Food Fast Facts, July 2006      
1. Tooling up for India 
NFIS Ltd and Austrade are running a series of workshops on the opportunities for Australian food companies in India's burgeoning supermarket sector. At the first workshop in Melbourne on 31 July, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Peter McGauran will officially launch a web-based toolkit providing vital information for Australian food companies wanting to do business in India. The toolkit also contains detailed information about the joint NFIS Ltd/Austrade project, which aims to build long term relationships between Australian food producers and retailers in southern India.
For details of workshops in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth contact: Kim Riggans, NFIS Ltd, (ph) 02 6270 8800.
2. Lessons for the future
More than 60 Australian food companies are helping NFIS Ltd to capture the lessons learnt from their involvement in National Food Industry Strategy programs over the last four years. Keep an eye out for the full story on the Lessons Learned project in the August edition of foodbiz, or read it online at www.nfis.com.au/foodbiz.net.au.html
3. Final FIG round...the wait is nearly over
The wait will soon be over for applicants vying for a share of the 11th and final round of the Food Innovation Grants (FIG) program. The Grants Assessment Group met in late June to consider 24 applications. Notification of successful applicants is expected by the end of this month. Applicants are required to match the FIG funding and use it to solve scientific and technical challenges for the Australian food industry. Round 11 grants were sought for R&D projects covering a wide range of processes from pet food manufacturing to chocolate making. 
For a full list of FIG projects visit: www.nfis.com.au/Fig_Projects.html .
 
4. The challenge is on - evolve or perish
Consumer demand is challenging the Australian food and beverage industry to deliver the very best in product and innovation. How the industry might rise to the challenge is the focus of the Australian Food and Beverage Summit - Evolve or Perish - Evolving consumer trends driving the need for constant innovation. The Summit, which will be held in Sydney next month, will feature more than 25 speakers from Australia's top food and beverage companies, law firms and marketing specialists discussing strategies for innovation, new product development, category management and marketing beyond traditional channels through new media and mobile marketing, and corporate and social responsibility.
Interested in attending? Contact Jay Nair at IIR Conferences on  02 9080 4082, info@iir.com.au or register online at www.iir.com.au/marketing
Web: www.nfis.com.au
Email: nfis@nfis.com.au

CONGRATULATIONS!
The Hunter Valley's Esca Bimbadgen (p. 75) outclassed eight other leading Hunter Restaurants to be awarded the Best Tourism Restaurant at the Restaurant & Catering Hunter Region Awards for Excellence Dinner held at Wests Leagues Club, Newcastle on Wednesday 26th June. The award rewards Executive Chef Bradley Teale and his team at Esca, which as part of Bimbadgen Estate Winery works hard to provide visitors to the region with a genuine Hunter food and wine experience.

MEGA EVENT COMING UP:
The Food and Hospitality industry mega event Fine Food, Hotel Australia and Fine Wine & Spirits returns to Melbourne this year from 11 – 14 September at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. The show will feature over 900 exhibitors including niche suppliers as well as the larger companies and state pavilions. The Victorian Winemakers Show which will join boutique and national brands next door. Fine Food is a Trade Only show. Entry is restricted to members of the food and hospitality industry and children will not be admitted. More details and preregistration at www.finefood.com.au

A FIRST FOR VICTORIA:
Lucky diners at Melbourne's  Botanical Restaurant in South Yarra Victoria have been dining in style on fresh local truffles. Around 600 grams of the highest quality Perigord black truffles were unearthed on a Tibooburra property in Victoria’s Yarra Valley this season. Chris Lucas of the Botanical said "For the first time ever whole fresh Victorian truffles are available to our diners, priced individually, and served with a champagne risotto." The menu will run for as long as Tibooburra truffles are available. The season is expected to last until the end of August.

