Melbourne’s food scene is one of our favourite. It just keeps on giving, and this month they are blessing the city with the Taste of Melbourne Festival – a four-day celebration featuring our top produce, restaurants and chefs taking to MCG’s Yarra Park.
From November 30th to December 3rd, Taste of Melbourne will present exciting collaborative events and experiences created by Melbourne based chefs and local creative artists – such as sculptors, illustrators, musicians and graffiti artists. This year’s festival aims to capture Melbourne’s creative heartbeat, creating diverse dishes and entertainment.
The festival will kick off on November 30th with Taste’s 10th Anniversary Bash, offering music from Miss Goldie, amuse bouche from Melbourne’s top chefs, free flowing wine and other live DJ’s. This will be a night to remember, and a perfect celebration of a milestone birthday.
Taste of Melbourne will provide laneways of over 100 artisan producers for guests to meander, and locations for gourmet picnics. Top chefs will collaborate with graffiti artists, designers and sculptors in secret locations across Melbourne to craft creative and unique dishes to be revealed across the festival. To add to the visual feast, paper engineer Benja Harney will capture the Taste Festival in paper form, creating beautiful paper food to represent the festival.
For those wanting a hands-on experience, the Electrolux Taste Theatre will host intimate master-classes with some of Melbourne’s top chefs; where 16 guests will get a chance to cook a signature dish alongside a chef and then sit down to enjoy their creations together. Meat & Livestock Australia will also have butcher Doug Piper and chef Sam Bourke demonstrate a nose to tail eating, from the butchering to cooking of beef. A baking class where festival goers create Danishes and shortcrust pastries will be held in the new Lurpak Bakery. Smith Journal will present Table Talks, with stories and histories behind ingredients and recipes being discussed in thought provoking insight into the food industry.
This year Taste of Melbourne is also hosting their very first After Dark Party, held on December 2nd and 3rd, these are nights that will be club inspired evenings – full of colourful art, entertainment and food. These inaugural parties are a huge part of the festivals new collision of art, entertainment and food, and each night provides the best of each.
These special parties will be where Melbourne’s culture and cuisine collide, with a secret bohemian styled stretch tent hidden beneath the canopy of trees, and of course a selection of high quality food and drink available. There will be a welcome cocktail from Archie Rose, a special menu of snacks and treats, and a selection of Melbourne’s best wine and beer. In true Melbourne style, local live music will be provided; GL – the funk-tronic duo composed of Ella Thompson and Graeme Pogson, and balladeer Fraser A. Gormon, will transform Yarra Park into a dancefloor of retro and soulful vibes.
Taste Festival Australia director Kristy Austin said the After Dark Party and packed music lineup
were part of the festival’s new colourful collision of art, entertainment and food. “Melbourne is as famous for its great gigs and DJs as much as its cutting-edge restaurants and chefs. I’m so excited to have some of the city’s best live acts on board to keep the tunes pumping well after the exclusive daily master-classes and gourmet picnics wrap up,” Ms Austin said.
Taste of Melbourne has something for everyone, from casual foodies to amateur chefs and home cooks; with plenty of culture, high quality ingredients and unique opportunities available, along with fully prepared feasts and refreshments, highlighting the very best of Melbourne.
Written by Perri Digby
When & Where: Yarra Park (MCG), East Melbourne – Thursday 30 November to Sunday 3 December
Tickets on sale now.
