Moveable feast
Resident foodie Stacey Jones takes a big, juicy bite
out of the Flavours of Plenty Festival.
Words Stacey Jones
Picture this: it's a lazy Sunday. You're dining on the beach, digging into some of the most delicious kai you've ever eaten, full of local flavours. The sun is shining. The prosecco is flowing. A celebrity chef is cooking you a plethora of dishes from their latest cookbook, while her 52k fans on Insta are getting some serious #FOMO. Sounds like a bit of you? Well, you’re in luck.
This year sees the return of Flavours of Plenty Festival and the event described above (and no, we're not spilling many more beans) is just one of 30-plus food activations across our region from March 24 to April 2. Now in its second year, the festival is back, bigger and better and ready to take its rightful place in the ever-growing New Zealand foodscape.
Last year's inaugural event happened on the cusp of going from a red traffic light setting to orange. Not ideal circumstances, but the success was a true testament to our local foodies grit and determination. Festival director Rae Baker explains, “It was important for us to show support for the foodie community at that time, and what we saw was amazing results for producers, event hosts and attendees alike.”
The festival reinforces our regional food story by showcasing the plentiful produce and culinary talent we have here in the coastal Bay of Plenty. It creates real, tangible benefits for our community, such as a direct link from produce to plate, new revenue streams for our event partners, the opportunity to test new products and attract visitors from outside the region.
Now, we can't give too much more away, but what I can tell you is this year the team behind the festival at Tourism Bay of Plenty are cooking up something even more mouthwatering. A sneak peek of the programme promises Meet the Maker events, degustations, market workshops, panel events, wild food challenges, celebrity chefs and plenty of other opportunities to get your hands dirty and your bellies full. There will also be the Plates of Plenty Challenge where local eateries will design plentiful creations from our Bay produce to be crowned The People's Choice winner.
Chef Ian Harrison of Sugo and Kitchen Takeover was just one of the many restaurants to take part in the event. Ian treated guests to a multi-course plant based degustation using local ingredients. “It was the best Sunday in the restaurant we’ve ever had, we had so much amazing feedback. It was also a great opportunity to try new things, attract new customers and pull together our community of culinary talent. Bring on this year’s event!”
The programme of events will be released alongside tickets on February 1, 2023. I’d say get in quick or you might be left with an empty stomach.