Norton Street Italian Festa – Celebrates 27 Years

On October the 27th – Norton Street will be closed off from the Town Hall to the end of Pioneer Park where the street will be transformed into a grand Italian Fair. – The Norton Street Italian Festa in little Italy Leichhardt celebrates 27 years this year and it is the largest and longest running Italian street festival in Australia.

As can be expected with any true Italian festival, food will play a big part of the event. Food stalls will be serving food throughout the day, with many serving traditional Italian fare – including fresh homemade pasta created in front of onlookers, delicious wood fired pizzas and tasty Italian gourmet sausages, porchetta rolls, Italian sausages , gelato, coffee and Italian sweets will have you transported back to Italy living La Dolce Vita.

A major highlight of the 2012 festa was the ‘Nonni in Cucina’ Cooking Marquee, where nonna’s did battle of the melanzane showcasing their family recipes using eggplants and then handing it out to the crowd for tasting and judging, This year Enzo Guarino will host an amazing lineup of chefs to entertain the festa foodies with the ‘CASA e CUCINA’ Cooking Marquee. Some of the chefs included in this years event are Celebrity Chef Massimo Mele, Head Chef Paolo Gatto and local pastry chef Pino Locantro.

The latest spectacle to be included in this years event is Auto Festa the largest collection of classic, vintage and contemporary Italian made motor cars plus motorbikes and scooters which will be on display in Pioneer Park. Auto Festa will showcase hundreds of vehicles from all the Italian makes, including Fiat, Lancia, Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini, Ducati, Moto Guzzi and Vespa and will be the largest collection of Italian Motor cars and bikes ever assembled in NSW.

The  entertainment this year will include Gladiator Battles in Pioneers Park, regional Italian cooking demonstrations, traditional Italian singing, Italian dance performances, carnival rides, jumping castles, rock climbing, puppet shows, roving minstrels, stilt walkers, animal farms and face painting for the kids. There will also be Roman Legionnaires, roving entertainers and Venetian mask making so plenty of fun to be had for the whole family.

Some lucky festa goers will also take home prizes in this years competition where a raffle ticket can win with Festa Raffle

Prizes include

1st Prize – 2 Return Economy flights to Italy with Cathay Pacific, Value $4,200

2nd Prize – Luxury Harbour cruise and gourmet lunch for 6-8 people, Maritimo Cruisers, Value $3,500

3rd Prize – Luxury Weekend for 2 at Petersons Armidale, Value $950

4th Prize – Designer Sunglasses from OPSM Leichhardt, Value $1,000

5th Prize –  9 week Italian language course for adults at Co.As.It, Value $200

Raffle tickets – $5 each or 3 for $10 will be available at Festa and before the event (to be announced)

Prizes will be drawn at Festa, 27 Oct 2013, 3.30pm at the Cooking Stage, Norton St, Leichhardt. Winners will be notified by phone call and e-mail. Results will be publicised on the Norton Street Italian Festa website and Facebook pages.

So for a fun day out with the family celebrating all things Italian then the Norton Street Italian Festa is one event you need to put in the calendar. The event is on the 27th OCTOBER. So keep the day free and bring the family and meet some friends down in little Italy for a day to remember.

For more information go to the official website; http://www.nortonstreetfesta.com.au

Canberra District Winemaker Tim Kirk Wins Top Award

Australian Capital Tourism congratulates Canberra District winemaker Tim Kirk who was last night named Gourmet Traveller WINE magazine’s Winemaker of the Year.

It was the third time the Clonakilla winemaker from the Murrumbateman region near Canberra had been nominated for the award.

Australian Capital Tourism Director Ian Hill said the award was a great recognition for both Tim and for the standard of wine being produced by the Canberra District’s cool climate winemakers.

‘Clonakilla is one of the region’s leading wine producers offering fabulous wine and an intimate boutique cellar door experience.

‘The great thing about the region’s wineries is that there are 33 cellar doors within 35 minutes’ drive of Canberra’s city centre.’

Gourmet Traveller WINE magazine said Kirk had kick-started a fashion for this Côte-Rôtie-inspired approach to cool-climate shiraz.

