Food News

Tasting Australia begins

Here's the low-down on what's happening.

By David Sly
A busy week of Tasting Australia events kicks off in Adelaide and South Australia's regions from Sunday. Seats for some key dinners have sold out, but other interesting events include lunch cooked by Mark Kurlansky, author of the seminal food books Cod, Salt and The Big Oyster, with chef Andrew Davies at Osteria Oggi (noon, May 4), and chefs Anthony Myint and Chris Kiyuna of San Francisco's The Perennial cooking with Paul Baker at Botanic Gardens Restaurant, exploring the garden's seasonal fare (noon, May 4).
Bread is a big theme for the festival, with American bakers Jeffrey Hamelman and Josey Baker presenting Loaves and Fishes, cooking the day's catch to go with breads on the wharves at Hart's Mill, Port Adelaide, (7pm, May 6). The bakers doing their thing will be just one highlight, too, of the free demonstrations and talks taking place every day at the Town Square pop-up food village in Adelaide's Victoria Square.
South Australia's next generation of renegade winemakers, meanwhile, hosts a two-day "wine playground" called The Fruitful Pursuit, focusing on small-batch, organic, biodynamic, natural and minimal-intervention wines at Gill Gordon Smith's wonderful wine-education shop Fall From Grace in Aldinga (2pm-8pm, May 7 and 8).
There's plenty of other good stuff in the regions, too, whether it's prime lamb cooked in the paddock by Paul West from River Cottage Australia at Savannah Farm in Clare (noon, May 6) or Andrew McConnell rocking the impressive Leonard's Mill restaurant for a 5pm masterclass followed by 7.30pm dinner (May 5).
For full details and bookings, hit website tastingaustralia.com.au
SHAREPIN
  • undefined: David Sly