NEW YORK, New York, October 17, 2006 – Melbourne is a melting pot of cultures, food culture not least among them – a reality delectably mirrored in a profusion of packed restaurants, cafes, bistros and bars. Fashionable, eclectic and eccentric, the city’s dining spots offer a tantalizing tour of the world’s great cuisines, from the traditional to the most wildly inventive. Thus, it’s only natural that the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival (www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au) kicking off its 15th annual celebration of Victorian gastronomy on March 16, 2007, has become the largest food and wine event of its kind.
The proof? More than 250,000 foodies descend upon Melbourne each year to mingle with acclaimed international chefs during the two-week festival that covers more than 140 food and wine events across the entire state of Victoria. Highlights of the 2007 program include the return of the original MasterClass (March 24 – 25), which will bring a star-studded lineup of the world’s hottest cooking talent to Melbourne to share their vast knowledge in an intimate setting at the Langham Hotel Melbourne; the World’s Longest Lunch, where 5,000 people will sit down to lunch at 23 scenic locations across Victoria; and the Ultimate Cellar Door, showcasing some of the state’s finest vintages.
Here is an event I would love to be at, but I will, “be down under,” in Sydney and Bryon Bay on Nov. 8.