Tasting Australia kicks off in Adelaide, as vegan chef Shannon Martinez makes her festival debut

Australia’s most famous vegan chef has landed in Adelaide for what is set to be the biggest, and most diverse, Tasting Australia festival yet. Mega gallery: See all the pictures

Excitement for this year’s Tasting Australia is bubbling over as food lovers prepare for the biggest and most diverse food and drinks festival yet.

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Chefs and drinks makers from across South Australia and abroad are behind more than 200 events in 11 regions, that will take place over the next 10 days.

Australia’s most famous vegan chef, Shannon Martinez, is set to shake the scene with her creative meat-free fare. She’s wasted no time eating and drinking what the state has to offer, dining at Norwood restaurant arkhé and kicking back at city small bar, La Buvette.

“I’m paying for it today,” laughed Martinez, of Melbourne’s Smith and Daughters. “I love visiting restaurants that showcase what the state does best – amazing produce, and especially the wines.”

Vegan chef Shannon Martinez in Adelaide for Tasting Australia. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Tasting Australia drinks curator Nick Stock, festival co-director Karena Armstrong and food curator Emma McCaskill. Picture: Keryn Stevens

This is the first year that Martinez, who is not personally vegan, has been involved in Tasting Australia. It also marks her first holiday since the start of the pandemic and since she was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer, in 2020.

“Everything was okay, but I recently had some scans and had to go get biopsies the day I left for Adelaide,” Martinez said. “I’m happy to be here.

“This festival has such an amazing reputation for bringing together some incredible food minds, and this year will be so good for everyone to have fun.”

Events SA executive director Hitaf Rasheed said the 2022 festival would be the “largest and most diverse yet”, with more than 60 additional events on last year’s program. As of yesterday, 67 per cent of all tickets had been sold.

“Interstate interest in the festival has been strong,” she said. “Our Tasting Australia Airlines flights have been particularly popular with interstate guests, including the two new overnight journeys to Coober Pedy and the Flinders Ranges respectively.

“We expect Tasting Australia to deliver a significant boost to the state’s economy both this weekend and across the entire festival.”

Martinez will be showcasing her vegan cooking skills at Sunday’s Bubbles Brunch, with dishes such as vegan morcilla (blood sausage) on sourdough with a vegan egg yolk, and spiced vegan lamb mince with whipped hummus.

While in town, she’ll also be speaking at a free Q&A discussing work culture in hospitality, at UniSA on May 3.