A little excited *squeal* – only 37 more sleeps until the 2015 Real Food Festival and with the launch of the Real Food Festival Program, there is a lot to get excited about.
12th -13th September are the dates you need to circle on your calendar, and then you need to download the program and start circling all of the producers, stalls, speakers and foodies that you want to see, listen to, speak to and sample their produce.
The 2015 Real Food Festival Program and new look website (http://realfoodfestivals.com.au) was launched at a fabulous lunch at Spicers Tamarind while we were enjoying a delicious selection of dishes prepared by Executive Chef Rory Thorpe showcasing some of our regional produce.
It is no secret, I love a good lunch. I love it even more when that lunch is centred around regional produce and I love a good story. So after we enjoyed a sensational lunch, we listened to Peachester Farm’s story, which has led us enjoying their heritage free range chicken, that they lovingly produce. We also enjoyed Walker Farm Food’s nomadic free range eggs as Son in Law Eggs… on a stellar menu… oh, and there was Sunshine Coast Brewery’s sample taste of their Strawberry Beer (can you believe it?!), which will be launched at the festival. And the menu was…
Green Mango Salad
Kai Yaang (Peachester Farm roasted chicken)
Muu Kham Waam (grilled pork neck with dipping sauces)
Tamarind Signature Whole Snapper
Tam Taeng Kwaa (Thai cucumber salad)
Som Tum (green papaya salad)
Khao Phot Ping (grilled corn on the cob with salty coconut dressing)
Walker Farm Son in Law Eggs
Regional produce is what the Real Food Festival is centred around. In the words of Julie Shelton, the festivals founder and Director, the festival,
“aims to connect food producers and food consumers in the same geographic region, in order to develop more self-reliant and resilient food networks, improve local economies, or for health, environmental, community, or social impact in a particular place.”
As consumers, we are gaining more and more awareness for the merits of fresh regional food, the importance and relevance of food miles, and the nutritional, health and community benefits associated with it. So here is the opportunity to really get connected with your food, to meet some of the producers, and find out about them and their produce and the commitment and passion they dedicate to bring to the table food that is fresh, ethically produced, with minimal environment impact yet huge nutritional value.
The program line up includes Chefs Matt Golinski, Cameron Matthews, Javier Codina, Peter Wolfe, Christine Manfield, Eric Pernoud (and so many more), authors Tania Hubbard, Rhonda Hetzel, James Colquhoun, Scott Mathias, some of my favourite producers Cedar Street Cheeserie, Walker Farm Foods, Peachester Farm, Shambhala Farm, Fresh Box, Sunshine Coast Brewery, Kidaman Beef, Rhodavale Pork – and these are just some of the producers that will be speaking or participating in workshops (check out the website) – there are DOZENS of stalls showcasing food, produce, information and encouraging interaction. Let me just say… you are not going starve of food or information!
We are so lucky to have such an event in the region – Julie and her team have worked hard to make this the best festival ever, so make sure you do some heavy duty circling on that calendar and program and support your regional food producers and this fabulous event and Taste, Learn, Laugh!
See you in Maleny on the 12th & 13th September 2015.
Big thank you to Real Food Festival and Spicers Tamarind for hosting another fabulous locally inspired lunch.
Tickets are available for purchase online.
To download the program, click here.
To find out more about the Real Food Festival and its speakers click here
This story was written by Petra Frieser – Pebbles + Pomegranate Seeds