Clonakilla’s 2012 shiraz-viognier was recently named in the top three Australian shirazes in the 2014 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion, scoring 97 points just behind the 2008 Penfolds Grange and the 2008 Heschke Hill of Grace shiraz.  Clonakilla’s 2012 riesling also scored 96 points along with another Canberra District wine, Helm Premium Riesling 2012.

You can visit Clonakilla’s cellar door at Crisps Lane, Murrumbateman, between 10am and 5pm daily. Explore the region’s wineries by grabbling a Canberra District Wineries Guide from the Canberra and Region Visitors Centre at 330 Northbourne Avenue, Dickson ACT or calling 1300 554 114.

Join in the fun of the region’s wine festivals. The Murrumbateman Moving Feast takes place 5 and 6 October while the Canberra District’s Wine Industry Association’s annual festival, Wine, Roses and all that Jazz, runs from 2 to 3 November 2013.

Gourmet Weekend, Laucala Island, Fiji

Enjoy the tropical magic of Laucala Island with Quay’s executive chef, Peter Gilmore.
This premier South Seas escape has just 25 exquisite villas with interiors by leading London-based designer Lynne Hunt, plus a choice of dining venues with menus by leading European and Asian chefs.

The array of diversions includes swimming, snorkelling, diving, spa treatments, beachside horseback riding, sailing and cruising, and golf on an 18-hole championship course created by premier designer David McLay Kidd.

Over this long weekend, Peter Gilmore 
will collaborate with two of the resort’s chefs,
French-born Martin Klein and Thai chef Kun Santi, to produce a series of spectacular culinary events.

Highlights will include:

FRIDAY – 1. A traditional Fijian evening at Laucala’s Cultural Village. 2. Cocktails followed by dinner prepared in a lovo, and a spectacular dance performance.

SATURDAY – 1. An exploration of the island’s organic farms with chefs Martin Klein and Peter Gilmore  2. An informal lunch around Laucala’s spectacular pool 3. An elegant, seasonal seven-course dégustation dinner at Plantation House Restaurant by Quay’s Peter Gilmore, showcasing Laucala’s home-grown wagyu beef

SUNDAY – 1. An afternoon masterclass with Peter Gilmore at Seagrass Restaurant 2. An informal seafood dinner by Laucala chefs together with the kitchen team from Quay at Seagrass Restaurant

 

About Laucala Island

 

Laucala Island is owned by Dietrich Mateschitz, C.E.O. of the Red Bull drink company.  The resort is 85 percent self-sustainable and prides itself on an integral philosophy, incorporating elements of the entire island into each guest’s experience, from island-made spa products to cuisine derived from indigenous plants, fruit and aquatic life.

Encompassing 12 square kilometers in the Fiji archipelago in the South Pacific, it has just 25 beautifully designed villas, scattered amidst palms, set on the edge of sugar white beaches and turquoise lagoons, and atop lush green mountains.  It brings new meaning to the term “all-inclusive resort” with its wealth of leisure diversions including swimming, snorkelling and diving, horseback riding, spa treatments, sailing and sunset cruises.  Laucala also has its own spectacular 18-hole 72-par championship golf course part of which is set in its established coconut plantation.

The island features five exclusive restaurants and bars overseen by top international chefs from Europe and Asia, offering a superb choice of Western, Asian and local cuisines, complemented by a wide selection of fine wines.  Most of the ingredients for various dishes are sourced from the island’s own organic farm and herb and vegetable gardens.  With over 350 staff, Laucala boasts the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the world, including professionals such as a horse whisperer, spa manager and golf, diving and fishing experts.

Rates:
Laucala’s all-inclusive rates, encompassing a range of leisure activities, fine dining, premium wines and spirits, health and wellness offerings, and state-of-the-art entertainment and technology inclusions,  start from USD$4,200.00 per night for 2 Adults in a One Bedroom villa, USD$6,000.00 per night for a three bedroom villa accommodating 6 Adults, up to USD$40,000.00 per night for the exclusive Hilltop Estate ‘Delana’.

