Regional Food on stage

The Canberra Times “Home, Leisure, Caravan, 4WD, Camping and Ferret Show” has just finished. One of my ex-workmates at the NFIS, (that’s the National Food Industry Strategy), Helen Taylor was the event manager (she has just moved to AIS, the Australian Institute of Sport, we love acronyms here in Canberra) asked if I could help fill some of the spots on the Gourmet Stage at the event. I said yes ages ago, thinking maybe we’d have a new issue of the magazine to promote (Hah!) and rounded up some people to come and talk ‘regional food’. I called it our Lazy Sunday Afternoon and the Small Faces  supplied the sound track. I took some pictures and video and maybe I’ll assemble a story for our PhotoDiary section.

We did get lost on a program featuring the miracle fat-catching George Foreman Grill (“Folks, for the next 20 mins, it’s $50, yes $50 off!”) and Susie of Lime Grove making an instant lime tart which she repeated in every other gap in the program.

We had some great people from the Farmers Market, from Regional @ CIT, Jan Gundlach our Plate chef, Evelyn talked jam, there were truffle people, a brewer, an icecream maker, a top winemaker and the most spirited guest (who woke up the audience, most looking for a quiet place to sit), was Matthew Hulse from DOJO Bread. That’s him above. There’s a story coming on Matt as well .

It’s a strange show, and it seemed like all the inventors  were out selling their gadgets en masse. Hose bags? Miracle window wiper? Cure anything nutritional additives? Anti-static plastic blinds? You’ve probably guessed that the Ferret bit above was a joke. It’s actually the Home, Leisure, Caravan, 4WD, Camping and Snake Oil Show. Truly.
Fred Harden. 28 October’08

It’s a strange show, and it seemed like all the inventors were out selling their gadgets en masse. Hose bags? Miracle window wiper? Cure anything nutritional additives? Anti-static plastic blinds?