08 May 2014
Truffles are the flavour of the season in the Canberra and capital region, so much so that an internationally renowned chef regarded fondly as the 'King of Mushrooms' is travelling from London to be a part of the Canberra & Capital Region Truffle Festival.
Now in its sixth year, the Truffle Festival has invited celebrity chef Antonio Carluccio to experience the high quality Black Perigord truffle grown in the Canberra region as the festival's patron.
Well known for the popular SBS show Two Greedy Italian Chefs, as well as his cook books and restaurant chain in London, Carluccio will be at several dinners, local farmers markets, cooking demonstrations and at a cooking class in the Canberra Region over the weekend of 25-26 July.
'It is extremely exciting for me to come to Australia and to be involved in the field that I love most and, with which I have a longer than 50 year relationship,' Antonio said.
'Truffles are part of my fungi world, to which I dedicated all of my amateurish and then professional life. It will be very tremendous to show to Australians how much love one could dedicate to truffles once it is possible to show them the real use and maximum appreciation.'
Carluccio was raised in the wooded North-West of Italy where, at the age of seven, he started his life-long past-time of hunting and collecting truffles, mushrooms and other fungi with his father.
After spending time in living in Vienna and Germany, in 1975 Carluccio moved to London and traded as a wine merchant of Italian wines. His love of foraging and studying wild mushrooms continued to grow as he found many varieties growing in the English countryside, close to London, almost completely undiscovered.
In 1981 Carluccio took over the Neal Street Restaurant in Covent Garden, London, which traded for 26 years, and 10 years later he opened a delicatessen next door.
While Carluccio has regularly been appearing on television since 1983, it was his travels around Italy with close friend and fellow chef, Gennaro Contaldo, filmed in 2011 for the popular BBC series Two Greedy Italians, that he is well known for internationally.
He has written 20 popular books on subjects ranging from mushrooms, pasta, Italian cooking, opera, and also an autobiography, which was published in 2012.
As the patron of this year's Truffle Festival, Carluccio will travel from London to Australia to enjoy the high quality Black Perigord truffle that is grown in the Canberra region. He will be involved in a number of events, visiting local markets and also doing truffle cooking demonstrations and book signing.
You can taste and experience the prized truffle at more than 55 participating venues across the region during the festival, from 21 June until late August, at events ranging from gourmet degustation dinners, truffle dishes at cafes, pastries, cooking classes and demonstrations, wine tastings and matchings, farmers markets, truffle hunts and more. Nine ex-MasterChef contestants will also be providing a range of master classes.
KEY FACTS
Festival dates
21 June – late August 2014
Festival patron
International celebrity chef Antonio Carluccio
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