*All rates subject to local government tax of 15% VAT and 5% turnover tax

 

BOOKINGS:Tel: +679 888 0077, www.laucala.com, reservations@laucala.com, v.pauchon@laucala.com

The World’s Best Beer Trip (EVER!) Your chance to win a trip to six of the world’s best craft breweries

Two of Australia’s leading craft breweries, 4 Pines Brewing Company and Feral Brewing Company, have teamed up with some of the world’s best craft breweries to offer one lucky beer lover the trip of a lifetime. From Taiwan to Tasmania, Angola to Armenia, beer enthusiasts from across the globe have the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks hanging out at some of the coolest breweries known to mankind.

The fortunate one will be flown craft beer class (economy) on a round-the-world ticket, stopping off at each of participating breweries for a few days of brewing, bottling, pulling beers and doing whatever else these breweries do to help keeping their operations ticking over. And if that’s not their scene, they’re welcome to simply hang out, down some kick-arse beers, eat some great food and have a damn good time.

The legendary list of craft breweries touting this as “perhaps the most fun, ever, in the history of beer” includes:

–       4 Pines Brewing Company (Sydney, Australia)

–       Feral Brewing Company (Perth, Australia)

–       Good George Brewing (Hamilton, New Zealand),

–       Meantime Brewing (London, England),

–       The Brew (Shanghai, China) and;

–       Victory Brewing (Philadelphia, U.S.A.).

Entries are via the participating brewery’s social media channels with more details on entering the World’s Best Beer Trip website. Entrants must submit a photo of something interesting and explain in no more than 50 words: WHY SHOULD I WIN THE WORLD’S BEST BEER TRIP? None of that soppy, sentimental carry on will get you over the line – humour and creativity is a much better bet.

Each brewery will then choose a finalist and all six of these will be showcased on the World’s Best Beer Trip website where they’ll vie for the most votes to win the grand prize of flights, accommodation and dinner at each of the brewers’ hospitality operations. It’s a once in a life-time opportunity for the winner to immerse themselves in the brewing culture and cuisine of some of the best brew-pubs from around the world.

Jaron Mitchell, GM and Co-founder of 4 Pines Brewing Company said he’d be very surprised if the entire world-wide web doesn’t come to a grinding halt with the overload of traffic from entrants.

“First we think Facebook will shut down. This will cause social panic. In a knock on effect with people looking for other mediums to communicate, Twitter, Linked-In and eventually mobile phone networks will also become overloaded. Soon after, more secure banking and then government and military networks will be corrupted. Skynet will become self-aware at 6:18PM Pacific Standard Time.”

Steve Finney, Marketing and Sales Manager of Feral Brewing Company says;

“It is truly unbelievable to think that an Arnold-like being will be sent back in time to the year 2013 to help save the human race from such beer promotions as ‘win a cap’ or ‘drink four flavourless dry beers to win a boom box esky’ . Deep down I think we all knew that the next social network blockbuster sequel was going to somehow involve a worldwide network of craft breweries, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and a God-like being that will be sent around the world to record, drink and eat to save humanity from boring, flavourless and bland beer. But it is true and Judgement day is coming.”

Australian entrants need to submit their entries via the following social media channels by 8th October 2013, 11am Eastern Standard Time.

Tourism Australia to Invite the World to Feast on our Food and Wine Experiences

Tourism Australia’s plans to ramp up the promotion of Australia’s food and wine experiences in its international marketing were unveiled at the country’s largest ever global wine forum – Savour Australia 2013.

The details of Tourism Australia’s new focus on food and wine as part of its global campaign – There’s nothing like Australia – was shared with more than 800 wine industry and media delegates from across the globe at the inaugural Wine Australia forum.

Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy said the development of the new approach to marketing Australia’s culinary experiences to prospective visitors was based on strong consumer insight.

“There is a growing appetite (literally) globally for food and wine as part of the travel experience and Australia has all the right ingredients to capitalise on this opportunity – with the finest array of produce served in the most stunning locations in the world,” Mr McEvoy said.

