You’ll need to sit down for this – the full program for SCENIC RIM EAT LOCAL MONTH has been revealed, and it’s bursting with creativity, flavour and authenticity, a true celebration of farm to fork, and paddock to plate.
This year, there’s 139 food events – the largest offering in the event’s 12 years – with over half new to the program which runs the full month of June (there was just too much flavour to keep this event at one week!), from Beaudesert to Beechmont, Kerry to Kalbar, and Mount Alford to Tamborine Mountain!
It’s supported by serious food names, with the roll call of ambassador chefs the envy of the country – Alison Alexander (Queensland Food Fellow), Ash Martin, Brenda Fawdon (Picnic Real Food Bar), Cameron Matthews (Mapleton Public House), Caroline Jones (Three Girls Skipping), Glen Barratt (Wild Canary), Javier Codina (Moda), Josh Lopez (Monstera Group), Kate Raymont (Scenic Rim Farm Shop & Café) and Richard Ousby (Ousby Food). Two new flavour makers were unveiled today – acclaimed chef Jack Stuart from Blume and The Bowl at Boonah, and local produce champion chef Simon Furley, from The Paddock at Beechmont Estate.
“In its 12th year and in a new month-long format, Australia’s most authentic paddock-to-plate, food and farming experience now has more time to shine the light on the farmers, growers, producers, artisans, chefs and creators in our region, and on our spectacular seasonal produce. This expansion reflects the hard work of our community, and the support of visitors from across the country,” said Scenic Rim Regional Council Mayor, Greg Christensen.
“When Eat Local Week started in 2011, 10 events were staged, attended by a few hundred people. In 2014, the program featured 80 events with 15,000 attendees and last year, in 2022, there were 125 events and almost 40,000 attendees. This year, there’s 139 events.”
“The event is a significant economic driver for the region, generating over $2 million, and playing an important role in placing farmers, growers and producers centre stage,” said Mayor Christensen. “We can’t wait to celebrate for a full month in 2023.”
Eat Local Month is headlined by 37 Long Lunches, Degustations and Dinners, all custom-created by great producers and chefs to celebrate local flavours and spectacular locations. From vineyards to breweries, mountaintops to wood-fired cafes, under 120 year old jacaranda trees, in flower fields, on dairies, in olive groves and right across the region’s best restaurants, this is where local flavours shine.
There’s 43 Workshops and Classes and this year, the range is more diverse than ever. There’s classes on gin blending, spirit distilling, edible flower picking, cupcake decorating and floral tea blending (how cool!), fondant and charcuterie classes at The Paddock at Beechmont Estate, gourmet mushroom growing and cooking, garlic and ginger growing, and a new class at Tommerup’s Dairy Farm called Our Bread and Butter.
For those keen to learn all about coffee growing and roasting, or take a behind-the-scenes look at Queensland’s oldest craft distillery (and Australia’s most awarded distillery this century), go on farm tours, pick your own veggies and hear stories direct from farmers, there’s 37 Tours and Experiences to be had.
If you love your beer, wine and cheese (who doesn’t right?), the Meet the Producer events are must-attend events! This year the producers from Towri Sheep Cheeses, Witches Falls Winery, Summer Land Camels and the Scenic Rim Brewery are opening their produce homes and sharing their stories. Of course there’s also a dedicated program for foodie families and curious kids
Some of the new flavours at Eat Local Month…
On the opening weekend (2-4 June) acclaimed chef Jack Stuart hosts the first ever Blume X Witches Falls Degustation Dinner at the Witches Falls winery at Tamborine Mountain. Also at Tamborine, the Copperhead Restaurant will stage their first Sunset Soiree, and there’s a new foodie event for all ages – famed Queensland chef Brenda Fawdon will host Burgers and Beers on the Grass at Picnic Real Food Bar. #YesChef
A stunning new event opens the second weekend (9-11 June): Floravesence – An Evening in the Flowers at the Scenic Rim Farm Shop & Café and Elderflower Farm’s flower field, with floral-inspired Cauldron Distillery cocktails. The next weekend (16-18 June) there’s another first – The Progressive Paddock, a walking food adventure through the Scenic Rim Farm Shop & Café farm before chef Ash Martin cooks the main meal over an open fire. The Scenic Rim Farm Shop & Café is also hosting their Long Lunch on the Lawn under the jacarandas, and the Field Kitchen with Alison Alexander and Caroline Jones.
