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Music to dine to at Billi’s Indian By Vivienne Pearson
Local producer? Be on the Harvest Food Trail Northern Rivers Food (NRF) will run their third annual Harvest Food Festival next year over 3–6 May 2018. Harvest Food Festival is an annual local food event to help connect people with real food on real farms and honour our amazing producers. Each year Harvest Food Festival event organisers (all volunteers from local food businesses), showcase a series of local food tours, dinners and food experiences, from paddock to plate and seed to flower! The Harvest Food Festival offers the community an opportunity to connect with local food producers and celebrate our abundant local food – northern rivers style. Plans are underway to add a new event to the suite of Harvest Food Festival activities with a very special Harvest Food Trail being planned, as part of Harvest Food Festival activities in 2018. This Harvest Food Trail will extend from Tweed to Grafton, over Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 May 2018. It will be promoted to the community via a pamphlet, on the Harvest Food Festival website, and on Harvest Food Festival Facebook page in the lead-up to the event. ‘While we have limited resources and are run on the smell of an oily rag, each year our volunteer committee aim to grow the Harvest Food Festival a little bit more. In our third year, we are adding a really special focus on our local producers – we are casting the net with a call out to local producers in the northern rivers region, to see who’s interested in being part of our Harvest Food Trail,’ said Anne Briggs, executive officer Northern Rivers Food. ‘Producers must be currently operating food-based activities
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28 October 11, 2017 The Byron Shire Echo
on farm, or it may suit producers who are thinking of testing the waters to see if it this type of food tourism suits their business,’ said Anne. The Harvest Food Trail will also be open to local producers, food-service operators, distilleries and breweries. Some of the conditions to be included in Harvest Food Trail are: • For both producers and food-service businesses, they will need to be a member of NRF (businesses who are interested in being part of the Harvest Food Trail, who are currently not members, are welcome to apply to join); • Food-service businesses must be willing to showcase Harvest Food Festival specials for the weekend that honour our local food producers. Any food businesses interested in hearing more about this initiative are encouraged to contact Harvest Food Festival organisers via Anne Briggs, executive officer at Northern Rivers Food at info@northernriversfood.org.au by 16 October.
Northern Rivers Food (NRF): Facts • NRF is an industry body of growers, food artisans, manufacturers, restaurateurs, retailers and distributors who are working together to facilitate the development, growth and sustainability of food businesses in the northern rivers. • NRF is the first independently funded regional food-industry body in Australia. It became incorporated in early December 2011 and is now funded by its members with a significant contribution made by members in terms of volunteering time and expertise, including a management committee and special groups for growers, food-industry events, marketers, health and wellness, Harvest Food Festival and sustainability. • Northern Rivers Foods has approximately one hundred and forty members and is growing. • NRF runs regular food-industry events throughout the year (each month) and a consumer event in the first week of May – the Harvest Food Festival, which aims to connect people with real food on real farms. Criteria for membership are: • the food business must be primarily located in the northern rivers region, • the goods and/or services produced by the business must be primarily created within the region where available; and • the business has a commitment to using local labour for operations within the region. More information on NRF: www.northernriversfood.org.au/ or FB: annie.briggs100.
Billi’s Indian, already offering authentic Indian dishes, stepped it up a notch recently with an evening of live Indian classical and folk music. Dubbed ‘Sounds of India’, the music was bansuri and tabla, a delightful combination. A bansuri is a flute made from bamboo. Unlike a western metal flute, it has only open finger holes, meaning that many features of the music are created by the player’s technique. ‘The notes can be bent,’ says Vinod Prasanna, an award-winning bansuri player who is part of one of India’s greatest flute-playing families. The tabla, a small pair of drums that are played while seated, are played by Rodney Wright, an Ocean Shores local. Though not Indian, Rod learned tabla – not an easy feat, given the intricacies of the traditional rhythms (known as ‘taals’) – during extensive time spent in India. The result is a calming and uplifting sound, suited to either listening to fully, or as background music while chatting with friends. ‘This is the sort of music you want when you’re eating,’ says one diner, Michelle Siwicki, who stumbled upon the music evening after giving up on plans for a pub meal because of the loud band playing there. Michelle and husband Russell were lucky to get a table as the restaurant was full. Diners I spoke to fell into two groups – those, like Michelle, who had not realised that live music was on offer but were very pleased to have discovered it. ‘We were going to be here anyway and the music is a total bonus,’ says John McLachlan from Brisbane, one of a large table enjoying the music as part of a joint 70th birthday celebration for old university friends. Others saw the music event advertised and went along specially. ‘We eat here often but when we saw the music advertised we immediately called to book,’ says Mia Borodacz, from New Brighton. Another recent live entertainment evening provided a different aspect of Indian culture, courtesy of the Bollywood Sisters, who shared their ‘dancing is happiness’ motto with diners! Even without live music, the food is always good at Billi’s. Of particular note from my meal was the entrée dish of Tandoori Prawn, with quality prawns beautifully flavoured and perfect with the accompanying mint yogurt. Next time, I’ll try Vinod’s highly recommended favourite: Palak Paneer. The entertainment events are not one-offs, with plans underway for the Bollywood Sisters and Vinod and Rod to perform again. Keep an eye on Billi’s Facebook page for updates. Information: Billi’s Indian, 8 Wilfred St, Billinudgel. Tues– Sun from 5pm, dine in or takeaway. 6680 3352, billisindian. com.au, Facebook: @billisindianrestaurant
Rodney on tabla and Vinod on bansuri flute. Photo Vivienne Pearson.
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