“Research across 15 of Australia’s key tourism markets shows that great food, wine, and local cuisine is now a major factor in holiday decision making (at 38%), ranking third ahead of world class beauty and natural environments (37%).

“However, our challenge is that for people who have never visited Australia, only 26 per cent associate the destination with a good food and wine offering. For those who have visited though, Australia is ranked second for its food and wine experiences (60%) after culinary giant France and ahead of Italy (third). We are ranked as the number one destination for food and wine for people who have visited from China, USA, France, India, Indonesia, Malaysia the UK and South Korea.

“Clearly, we need to narrow the perception gap between those who have visited Australia and those who have not. This is a great marketing and communications challenge.

“To do this we are evolving our global campaign with the idea that Australia could be the world’s greatest restaurant – Restaurant Australia – serving up the most unique food and wine experiences in remarkable locations every day,” Mr McEvoy said.

Working with its marketing partner Wine Australia, the tourism industry and leading food and wine identities, Tourism Australia will now incorporate the food and wine experience much more strongly in its global campaigns.

Commenting on the launch of Tourism Australia’s new food and wine strategy, Wine Australia’s General Manager, Market Development, James Gosper said the strategy would move the promotion of wine into the lifestyle space and create a compelling reason to experience Australia.

“Tourism Australia’s food and wine strategy will help forge a strong identity in the marketplace about Australia’s incredibly diverse, unique and top quality wine and food experiences,” Mr Gosper said.

“This is an exciting new era in the promotion of our food and wine and will ensure our offering becomes more relevant to the decision making process for travel to and within Australia.

“This new food and wine focus will help the wine industry extend its consumer reach on a scale we’ve not been able to achieve before,” Mr Gosper said.

Mr McEvoy said the Restaurant Australia concept would be built into the next phase of Tourism Australia’s global campaign – There’s nothing like Australia – to expand global perceptions of Australia’s tourism offering.

“There’s nothing like Australia has already been a huge success around the world, appearing in 25 countries and translated in to 17 different languages, by highlighting our warm and welcoming people and spectacular natural beauty,” Mr McEvoy said.

“Now we will be looking to ignite the tastebuds of travellers world-wide with a marketing push that captures the fresh thinking, open air, and the flavours that define our food and wine offering and can set Australia apart from the rest of the world as a tourist destination.

“Whether it’s devouring fresh shucked oysters in Tassie, quaffing wine at a cellar door in SA, exploring Melbourne’s multicultural cuisines or sipping coffee in a laneway, feasting on sun-kissed fruit and seafood on a Queensland island, tasting Marron for the first time at a vineyard in WA, sampling bush tucker in outback NT, fine dining in Sydney or following one of the many food trails or festivals in Australia – we want international visitors to know they will be spoilt for choice in Australia,” Mr McEvoy said.

Tourism Australia’s food and wine strategy builds on the tourism marketing agency’s partnership with Wine Australia, announced in late 2012, which sees the two organisations working together to raise awareness of Australia’s wine and food offering to attract more international visitors to Australia.

Earlier this year Tourism Australia also announced a partnership with Ultimate Wineries of Australia, a consortium of high-end, award winning wineries offering unique wine experiences including barrel, private and structured tastings, food-wine matching, wine education and gastronomy in spectacular locations within renowned wine regions.

Enzo’s Charcoal Grilled Leatherjackets

INGREDIENTS

4 Leather Jackets, cleaned gutted heads removed

Fennel fronds, chopped

Mint, chopped

Lemon Rind

Garlic, minced

Ginger, minced

Sea Salt

Cracked Pepper

Olive Oil

METHOD

Light natural wood fire coal in a Webber BBQ

Slash the fish three times on each side

Mix the rest of the ingredients together and rub into fish and let stand for 30 minutes to penetrate the flavours.

Meanwhile make sure the coal is ready to go and place fish on a non stick rack over the coals.

The fish should take about 4 minutes each side or until flesh is cooked through.

