The Good Life
If you did not snap up tickets to this Friday’s sold-out opening night dinner, then all is not lost. The Festival will continue for one day only on Saturday at Elements of Byron. There will be a number of Australian boutique wineries, craft beer and cider, small-batch and craft distillers and a number of complimentary food and beverage masterclasses, as well as live music. For the masterclasses, you need to register on the day and there is a maximum of 50 people per class. There will be two masterclass
areas: one focusing on beverages and hosted by wine expert Jane Thomson from The Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society, and the other focusing on artisan producers and hosted by Kate Walsh of The Real Food Projects. One aspect borrowed by organiser Remy Tancred from her Sample Food Festival will be the chance to purchase signature tasting plates from twelve of the region’s top chefs, some of whom are mentioned below and on next pages.
Beach Byron hosts Byron Farmers Market Stone & Wood dinner celebrity chef visit As you may have read in these pages last week, Byron Bay brewing company Stone & Wood was for the second year running awarded Champion Large Australian Brewery at the 2017 Australian International Beer Awards as well as winning a swag of medals.
Wood team at the restaurant for an interactive Q&A evening on Thursday 8 June at 6pm that includes a welcome appetiser and S&W Garden Ale, plus a special three-course menu inspired by the surrounding beach landscape and enhanced by Stone & Wood tasters. $85pp.
Beach Byron Bay is hosting the team behind this iconic local brand for a special night of dinner and conversation. You can join the Stone &
Bookings: beachbyronbay.com.au/eveningstone-wood or Ph 1300 583 766.
Ten massive corporations dominate our global food system With a focus on profits above all else, they promote unsustainable agricultural practices that pollute the air and water, degrade precious soils, are cruel to animals, and speed up the loss of biodiversity.
Born and raised in the culinary capital of Milan, Italy, Luca Ciano says that he inherited his passion for food from his family; he started cooking at the age of eight with his mum and grandma. ‘Keep it simple, fresh and especially seasonal’ is the motto of this accomplished chef, who has been awarded two Michelin stars at his famous restaurant Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia in Milan.
The system demands huge volumes of perfect-looking produce, a situation that creates massive amounts of waste and shuts out small-scale sustainable family farms, robbing them of their livelihood.
Small farmers minimise their environmental impact with practices such as composting, low transport distances, and no or minimal pesticide use.
Readers can get a taste of what Luca will be cooking at a market demo next Thursday 8.30am.
Luca released his own signature product range which includes handmade pasta sauces and olive oils and his bestselling cookbook, Luca’s
They grow more diverse and better tasting varieties, because they are not tied to a system that is focused on high yields and transportability of produce.
Farmers markets do not dictate how produce should look, so ‘imperfect’ produce does not go to waste.
Seasonal Journey, was released in April. Luca will be in Byron Bay representing Byron Farmers Market at the Byron Bay FIne Food and Beverage Festival on 3 June.
Luca’s established career also includes international roles at London’s Millennium Gloucester Hotel, Relais & Chateaux in Bermuda, and in Australia, his adopted homeland, at the Sheraton on the Park, The Westin in Sydney and Cypress Lakes Resort in the Hunter Valley.
It’s time for communities to take back their food systems and reap the benefits by supporting local farmers markets, community-supported agriculture and other local food systems.
Unlike industrial farmers, who pick early so produce can stand up to the rigours of travelling, small farmers are able to let produce ripen on the plant, producing fresher, better tasting and more nutritious food.
Chef Luca Ciano has gained 2 Michelin stars and will be appearing at Byron Markets next Thursday as well as at the Festival
more support, we can grow the markets, and encourage more small-scale sustainable farming.
We’ll have access to more fresh and nutritious food, it will strengthen local food security, and Our community already supports several farmers you’ll be a making a real contribution to preservmarkets, but you can help us take it further. With ing diversity, protecting jobs and local farms, and saving our Earth.
North Coast news daily: www.echonetdaily.net.au
Luca’s bestselling cookbook, Luca’s Seasonal Journey
The Byron Shire Echo May 31, 2017 25