Thursday, 18 March 2021

Ministers statements: Melbourne Food and Wine Festival

Mr PAKULA (Keysborough—Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Minister for Trade, Minister for Business Precincts, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Racing) (11:31): Speaking of events, it was wonderful to see the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival back and thriving last week. I want to give special credit to Radek Sali, Anthea Loucas Bosha and all the team at Melbourne Food and Wine and special thanks to our guest chefs Philippe Mouchel, Stephanie Alexander and Jacques Reymond.

There were two amazing events last week: firstly, the world’s longest lunch on Friday, with some incredible food, not lobster but kingfish, and some incredible wine, not Grange but Victorian Chateau Tahbilk—and the member for Bulleen is not even here to hear the gag. Then on Saturday the world’s longest brunch, held hostage by the threat of rain—and it is never nice to be hostage—so we moved that to the exhibition buildings. That event had a menu from Nathan Toleman of the Mulberry Group and Kate Reid of Lune. So all up there were 3000 guests at a great event eating, drinking, enjoying what Melbourne does best and then coming into the CBD and going into Carlton to spend more of their money and to ensure the benefits of that event have been spread out.

Over the balance of the year Melbourne Food and Wine will move to the suburbs, not to Beaumaris but to Melbourne’s west, including Altona, Melton and Caroline Springs, from 17 to 31 March, and then out into the regions right through the winter and the spring. The produce we have in Victoria, whether it is fished, farmed, grown or hunted, is some of the best produce in the world, and the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is a wonderful opportunity to show all the best that we have to offer.