Table set for food conference

THE region’s culinary delights will be on show for a national celebration of food, culture and cooking starting this weekend.

Bendigo will host the 24th Symposium of Australian Gastronomy from 8 to 11 May, with Bendigo TAFE, PepperGreen Farm, Golden Dragon Museum and Old Church on the Hill all included in the program.

Convenor of the event, Jennifer Alden, said Bendigo was selected for its listing as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.

“When I was at the previous symposium which was in Brisbane, I was able to put my hand up and say ‘I think that we would make a suitable location for the next one’,” she said.

The theme of this year’s event is Reclaiming Happiness: The Epicurean Garden, Simple Pleasures and a Sustainable Future.

While it’s a separate hat to her role as a City of Greater Bendigo Lockwood Ward councillor, Ms Alden said she was able to draw on her knowledge of the region as convenor.

“The good fortune of knowing the various venues and what we have on hand particularly to showcase our different approaches to food, we’ve got a great story here in Bendigo relating to food and culture,” she said.

Celebrity chef Elizabeth Chong will speak on the history of Chinese food in Bendigo, and CEO of Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation, Rodney Carter, will present on Djaara fusion cooking.

The program also features paddock to plate chef Annie Smithers and a keynote speech from author and journalist Luke Slattery.

Ms Alden said she hoped the symposium would be the start of more food related events put on by the region.

“We’re trying to broaden that conversation around gastronomy so that people can see the breadth of what we’re talking about and that the local offerings that we have here really are reflective of excellent quality of food and drink, but the culture that goes with that,” she said.