Tasting Australia has satisfied appetites and crowds hungry for the State’s finest food and
wine experiences with tens of thousands through the festival hub and a swag of sold out
events.
Town Square welcomed strong crowds over the past eight days and event-goers embraced
its new look and the variety of South Australian fare on offer.
Sales outside of Town Square reflected this energy with almost 60 per cent of ticketed
events selling out. This included the Maggie Beer Tribute Dinner, Great Wine Voyage
presented by Primary Industries and Regions SA, Flavours of Campbelltown and Unmasked
in the Adelaide Hills.
Festival star Marco Pierre White proved to be a huge drawcard with his three ticketed
experiences selling out and thousands visiting Town Square to hear from and meet him on
Wednesday 3 May.
The new showpiece restaurant, Glasshouse Kitchen, was an eye-catching addition to the
festival and all of the collaboration dinners between international, national and local chefs
sold out ahead of the event.
This year locally renowned chefs Simon Bryant (creative director) and Jock Zonfrillo (creative
curator) have led Tasting Australia’s direction, with Maggie Beer making her final
appearance as festival patron. Maggie today handed over the patronage to fellow
trailblazing South Australian chef Cheong Liew.
“The crowds in Town Square have been exceptional and people have loved the opportunity
to speak with chefs, winemakers, brewers and distillers to understand the skill and care that
goes into their work,” Bryant said.
“We’ve catered to all tastes; from high-end degustations to free demonstrations, beverage
tastings and street food vendors and a kids’ program which saw them both learning the
origins of ingredients and being hands on in food preparation.
“The feedback, both from our visiting guests, media and local supporters, has been
overwhelmingly positive and we’d like to thank everyone who has been part of Tasting
Australia 2017.”
There was a strong focus on wine – Adelaide celebrating its status as a Great Wine Capital –
and the masterclass series presented by East End Cellars in Town Square attracted more
than 1000 participants across the week. The Fresh Wine Disco in Uraidla was also sold out.
From the opening weekend that featured the 350-seat FINO Italian Feast with Marco Pierre
White at Seppeltsfield to the closing of the Town Square gates this afternoon, Tasting
Australia has stepped up a level in 2017.
“We are thrilled with the festival and our guest chefs really enjoyed their time in South
Australia,” Zonfrillo said.
“Now that the festival is annual we have a lot more momentum and we have so many
opportunities to build on the great energy of this year.”
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