Culinary masterclasses and tropical food: What to expect at Taste Port Douglas
From tantalising seafood spreads and tropical flavours to celebrity chefs spilling their culinary secrets, here’s what you can expect at Taste Port Douglas.
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From tantalising seafood spreads and tropical flavours to culinary workshops by celebrity chefs, Taste Port Douglas is set to serve up a feast for the senses in August.
Taste Port Douglas organiser Reina Patrick said this year’s festival from August 7 to 10 would be bigger than ever with unique dining experiences, culinary masterclasses and parties, with more than 15,000 people expected to attend.
“We’ve got great talent, a great program and all the core things people expect now, like the opening party, two long lunches and the festival village has gone up to two days again,” Ms Patrick said.
Among the highlights, Ms Patrick said she was most excited for UK pastry chef Roger Pizey’s masterclass where he would recreate his famous tarte tatin.
“ (Pizey) was Marco Pierre White’s right hand man through The Restaurant’s Michelin days and was a major driving force through that whole time, and now he works for Forster and Mason, who are popular with the royal family,” she said.
“His lemon tart is famous, so we’re super excited to have that sort of calibre talent and culinary history in, which adds such a rich layer to the whole festival.”
Ms Patrick said it was exciting to see the festival grow, with a stellar line-up of internationally acclaimed chefs such as Manu Feildel, Colin Fassnidge and Michael Wilson, for attendees to interact with.
“We’re different to bigger city festivals in that, with big stages, you see the talent but there’s a bit of disconnect,” she said.
“Whereas with Taste, because a lot is set around the Sheraton and Port Douglas, it’s a small, intimate, boutique place, you can be at a dinner with Colin Fassnidge presenting one night, and the next be at a pool with him – so we’re excited to bring that feeling back again.
About 15,000 people attended the festival last year, a figure Ms Patrick said she hoped to see increase.
“We’ve got these really special experiences we’re trying to focus on. People love a food festival and the action of it, but if we can offer really unique experiences, that’s what sets us apart and creates those real lasting memories,” she said.
“We hope to see numbers increase with local visitation. We’ve got massive numbers from interstate staying in the region and I would like to see local numbers pick up again this year,” she said.
Ms Patrick said Exemplar shuttles would be available for people travelling from Cairns to Port Douglas to make the festival more accessible.
“Last year we introduced the transfers and hope it makes Taste more accessible for people who don’t want to drive,” she said.
Early bird tickets will be available until June 30 on the Taste Port Douglas website.
Originally published as Culinary masterclasses and tropical food: What to expect at Taste Port Douglas
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