Serve with garlic prawns, rice and salad

The East Village Gourmet Food Festival is Back

As part of The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Month, the second annual East Village Gourmet Food Festival will return to Joynton Park in the Green Square Precinct on Saturday October 5^th. The festival, which will commence at 11am and stay open well into the night, will be a hub for locals to share a meal in a vibrant outdoor setting while meeting the faces behind some of Sydney’s best food.
The festival will welcome renowned Sydney restaurants, cafes, bars and caterers serving up delicious food, drinks and coffee throughout the day, featuring stalls run by Salt Meats Cheese, Allpress Espresso, Foley Lane, The Veggie Patch Van, Dan the Man Cooking and East Ocean Restaurant. Guests can expect a mix of relaxed fare and tasting-style dishes, including mushroom, macadamia and goat curd stuffed piquillo peppers from Foley Lane, a selection of dim sum and peking duck pancakes from East Ocean Restaurant, and for a caffeine fix, Allpress Espresso will be serving up their signature Supremo Blend.
“More than 6,000 people visited the festival last year – it’s clear Sydney fell in love with this event straight away,” says festival director Michael Klevansky. “We’ve doubled the number of stalls and set up an outdoor bar area for guests to satisfy their cravings throughout the day.”
Salt Meats Cheese will run the bar, serving cocktails, craft beer and wine alongside Italian fare. This year’s festival will also see a dedicated play area for guests’ dogs alongside a petting zoo and face painting for the kids, plus live music. “This festival is perfect for passionate food lovers keen to get to know their local community, and it’s the only festival in the area that carries on after sundown,” Klevansky says.
Longrain is excited to cater the East Village Gourmet Food Festival’s evening event, The Long Dinner. The dinner will welcome guests to a long communal table for a banquet meal ‘under the stars’. “We’ll be serving our tasty modern Thai cuisine, including our signature betel leaf with smoked trout, mint, peanut and chilli,” says Longrain owner Sam Christie.
East Village Gourmet Food Festival food stalls and outdoor bar will be open from 11am to 10pm. The Long Dinner starts at 7pm, register on the East Village Gourmet Food Festival website to find out when tickets will be released and go in the draw to win a double pass.
The East Village Gourmet Food Festival is sponsored by Payce Consolidated Ltd who have a long history in the Zetland area developing premium residential projects; Apex, East Village and Platinum. A leading property investment and development group, the Payce team combines talent, creativity and passion to deliver inspirational, landmark developments with community at their heart.
New stalls and food partners are still to be announced, register for updates at:

www.evgff.com.au | facebook.com/martingsgff | Twitter & Instagram: @eastvillagegff

Herbie’s Achieves World’s Best Title

 

So often the phrase “World’s Best” is used to promote a business or product.

However, Herbie’s Spices has been bestowed the title of World’s Best Spice Store by Foodandwine.com.

“Having visited spice stores and spice markets around the world, we were thrilled to hear that a US website had recognized us.”

Herbie’s Spices is the only Australian spice store to be included in the list, which also highlights spice stores from Los Angeles, Tel Aviv, India, Paris, London, China and Morocco.

The honour shouldn’t come as any surprise; with Herbie’s Spices recently celebrating their 16th birthday and their spice range of over 300 items, now including 108 spice mixes with over 70 of these unique to Herbie’s Spices.

“Herbs and spices are agricultural commodities, and it has always been my obsession to source and blend the very best that are available.”

This nod from Foodandwine.com has encouraged Herbie’s to continue exploring other taste sensations to be able to offer their customers a world class spice experience.

“We never cease searching for good spices and learning about great spice combinations, as this is vital if we are to uphold the title of One of the World’s Best Spice Stores”.

*Source: http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/worlds-best-spice-shops#!slide=14

Mushrooms Provide a Vital Solution for Australia’s Vitamin D Deficiency Epidemic

A new Sydney University study released today proved that mushrooms can provide 100 per cent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin D – a deficiency affecting more than a third of Australians.

In addition, research just released by Australian Mushroom Growers found that almost half of Australians don’t know the health risks associated with low vitamin D levels and a third of us aren’t even sure if we are getting enough.

Professor Rebecca Mason, Deputy Director at Bosch Institute and Head of Physiology at Sydney Medical School, who assisted with the research, says vitamin D is essential to maintaining bone health and general wellbeing.

