Regional food and wine festival Taste Great Southern returns in May

Taste Great Southern will return in May with world-renowned chef Analiese Gregory among many culinary stars visiting the region. The festival runs from May 5 to 15, with more than 35 events planned across Albany, Denmark, Mt Barker, Kojonup, Katanning, Ongerup, Bremer Bay, Walpole and Esperance. Albany events include Seafood & Wine at Emu Point Boat Harbour, End of Harvest Long Table Lunch at Monty’s Leap, Waste Great Southern at Liberte and the Albany Food & Wine Festival at Centennial Park. Foodies will be able to attend live cooking demonstrations and sample fare cooked by celebrity chefs and local personalities. Gregory, a New Zealand-born chef who lives in Tasmania, will cook at Catch of the South at the Albany Boatshed on May 6, the Albany Farmers Market on May 7 and In The Raw Seafood & Wine at Emu Point Boat Harbour on May 8. Gregory is an international chef, previously working in the Michelin-starred Le Meurice in Paris and the Quay in Sydney. She packed up her fine-dining life in 2019, making a tree change to a property in Tasmania. Ms Gregory’s sojourn in Tasmania is the subject of the SBS Food program A Girl’s Guide to Hunting, Fishing and Wild Cooking with Analiese Gregory, and in 2021 she released her book How Wild Things Are: Cooking, fishing and hunting at the bottom of the world. Across the two weeks, festival guests will also be able to see Denmark celebrity cook Anna Gare, former My Kitchen Rules contestant Jordan Bruno, WA Food Ambassador Don Hancey, Perth chef and influencer Vincent Lim and Masterchef-alum and Bumplings owner Brendan Pang. Local food personalities will also make appearances, including Liberte’s Amy Hamilton, Grant Richardson from Ajar on Shadforth, Hybla Tavern’s Miguel Portillo and Toby Ley and Tamara Osborne-Spong from the Whalers Gallery Cafe. On March 10, Tourism Minister Roger Cook announced the State Government would fund the festival until 2024. “Food and wine-loving fans will be spoilt for choice as more than 20 chefs and local producers showcase the very best of what the Great Southern region has to offer,” Mr Cook said. “Regional events like this one help to attract visitors to WA destinations and support the local tourism industry.” For the full program, visit bit.ly/36zQoIO.