Why chefs such as Colin Fassnidge and Dan Hong love the Noosa Food and Wine Festival
THE beach is never far away during Noosa’s annual celebration of all things delicious.
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A YOUNG, tousle-haired boy is picking his way down the cliff side, his board tucked under one arm. He looks 10, maybe 12.
When he reaches the water’s edge, he patiently watches the procession of bulging waves that thump and fizz on to a flat rock ledge.
In a momentary lull, he holds the board to his chest and launches himself into the sea, paddling through the break to join the line-up for the next ride. From our vantage point way up on a walking track in Noosa National Park it looks such simple fun we want to book a lesson – more so after seeing a few wiry old boys with their longboards who look like they’ve discovered a fountain of youth.
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Chefs who visit in the middle of May for the Noosa International Food and Wine Festival aren’t immune to the surf’s lure. For the past few years, some of the country’s best panhandlers have swapped their whites for wetsuits to take part in an impromptu surfing comp.
Even if you wouldn’t dream of dipping a toe in the water, the rhythm of the waves is a constant companion at a festival where the beach is never far away. That’s one of the great charms of this resort town where Hastings St, the main strip of hotels, shops and eateries, is wedged on a sliver of land between river and sea.
An ideal day might start with a table at one of the dress circle of restaurants that throw their doors open to the coastal boardwalk (granola with coconut panna cotta will do nicely thanks).
In the afternoon, there will be time for an icy beverage with million-dollar views on the surf club balcony.
And most of the festival events, including the village hub, are within a short walk of the sea – or, even better, plonked right there on the sand.
Many of the inclusions in director Jim Berardo’s 2015 program take advantage of this prime real estate, from champagne breakfasts, to an American-style barbecue lunch, to a ’70s-themed beach party and clam bake where you can groove in bare feet late into the night.
Berardo has once again attracted some of the restaurant world’s best and brightest as he continues to build a one-time small regional get-together into an international event of increasing stature.
He attributes their enthusiasm for the festival to both the opportunity to work together – everyone is expected to contribute in the kitchen – and also the socialising that is fostered by Noosa’s intimate setting and relaxed vibe.
“Many of these guys learn a lot while they are here,” Berardo says. “This environment gives them a chance to teach and learn at the same time.
“They work hard but it’s also a great party. We encourage everyone to let their hair down.”
Among more than 100 chefs attending, the star turns for 2015 include expats David Thompson (now at Nahm in Thailand) and Ryan Clift (Tippling Club, Singapore); New Zealanders Josh Emett and Ben Batterbury; and Americans Meena Throngkumpola (Nobu Fifty Seven) and barbecue guru Andrew Evans.
They’ll line up alongside local heroes such as Mark Best, Colin Fassnidge, Dan Hong and Andrew McConnell.
“As well as the big names, there are a lot of young guns this time,” Berardo says.
“We purposely went after … the up and coming talent we think are going to be the Neil Perrys and Tetsuyas of the future.”
All this talent is mixed and matched for the vast array of lunches, dinners, tours and more that tops out with the $495-a-ticket Westpac Premier International Degustation, hosted by Matt Preston.
You can also head over to the Festival Village to see cooking demonstrations by these selfsame chefs that are included in the price of admission.
Sit near the front and you might well get a taste.
Explore the village further and you will find the Grand Marquee where more than 40 winners and finalists from the delicious magazine Produce Awards will be showing their wares.
Try samples of shellfish, cheeses, smallgoods and much more.
Delicious indeed.
Then follow your nose to the rows of smaller tents where lunch is being sizzled and steamed by some of the Sunshine Coast’s best-known operators.
In addition, on the Saturday afternoon, choose from the offerings of some of the country’s premier food writers in the Food Critics Cooking Competition.
You can help judge the judges and vote for your favourite at the end.
Berardo and his team have an eye for what is happening in the wider food world, which helps keep their program as fresh as the veg at the Noosa Farmer’s Market each Sunday morning.
To this end, one of the new events is a Wild Food Dinner where dishes such as sea urchin, smoked carp and dashi of seaweed, and kangaroo consommé and dumplings with lemon myrtle oil, will showcase the potential of the pantry in our own backyard.
And sustainability will be the key message in a new food trail that takes participants to the Mooloolaba Wharf to watch tuna, crabs, prawns and other seafood being unloaded, before some of this freshest of catches is turned into a magnificent lunch.
Another trail will visit a third-generation family farm where the chickens roost through the night in a converted caravan and are constantly moved to new grazing areas.
“The flavour of the chicken is amazing … it’s like the roast your nanna used to cook with a chicken from the backyard,” Berardo says.
With close to 150 food and wine events on the Noosa menu, plus a host of excellent local restaurants to sample, there is something for all tastes.
At the end of it all, you’ll want a long walk on the beach. Or maybe even a surf.
More:
See more:
Where to go on the Sunshine Coast? Noosa to Caloundra
Camping to walks: Best things to do on the Sunshine Coast
Top 10 Sunshine Coast winter experiences
Best eats in regional Queensland
Gold Coast best food spots, from wineries to restaurants
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Originally published as Why chefs such as Colin Fassnidge and Dan Hong love the Noosa Food and Wine Festival
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