Monthly Archives: June 2011

North Coast food festival launched

A North Coast Food Festival – to celebrate and share the exquisite food produce, restaurants and people of the NSW Northern Rivers region, will be held on Saturday September 10th in Byron Bay.
The Sample Food Festival, which will become an annual Spring event, has attracted the region’s best chefs and food producers.

Farmers markets and a range of food produce, health and lifestyle stalls will fill the Bangalow Showgrounds from 9:00am. Twenty restaurant marquees will serve $5.00 and $10.00 tasting plates between 9:00am and 3:00pm, with the best of these greeting the four Sample judges – Joanna Savill, Barbara Sweeny, Belinda Jeffery and Steven Snow – for the test of who will win the prestigious Golden Fork Award.

Cooking and lifestyle demonstrations will be held throughout the day, including Simon Grigalius from My Restaurant Rules, Gavin Hughes from The Byron at Byron Resort, Phil Dudman and Julie Ray showing us garden to kitchen tips and Leah Roland, Principal of the Bangalow Cooking School giving cooking classes for both adults and kids.

Back row: Jo Griffin, Karl Kanetani, Scott Frost, Adam Smith
Front row: Peter Flemming, Gavin Hughes, Monique Guterres-Harrison, Katrina Kanetani

Eight of the region’s top Chefs will gather at The Byron at Byron Resort at night to prepare the Sample Gala Dinner for 150 guests. Katrina Kanetani and her husband Karl recently purchased the hatted Satiate restaurant in Bangalow, along with the popular downstairs eatery Ate. “We are very excited to be using all the wonderful locally grown produce and to be able to live and work within such a lovely community” she said. “Everybody really supports each other”.

Katrina will be joined by Gavin Hughes from The Byron at Byron Resort, Joseph Griffin from Harvest in Newrybar, Perry Hill, Monique Guterres-Harrison from Seaweed Cuisine Byron Bay, Peter Flemming from 561 Alphadale, Scott Frost from Seven Mile Restaurant in Lennox Head and Adam Smith from Fleurs in Ballina to prepare the Sample Gala Dinner, at which the winners of the Golden Fork Award will be announced.

Sample Food Festival, Saturday 10th September, 9:00am – 3:00pm Bangalow Showground. Entry is free.  Sample Gala Dinner 6:30pm 10th September, Byron at Byron Resort. $160 per head including canapés, four courses and matching wines. Bookings essential.

Stay at The Byron at Byron Resort – $990 for two nights for two people including two tickets to the Gala Dinner and breakfast daily.  reservations@thebyronatbyron.com.au

For further information including interviews and images please contact Caroline Desmond
02 66875674  0415 499429  caroline@carolinedesmond.com.au

For festival enquiries including Gala Dinner bookings contact 0414 925 811 or info@samplennsw.com