DON"T FORGET THESE QUEENSLAND EVENTS:

The Gladstone Seafood Festival: September 3. Enjoy a variety of fresh seafood prepared by local eateries and freshly cooked seafood from local suppliers, wines from the region and continuous on and off-stage entertainment. Featuring a band along with novelty events, cooking demonstrations, licensed bar facilities,sizzling summer fashion parade, red claw auction and racing and the famous One Arm Raw Prawn Peeling Championships. www.gladstonefestival.com

Childers Multicultural Food & Wine Festival, 29 - 30 July
Six stage areas featuring non-stop music, wines from around the region, food stalls from around the world cooking up tantalising treats and high quality craft stalls attract more than 45,000 people to this festival. More information: www.childersfestival.com.au Seafood Paradise Weekend, 4 – 6 August
Sample delights from the sea at this weekend-long feast of special seafood dining experiences, cooking demonstrations and food-focused night markets, part of the Tastes of Gold Coast Food & Wine Festival at Surfers Paradise from 21 July to 31 August. The best bar tenders will compete to create a Gold Coast Signature Cocktail. More information: More information: Tastes of Gold Coast
 
Mushrooms on Main, 26 August
A celebration of all things ‘mushroom’, this fun event challenges the chefs of Tedder Avenue at Main Beach to create a range of mushroom-inspired dishes, part of Tastes of Gold Coast Food & Wine Festival from 21 July to 31 August. 
More information: Tastes of Gold Coast
 
Chilli Festival, 25 - 27 August
Couran Cove Island Resort Executive Chef Glenn Bacon and Food and Beverage Director Dermot Madigan bring a feast of offerings for food lovers who enjoy the spicy side of life. The chilli-infused menu includes crab empanadas, Chef Bacon’s ‘My mother in-laws’ Chill Crab’ and chilli ices – including an interesting Chilli watermelon tequila granita, part of Tastes of Gold Coast Food & Wine Festival from 21 July to 31 August.

Kingaroy Peanut Festival , 9 September 
Includes the international thresher pull competition where teams of enthusiastic participants try and pull a peanut thresher over a line, giving a new look to the traditional 'tug of war'. The backdrop for this festival is iconic peanut silos soaring 42m 'in the blue' - 99 containers holding 23,000 tonnes of peanuts when full. 
More information www.peanutfest.southburnett.com.au
 
Biloela Comedy and Food Festival, 12-14 October 
Blending an eclectic mix of home style cooking and gourmet delights, the Festival showcases the best local produce of the Banana Shire. More information: www.biloela.com

LISMORE FEAST:
NORPA will present The Lismore Feast on Saturday September 9.  This will be an evening to celebrate extraordinary food prepared by one of Australia’s finest chefs, Peter Conistis (Omega Restaurant, Sydney), complimented with wines by De Bortoli and entertainment in a beautiful outdoor setting.  Numbers are strictly limited and bookings are essential.  Tickets ($120.00) can be purchased from www.norpa.org.au or at the Northern Rivers Ticket Centre on 02 6621 5600.

ORGANICS HEAD OFFSHORE
Organic production is one of the fastest growing sectors in the global food industry, with an estimated global market value of $38 billion a year, the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Sussan Ley, said today. "The report shows that the organic market in the United States caters to nearly 145 million consumers each year, and the market is growing by 20 per cent annually. In the United Kingdom, three-quarters of the population of 60 million purchases organic produce each year, with a market growth of 11 per cent."  For more details, visit www.rirdc.gov.au or call 02 6272 4819.

AUSTRALIA BEATS ITALY 
 They may have been beaten us at soccer, but a hot new Cairns cheese maker has beaten Italy at its own game. Queensland’s only producer of buffalo milk and the newly built Vannella Cheese Factory in Cairns took out the only Gold Medal in its class at the recently held Brisbane International Cheese awards, beating top of the range imported Italian cheeses. Cairns cheese maker Vito Minoia, is now producer of the country’s finest Buffalo Mozzarella. Look for more details under Far North - new listings. The buffalo milk is produced at Millaa Millaa , a small town on the Atherton Tablelands by buffalo dairy farmer Mitch Humphries. More details: Ana Rita 07 4035 1766, vannellacheeses@bigpond.com  or Mitch Humphries  07 4097 2544 laurelpark@bigpond.com

