- Shoot a chef for $2,500
- Real Food Festival
- Maîtres d' of the Year
- New Brisbane CBD coffee spot
- Do you choose your travel destination based on eating opportunities?
- Lamb lovers Spring specials
- Look, don't eat!
- Organic garden workshop
Real Food Festival
Head to Maleny this weekend for the Real Food Festival on 7 and 8 September at the Maleny Showgrounds. It’s a celebration of the wonderful food on offer from the region's producers, manufacturers, retailers and restaurants.
Strutting his stuff will be one of Queensland's most respected and innovative chefs
Cameron Matthews (pictured below), Executive Chef of the two-hatted The Long Apron restaurant at Spicers Clovelly Estate in Montville, who will share some of his food secrets.
"I'll be using some produce from our kitchen garden including heirloom carrots aged in sawdust for three months, beetroots which have been in the ground for 18 months, herbs, flowers and snow peas to do our version of a garden salad, which is always a little bit different," Matthews said.
"I'll also share tips and tricks people can use in their own cookery, like what salt to use when and what olive oils to use where - all the little things that make a huge difference to how your final product comes out.
"Hopefully people will be inspired to head out to their farmers market or their garden, grab some produce and get cooking."
Matthews will present Local Foods, Long Apron Style - Saturday at 12:30pm; and The Cook and the Chef - Sunday at 10:30am, where he'll cook off with gluten-free food expert and author Tania Hubbard. Both presentations will take place in the Real Food Kitchen venue.
Spicers Retreats is giving festival goers a chance to win a luxury package worth more than $1500 which includes accommodation and meals at either of two multi-award-winning Spicers properties - Spicers Clovelly Estate and Spicers Tamarind Retreat and Spa in Maleny.
With more than 120 stalls, demonstrations, discussions and hands-on activities throughout the weekend, the festival has something for everyone and is a great way for people to support the Sunshine Coast food industry."
www.realfoodfestival.com.au
Maîtres d' of the Year
Congrats to Urbane Group's Andrew Buchanan and Drew Patten (pictured above) who have been named Maîtres d' of the Year in 2014 Gourmet Traveller Top 100.Andrew and Drew have known each other for 20 years and have worked together for twelve. Both carry the fantastic ability to make you feel like you are the only patron in the place. URBANE also was named number 12 in Gourmet Traveller Top 100 list of restaurants. www.urbanerestaurant.com
Shoot a chef for $2,500
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| Will Cook 4 Food by Megan Field |
Shoot the Chef is the Good Food Month annual photo competition that combines Australia’s passion for food and photography.
Open nationally everyone is welcome to pick up their cameras and tackle this year’s challenge - whether it’s your hobby, your field of study or your profession.
The brief is simple: Shoot a chef (or your interpretation of one!) and share it with us using the #shootthechef
There are two awards – Critics’ Choice and People’s Choice – and each winner will receive $2,500 cash to spend on their latest food or photography craving. Find out more here www.goodfoodmonth.com/shootthechef
Opening photo: Baby Road by Eden Connell.
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| Bill Duty by Alison Crea |
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| Lakshmi's Kitchen by John Skillington. |
Back door bliss
There’s another Brisbane hidden coffee spot awaiting your discovery. Located in the laneway between Elizabeth and Edward Streets, Kitchen Door at Embassy Lane has an industrial look with a space decorated by wall-to-wall art, neon exposed ceiling pipes, fairy lights and Toby's Estate coffee. Find the Embassy sign and walk down the Laneway to discover. It's open for breakfast and lunch weekdays and is related to Embassy Bar.
Travel to eat
Stop press: It seems that almost a third of travellers choose destinations based on eating opportunities and New York and New Orleans are the top foodie destinations. Comes as no surprise you say? If you read Eat,drink + be Kerry I'm guessing you are definitely already part of this tribe. This new study of traveller behaviour has reveals that the way to tourists' wallets may be through their stomachs.Conducted by the travel market research firm Mandala Research and sponsored by the World Food Travel Association and other tourism organizations, the study shows that almost a third (30%) deliberately choose destinations based on the availability of activities related to local food and drink, whether it's a beer or wine festival, a farmers market, or a farm to table experience.
For 'deliberate' culinary travellers, the availability culinary activity is a primary reason for taking a trip," said Laura Mandala, managing director of Mandala Research. "In fact, authenticity and local flavours are the greatest drivers of destination choice for these travellers."
Check out the Culinary Traveller Study at www.mandalaresearch.com
Attention lamb lovers
Stokehouse is serving succulent spring lamb specials throughout September with a daily dish featured on the specials board. Think Slow Roast Spring lamb shoulder, char-grilled Dutch carrots, sheeps' milk labna, nasturtium vinaigrette; Milk-fed lamb leg, broad bean crust, roasted Brussels sprouts, pancetta, salsa verde; and Spring lamb roulade, smoked eggplant cream, braised greens, cumin spiced potato crisp. www.stokehouse.com.au
Look not eat
Lucy Ward takes art from the plate to canvas with her colourful still lifes and intimate interiors while the shapes of Michael Ward's wood carvings are organic and nature-inspired.
Two and Three Dimensions is a joint exhibition by husband and wife, Michael and Lucy Ward, whose works take inspiration from everyday life.
Lucy allows us in to her private world through her art where she immerses herself in everyday subjects that reflect her life. The items portrayed in her still lifes are from her own home; each piece is selected for its shape, colour and texture. Mike's sculptures, created from single blocks of wood, take on organic shapes inspired by Mother Nature. A retired gastroenterologist, Mike's passion for wood carving was ignited when he crafted Lucy's first easel in 1998.
Fast forward to 2013 and the Wards now have their own dedicated studios to hone their individual artistic skills.
Two and Three Dimensions is on show from 4 to 15 September, Graydon Gallery 29 Merthyr Rd, New Farm. Wed - Sun 10am-5pm
Spring into the garden
Nothing says Spring more than those green leafy shoots on your favourite plants. Learn how to make your garden bloom the organic way with a Spring Herbal Sensations Organic Gardening Class with Linda Brennan from Ecobotanica on Saturday September 14.
Enjoy an amazing day in the orchard at Freestyle Escape on the Sunshine Coast foraging from their herb and vegetable gardens. The hands-on class with Linda will give you all the answers to your burning gardening questions! Book at www.freestyleescape.com.au
Kerry Heaney
Disclaimer: This is not a paid post.