Hit the road on Saturday 30 march to see the tiny Gippsland town of Jindivick become a thriving culinary destination for one day only, as part of the 2019 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival presented by Bank of Melbourne.
Melbourne restaurants, cafés and bars are collaborating with local Gippsland culinary stars, producers and winemakers to bring all the trappings of a heritage country Victorian streetscape to life - from the butcher's shop and green grocer to milk bar and Chinese restaurant. Carousel rides, face painting, barn dancing and many more activities will keep the kids entertained, while live music will keep toes tapping into the night.
Following recent bushfires that have affected the local community, Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is supporting an appeal to raise funds for Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund. The appeal will be launched by chef Alejandro Saravia (Farmer's Daughters and Pastuso) on the opening night of River Grazew, the popular event which sees the south bank of the Yarra River transformed into a food and wine lover's playground from 22-24 March. On Friday 22 March, Saravia will bring a taste of Gippsland and its producers to the city as he hosts a Victorian campfire-style barbecue in collaboration with Gippsland Natural at River Graze. Ten per cent of all new ticket sales to The Village Feast will also be donated to the Fund, with additional fundraising opportunities at The Village Feast itself.
Food and drinks
Getting back to his country roots, superstar CHEF matt Moran is partnering with the only restaurant in town, the Jindi Caf. At The Café, he will be cooking alongside Sue Goodwin, one of his biggest fans and the cafe owner, to serve up a menu of simple yet delicious country fare:
• Heirloom tomato, capers, pickled red onion, aged balsamic
• Crispy buttermilk chicken, pickles, mayonnaise
• Pulled lamb shoulder, hummus, tomato salad, mint salsa
• Beef burger, cheddar, coral lettuce, tomato, mustard, mayo with fries
• Pavlova, local berries and cream
Taking up the role of The Butcher at The Village Feast is one of Melbourne's finest butchers, Troy Wheeler (Meatsmith Specialty butcher & Wine Merchant). Working with legendary local farmers O'Connor Beef and renowned pork from Katy Brown's Glen Eyrie Farm (who used to own the butcher shop in Jindivick!), Troy will spin a contemporary riff on country classics like Steak Diane, pork schnitzel and the ultimate mixed grill.
As The Green Grocer, Shannon Martinez (Smith & Daughters and Smith & Deli) is offering a vegan menu of crowd-pleasing sandwiches and salads. Just pick a sandwich, salad and pasty to create the lunchbox of your dreams:
• Sandwiches - Egg salad, shredded iceberg; Chicken schnitzel, bacon, slaw, ranch; Turkey Club salami, wild rocket, peperoncini, olive, pesto, mozzarella
• Salads - Caesar; Potato; Slaw; Greek Watermelon
• Pastry - Donut; Swiss Roll; Lemon Coconut Slice; Hundreds & Thousands cookies
Lee Ho Fook chef Victor Liong is recreating The Chinese Restaurant of Australia's past for The Village Feast. Dive into sweet and sour pork, prawn toast, beef short rib and black bean, roast duck and satay chicken, all made using Gippsland meats.
Born and bred Gippsland chef Trevor Perkins (Hogget Kitchen) is setting up shop at The Deli and Smokehouse where he'll proudly serve a 100 per cent Gippsland menu:
• Trout parfait – Noojee trout from the Alpine Trout Farm, yoghurt from Butterfly Factory Dairy
• Terrine - Gippsland farmed rabbit from Yarragon
• Mortadella - Happy Valley Free Range Pork Warragul, String & Salt Warragul (all spices)
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