"MEET THE SHUCKERS": 
Manta's Annual Oyster Festival returns on Sunday 6th August, from noon. Look for  Sydney Rocks from Merimbula, Hastings River,
Pambula, Womboyn and Towamba, NSW; Pacific Oysters from Smokey Bay, SA & Pittwater and St.Helens, Tas; Angasi farmed in Batemans Bay and Clyde River. Oysters will be sampled singly or by the dozen and expertly matched to wine flights and beers to highlight flavours of oyster
varietals. Seasoned shuckers, applauded grower Chris Boynton and the chefs from MANTA will be on hand to discuss oyster farming techniques and flavour profiles. Manta, Woolloomooloo Wharf, Cowper Wharf Rd,Woolloomooloo, Sydney, 02 9332 3822, mail@mantarestaurant.com.au or www.mantarestaurant.com.au

HURRY IT"S NOT TOO LATE
Australia’s first ever event for the restaurant industry kicks off in one month. Restaurant 06 will bring together the best in the Australian restaurant industry for two days of networking, forums and demonstrations at The Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park, Sydney from Sunday 6 August to Monday 7 August. Relevant for all restaurant industry professionals, with over 100 exhibitors, talks, wine tastings and demonstrations aimed to help restaurant industry professionals tackle their career or business more successfully. Royal Hall of Industries, Errol Flynn Boulevard, Moore Park, Sydney. Free for all restaurant industry professionals. To attend Restaurant 06 pre-register online at www.restaurant06.com.au

T-CHANGE: Late-2005 Caroline and Bill Dowling left Sydney and returned to Tasmania to establish Tasmanian Gourmet Kitchen. Currently the range consists of Bill’s Beetroot Marmalade, Spicy Tomato and Apple Chutney, Red Pepper Marmalade and Yellow Pepper & Apricot Chutney and Caroline is  developing a range of granola and gluten free muesli.  Following the principles of the Slow Food Movement they support Tasmanian growers and, where possible, use locally sourced ingredients. Tasmanian Gourmet Kitchen marmalades and chutneys are available at boutique de licatessens and specialty stores. For further information call (03) 6391 1615 or visit www.tgkitchen.com

CONGRATULATIONS CHEZ POK
Chez Pok (p. 75) arrived on the Hunter Valley dining scene 20 years ago when wine tourism was in its infancy. Executive Chef, Jamie Hartcher, has led the Chez Pok team for 15 years and is passionate about Australian regional cuisine.

CAMPASPE NEWS
George Biron (of Sunnybrae) has come on board to help Brad Lobb and his team at Campaspe Country House Hotel & Restaurant (p. 348) move to a more flexible format. Menus will now be written especially for the day of its use which will allow the chef to feature the very small producer who may only have an armful of something very special. The Friday and Saturday night, and Sunday lunch set price menus will begin on Sunday 6th August. Campaspe Country House is encouraging producers from across Central Victoria to offer unusual or exceptional produce - even if they only have a very small amount of produce or if they are trialling a product. It may be that neglected Medlar tree or wild asparagus growing in your backyard. Campaspe Country House wants to hear from you!

BECOME A 'LOCAVORE'!
Here's a great site with a very good name: www.100milediet.org founded by two Canadians who want to inspire people to only buy or gather food produced within 100 miles (160km) of their home. ARFG was way ahead of this, of course, although we're sorry we didn't think of that smart name. They tell us that 'on average food available in British supermarkets has travelled 8000km and 2500km in North America. Australia would surely be similar. Even though it has local advantages, the global implications would be even greater, if we would all do this. Fuel costs  to transport foodstuffs around each country and across the world are heavily depleting natural reserves. 

