telling us of her first love and an unfortunate apricot chicken incident, a main course where she relives the moment she realised she had found her soulmate, and a dessert of past memories and a love of food passed down in family traditions. Although the show may have run slightly overtime, the enjoyment and the yumminess that was shared was worth it. Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)