FOOD & WORDS

food writers' festival 2013
Saturday 19 October

Share a picnic with a writer who hunts for his supper, a cook who knows the secret of writing recipes that work, one of Australia's most exciting online bloggers and a soil scientist who scintillates on the subject of soil and its relationship to elite vegetables at this year's Food & Words festival on 19 October.

The convivial event is a feast of words and ideas. Fourteen food writers and cookbook authors, including chef Peter Gilmore from Quay and author Belinda Jeffery, come together to celebrate food from a variety of perspectives at this intimate (100 seats only) and limited-ticket festival at The Mint, Sydney.

It's a full day of listening and mingling with the leaders of Australia's gastronomy. Presented by Barbara Sweeney's Food & Words and supported by Sydney Living Museums, the festival is designed for those who live on a diet of cookbooks, devour food magazines, feed their minds with food stories, and savour the written word.

The program also features Bourke Street Bakery's David McGuinness and Paul Allam who will speak about social dividends and their Bread and Butter Project; the man who never shops for food in supermarkets, hunter gatherer Rohan Anderson and soil scientist Dr Robert Edis (official boffin and President of the Victorian branch of Soil Science Australia).

And there's more, including plant ecologist Bruce Auld, five writers with a bent for food history (Sarah Benjamin and colonial gastronomer Jacqui Newling among them), and blogger LemonPi.

Participants can also learn how to make the perfect brew from Single Origin Roasters who will present a brew bar, talk herbal teas with the gorgeous Ovvio Organics, and view rarely seen food and cookbook material released exclusively from The Mint vaults for this event (a newly acquired 1830s manuscript that informs on matters domestic among them).

The audience will be able to buy signed copies of books from all the participating authors, as well as get hold of a special advance release of Rodney Dunn's The Agrarian Kitchen.

On the day, participants can bring their own picnic lunch to enjoy on the grass in the beautiful courtyard at The Mint. Or, can have former Longrain head chef Martin Boetz, Alex Herbert from Bird Cow Fish and Brad Jones from The Mint Café prepare the feast for them. The only question is, who to share the picnic blanket with.

Food & Words

On: Saturday October 19, 2013

From: 10am-4pm

At: Auditorium, The Mint, 10 Macquarie Street, Sydney

Tickets: http://www.foodandwords.com.au/

Food & Words full-day program costs $185, including morning, afternoon tea and gift.

At lunch, enjoy a picnic on the grass. Either bring your own picnic or order the picnic prepared by our guest chefs when you book. Picnic lunch $60/optional.

Event inquiries: Barbara Sweeney 0413 259 535 or hello@barbarasweeney.com.au

Food & Words thanks Principal Partner, Sydney Living Museums.

The event features in the Sydney Living Museums ' Eat Your History program www.sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/food

Food & Words also features in the Good Food Month program - www.goodfoodmonth.com.au 

In 2013, Food & Words is also supported by Catering Partner Trippas White Group. Out of town guests stay at QT Sydney.

Media:

Contact:  Barbara Sweeney 0413 259 535 or hello@barbarasweeney.com.au

Interviews:  with Barbara and all Food & Words guest speakers can be arranged

Images available: Portrait pictures of Barbara, Food & Words guest speakers, the Food & Words image and the 2012 event are available

Other information: guest speaker biographies http://www.foodandwords.com.au/pdf/Food-Writers-Festival1.pdf

Background: www.barbarasweeney.com.au