ORGANIC UPDATE: To keep up with all things organic subscribe to Your Organic Advantage, edited by Holly Vyner and Dom O'Brien on behalf of BIOLOGICAL FARMERS OF AUSTRALIA CO OP LTD - THE VOICE OF ORGANICS
More details: www.bfa.com.au   Ph: 07 3350 5716 (International +61 7 3350 5716) AUSTRALIAN CERTIFIED ORGANIC PTY LTD - THE STANDARD IN ORGANICS  www.australianorganic.com.au

HOW SWEET IT IS: Sydneysiders have a chance to sample food from around Australia with a matched selection of Pinot Noirs at  a dinner chef Greg Anderson has planned at sugaroom restaurant-bar-lounge for Tuesday August 1st. Sommelier and Restaurant Manager, Keiran Morrison has carefully selected wines to compliment Gregs creative six course menu for the evening, and priced at $120 per person including wine. Bookings are essential and can be made by calling 02 9571 5055, faxing 02 9571 4855 or emailing reservations@sugaroom.com.au. The address is: Shop 2, 1 Harris Street, Pyrmont 2009

Heavenly! Lime Grove at Narromine in Western NSW (p 59) has done the impossible, it seems. It has put Heaven in a Bottle – at least  that's the news on the ever-energetic Susie Collett's latest squeeze. Now there is a Lime Cordial made from pure fresh, locally-grown limes, produced right on this property. Available in Woolworths supermarkets in NSW, and bursting with Vitamin C we are told.

TINY TASTES: What a way to learn about food! Feast restaurant at Avoca Beach (p. 44), owned by French Master Chef Andre Chouvin, has introduced a degustation menu for kids, serving gourmet food that youngsters will love. Ph: 02 4381 0707, www.feast.com.au

WINE HISTORY IN THE HUNTER: Worth a look. The new Vineyard Museum at the Audrey Wilkinson winery celebrates the long history of the vineyard where grapes were first planted in 1866. www.audreywilkinson.com.au

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Northern Rivers: 
Northern Rivers Health & Herb Festival, Lismore, 12 - 13 August www.healthandherbfestival.org
A Taste Of Byron, 25 - 27 August www.byron-bay.com/events.

Gold Coast:
August, 2006, Tastes of Gold Coast Festival
A feast of the very best in Gold Coast food and wine will be on show during this month long celebration of the good life. The Tastes of Gold Coast Festival serves up a smorgasbord of the Gold Coast lifestyle and demonstrates what makes the area one of the most culturally diverse destinations to live, work and play. www.tastesofgoldcoast.com.au

TRUFFLE NEWS: If you are interested in learning about what is happening at Gleneva Trufferie near Orange, NSW, hit the link on www.kirkfood.com.au  Truffles are being developed in several parts of Australia. There could be exciting news ahead.

CONGRATULATIONS! Esca Bimbadgen (p. 75)  recently outclassed eight other leading Hunter Restaurants to be awarded the Best Tourism Restaurant at the Restaurant & Catering Hunter Region Awards for Excellence

SYDNEY ROYAL SHOW – TAKE NOTE: Entries are now being accepted for the 2006 Sydney Royal Fine Food Show in August.  A medal win at the Show brings great prestige. An RAS medal marketing kit and strong regional and national media coverage also provides a marketing advantage for exhibitors.
The competition categories are:
*  Aquaculture
*  Branded Beef
*  Bread, Cake & Pie
*  Deli Meat
*  Olive Oil
*  Regional Food
The closing date for competition entries is 21 July 2006.  Additional information from Helen Parker, Wine, Dairy & Fine Food Coordinator on 02 9704 1218 or email hparker@ransw.com.au <mailto:hparker@ransw.com.au>  or visit www.sydneyroyalshows.com.au

UPCOMING QUEENSLAND EVENTS:

Masterclass Weekend, 21 - 24 July. Australia's longest running event for dedicated foodies, the Hilton Brisbane/The Courier-Mail/Singapore Airlines Masterclass Weekend, will be back in Brisbane for the 12th year in a row. More information: www.qldmasterclass.com

Childers Multicultural Food & Wine Festival, 29 - 30 July. Six stage areas featuring non-stop music, wines from around the region, food stalls from around the world cooking up tantalising treats and high quality craft stalls attract more than 45,000 people to this festival. More information: www.childersfestival.com.au