“Low Vitamin D levels cause poor calcium absorption that can result in osteoporosis, a disease affecting more than one million Australians. Vitamin D is also important in helping us fight infection, heart disease and even type-two diabetes,” she said.

The Australian research investigated the vitamin D levels of three standard button mushrooms exposed to direct midday sunlight. Results confirmed that mushrooms generate vitamin D levels in a similar way to humans and an average serve* can provide 100 per cent of an adult’s vitamin D requirement (10 mcg).

Accredited practising dietitian, Glenn Cardwell, says vitamin D rich mushrooms are an effective way to achieve our daily requirement.

“After one hour in direct sunlight, your mushrooms won’t diminish in flavour or appearance but will have adequate vitamin D levels. It’s a real breakthrough in nutritional science and this small change may help the millions of Australians overcome their vitamin D deficiency,” says Cardwell.

“Despite so many Aussies suffering a vitamin D deficiency, over a third of us aren’t able to name a single source of vitamin D, according to consumer research. The research also found that 84 per cent of Australians don’t know you can actually get your much needed vitamin D from food.

“Foods like sun-exposed mushrooms are a great source of vitamin D and for those of us who are sun conscious, this is obviously great news,” he says.

However, Cardwell warns that not all foods containing vitamin D can provide the amount we need.

“To achieve enough vitamin D you could eat half a kilo of fatty fish such as tuna or salmon, around five tablespoons of margarine or half a litre of vitamin D fortified milk. Mushrooms however, can provide all the vitamin D we need, in just one serve,” concluded Cardwell.

(1) Quantification of Vitamin D levels in mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) exposed to sunlight, Applied Horticulture Research – 2013

(2) Professor Daly, Dakin University 2012 www.deakin.edu.au/news/2012/160112vitaminddeficiency.php

*One serve = 100g is equivalent to three average button mushrooms.

Yoder Smokers Fuels the BBQ Fire

Australian’s love a good barbecue; but more importantly, we love a barbeque that’s tough, powerful, easy to clean and can produce delicious, perfectly cooked meat.

The Yoder YS480 and YS640 Hardwood Pellet Cookers from Yoder Smokers are the ultimate wood fired single grill and oven combination for restaurant quality meat, pizza, chicken, fish and veggies.

Gas BBQ’s offers convenience, however wood fired cooking always offers the pinnacle in BBQ flavour, texture and aroma. Yoder Smokers offers the best of both worlds, with the YS Pellet Cookers outfitted with their direct grilling package. It can cook anything you would on a gas BBQ, just better.

The YS range of Hardwood Grills can be turned on by a simple flick of a switch. The grate temperature on the left side of the competition grade grills can cook from as low as 70 degrees whilst being able to soar past the 300-degree mark.

It produces those coveted steakhouse quality grill marks, intense caramelisation, colour and texture common to cooking over an open fire. It can roast any meat or veggie to perfection, or slow cook your favourite cut to mouth-watering perfection.

The Yoder Hardwood Pellet Cooker Series has a huge cooking capacity; the YS480 has over 5,100 square centimetres of cooking space with the optional second shelf, while the YS640 has up to a whopping 6,900 square centimetres. And the larger size allows for a good sized flame as well as easy cleaning accessibility.

Featuring an electrically controlled auger that feeds 100% natural hardwood pellets into the flame, this is the ideal way to cook meat to perfection, offering superb quality and taste.

The Yoder Smokers are hand built in the U.S. where they are leaders in a highly competitive market. Their thick 10-gauge steel shell is weather proof (can be operated in the snow or rain, all year round), and ignition is literally just the press of a button.

Offering second-to-none craftsmanship, both the YS480 and the YS640 Hardwood Pellet Cookers help produce the flavour that only wood fires can generate, all with the ease of ‘set and forget’ operation.

Yoder YS480 RRP: $2,900

Yoder YS640 RRP: $3,400

The Yoder range is available from specialty BBQ stores Australia wide.

For more info on the Yoder range visit http://grillpro.com.au/