Gare relishes feast of festival cooking

Denmark chef Anna Gare loves the region, loves local produce and loves Taste Great Southern.

The celebrity chef will be showcasing local produce and cooking up a feast in next month’s festival, highlighting spectacular food and wine.

Gare said she was excited to showcase produce from the region and cook with other talented ocal chefs.

“I think the festival gets better every year, there are a lot of great diverse events all focusing on our amazing produce,” she said.

“The Albany food and wine show will be in full bloom this year as it turns three and we have lots of amazing chefs cooking, I think it will double in size this year.”

Last year guests found Gare at a variety of events cooking up a storm and showing off the region’s fresh produce and wines.

“Last year I had the pleasure of cooking at one of Denmark’s signature events like the Rockcliffe Night Markets with TV cooking star Justine Schofield and then at the wonderful Albany food and wine show,” she said.

“I got a bit flabbergasted there as I was whipping up a dish on stage and Marco Pierre White stepped up on stage and kissed me. I blushed like a beetroot I didn’t realise how much charisma that guy has.”

“I was also a part of an event called Local Heroes Feast here in Denmark, my home town, which featured lots of beautiful local produce cooked by local chefs; we teamed up with a producer and we created the most amazing feast.”

Gare said the Taste Great Southern festival was a fantastic opportunity for Great Southern producers to show off and get people’s attention

“That’s what this festival is about, it’s about celebrating our amazing producers that work so hard to produce the incredible food and wine we put on our tables,” she said.

“It’s totally a celebration of what our region has to offer and also highlights all our wonderful growing team of chefs and cooks.”

Gare said she enjoyed working alonside other celebrity, local and international chefs at the events.

She recently cooked at the Porongurup Wine Festival where Plantagenet pork and smoked bacon, Mt Barker chicken, locally grown vegetables and her “favourite Porongurup’s pure sheep cheese” were all on the menu.

“I also have the pleasure of cooking at the famous Rockcliffe Night Markets with our special interstate guest chef Adam Liaw, who by the way is awesome,” she said.

The chef said she wasn’t sure what she would cook yet but promised it would be something that was local to Denmark.

She will also be frocking up and, instead of cooking, will MC a string of events including Women of the Region, Albany Wine and Food Festival, Light It Up and the Amazing Marron Feast.

“I’m very excited about this year’s program, it’s all about local food, wine, lots of amazing local regional chefs as well as talented West Australian chefs,” she said.