Seafood Paradise Weekend, 4 - 6 August. Sample delights from the sea at this weekend-long feast of special seafood dining experiences, cooking demonstrations and food-focused night markets, part of the Tastes of Gold Coast Food & Wine Festival at Surfers Paradise from 21 July to 31 August. The best bar tenders will compete to create a Gold Coast Signature Cocktail. More information: www.tastesofgoldcoast.com.au

Mushrooms on Main, 26 August. A celebration of all things ‘mushroom’, this fun event challenges the chefs of Tedder Avenue at Main Beach, Gold Coast, to create a range of mushroom-inspired dishes, part of Tastes of Gold Coast Food & Wine Festival from 21 July to 31 August. More information: www.tastesofgoldcoast.com.au

Chilli Festival, 25 - 27 August. Couran Cove Island Resort brings a feast of offerings for food lovers who enjoy the spicy side of life. Part of Tastes of Gold Coast Food & Wine Festival from 21 July to 31 August.

Kingaroy Peanut Festival, 9 September. Includes the international thresher pull competition where teams of enthusiastic participants try and pull a peanut thresher over a line, giving a new look to the traditional 'tug of war'. More information: www.peanutfest.southburnett.com.au

Biloela Comedy and Food Festival, 6 - 8 October. Blending an eclectic mix of home style cooking and gourmet delights, the Festival showcases the best local produce of the Banana Shire. More information: www.biloela.com/comedyfoodfest.html

SO GOLD COAST: Gold Coast Tourism (GCT) has produced its first Food, Wine and Dining Guide. The free Food, Wine and Dining Guide details the region’s burgeoning food and wine industry and features a diverse range of dining and culinary experiences, including the low-down on renowned Gold Coast chefs and award-winning restaurants, information about local producers, events and food markets, and an exhaustive restaurant listing. It is available at travel outlets, visitor information centres and online at VeryGC.com.

WA Event: Capes Long Lunch, 20 August 2006. This annual event features taste plates from Lamonts, Amberley Estate with Happs combining with local favourite Goanna Gallery. There are complimentary nibbles at Swings and Roundabout. The $95.00 ticket includes collection at points from Busselton to Dunsborough and Yallingup and on the circuit between wineries, a souvenir glass, six glasses of wine, two taste plates, and delicious dessert. A Skippers ticket is available for $85.00 and includes two glasses of wine, two taste plates, dessert, souvenir glass and bus transport. More information: phone 08 9756 7801, jacquie@happs.com.au  www.westernaustralia.com

BAD NEWS FOR CITRUS: Australia citrus industry's worst frost for 20 years has hindered harvesting of new season navel oranges in two of Australia’s major orange growing regions. Preliminary crop assessments in the Murray Valley and Riverland growing regions suggest a 20 per cent drop in navel orange production due to frost. Effects on the Valencia crop will not be know until later this year. 

GOOD NEWS!: 2006 NSW Tourism Awards nomination deadline extension
The Tourism Industry Council NSW has extended the June 30 deadlineuntil 5pm, Monday September 11, 2006. For those who have already registered, you will be contacted shortly to find out when would be the best time for your business/product to receive a site inspection during the next nine weeks. For further details contact the NSW Tourism Awards Coordinator, Shan Lawson on 0408 153 605 or awards@ticnsw.com.au 

TASTE THE TWEED: A FOOD WRITERS’ FEAST is planned for Friday, September 8 2006
Some of Australia’s best food writers and celebrity chefs will spotlight on Northern NSW’s unique regional cuisine in this inaugural event. The gourmet gurus will present a series of discussions at Salt Village’s Outrigger on the Beach Resort on a wide variety of topics ranging from the farmers’ market phenomenon (and what to do with all those goodies when you get them home) through to writing and publishing cookbooks. There will be a Master Cooking Class with the legendary Stefano Manfredi at Kingscliff’s North Coast Institute of TAFE, focussing on innovative menus that reflect the very best of Tweed cuisine. Phone 1800 674 414 or go to www.tweedcoolangatta.com.au for bookings or further information.