In the heart of the Scenic Rim in the Kerry Valley is the sixth generation Tommerup’s Dairy Farm, which recently won the Innovation title at the prestigious Australian Farmer of the Year Awards. On the weekend of 23-25 June, Kay and Dave Tommerup will stage two all-new events in Our Bread and Butter-Simple Farmhouse Pleasures masterclass and the Tommerup’s Feast on the Farm with guest chef Richard Ousby, to complement their famed Breakfast with the Jersey Girls (Saturday 17 June).
Two French Chefs at The Overflow Estate 1895 is hosting a stunning Friday Long Lunch (23 June) matched with their own wines, and the following day Oaky Creek Farm near Rathdowney shines the light on growing garlic, ginger and turmeric (FYI, their café is a masterclass in country hospitality). Also new is the Mediterranean Long Table Feast (Sunday 18 June) in the Olive Grove at Olive View Estate (say Olive View a few times, you’ll get it!).
Towri Sheep Cheeses at Allenview adds to the flavour feast, but with a twist! The inaugural Eat Local Month running of the famous Towri Twilight Woolly Cup (Sunday 25 June) will celebrate their beloved Awassi sheep (tip: Hercules always wins!) in an evening gathering starring local produce and Towri’s famous Lavender Punch.
Also new to Eat Local Month is the inaugural Fermented Food Festival (Saturday 10 June), celebrating the taste-bud blowing world of food fermentation, and hosted by Summer Land Camels and the Pickling Project. Now, pickling is a thing, and it’s a good thing – it saves wastage, extends shelf life, it’s fun and it’s an age-old food craft, which means, it’s cool! There’ll be growers and picklers from across the region in this fantastic new celebration.
But wait, there’s more!
Let’s get CARROT AWAY for a minute – the region is Australia’s carrot growing capital, with local farmers harvesting 600 million each year! Celebrating this carrotacular fact, is the Kalfresh Carrot Day held on Saturday June 10. It’s perfect for little foodies – they walk the paddock and pull carrots from the soil, meet the farmers and visit Kalfresh Vegetables. Book now!!
The finale event for Scenic Rim Eat Local Month is the famous Winter Harvest Festival on Saturday 1 July. Over 70 market stalls will celebrate everything from local vegetables to eggs, cheese, olives, relishes, jams, honey, camel milk products, carrot ice-cream, beer and wine and will feature at the Aratula Community Sports Complex along with chef cooking demonstrations, live music, loads of kids rides and adventures, and the world famous Community Bank Kalbar & District Tractor Pulling competition!!
Still hungry? Summer Land Camels (their Persian Fetta is a MUST), Elderflower Farm and Scenic Rim Mushrooms are running classes and tastings, local foodie Caz Osborne from Scenic Rim Cooking Classes hosts A Sunset Cocktail and Canape Classes (Sunday 11 June), Teaspoons and Aprons at Beaudesert is sampling Native Flavours of the Scenic Rim (13 and 15 June) and the famous KALBAR-BQ (Saturday 10 June) is a long country lunch like no other.
Local breweries and wineries are open every weekend with special events, so check out Bunjurgen Estate Vineyard, Kooroomba Vineyard and Lavender Farm, and the Scenic Rim Brewery (try the Beauy & Blue – it’s a spiced pumpkin ale, made from famous Beaudesert Blue pumpkins). One of the newest foodie destinations is The Bowl in Boonah, under chef Jack Stuart, and the Roadvale Hotel has been refurbished and is now home to chef Daniel Groneberg.
Witches Falls Winemaker Ren Dalgarno said the event carries important long term messages. “People are really interested in how their food is produced and the sustainability associated with this production, as well more than ever, in localness. The more active and involved we are in the cycle of food and wine production, the better it is for our planet,” she said.
Gen Windley, owner of the Scenic Rim Farm Shop & Café, said, “The Scenic Rim is a series of valleys and micro-regions bordered by ancient volcanoes, and the remnants of these are the most beautiful, rich soils, where you can grow just about anything – great vegetables, incredible wine, dairy, cheese; you name it, we can do it. Eat Local Month is in Winter, which is our most abundant time in terms of produce; the perfect time to come and meet the farmers, connect with where your food comes from, and physically walk on the farms, see, feel, touch and of course, eat.”
Eat Local Month is set against the natural beauty of the Scenic Rim, a region of more than 4,200 square kilometres of rich volcanic soil surrounded by ancient mountains and home to thousands of farmers and food creators.
Scenic Rim Eat Local Month is proudly presented by Scenic Rim Regional Council, with support from Major Partners Kalfresh Vegetables and Moffatt Fresh Produce, and Supporting Partners Urban Utilities, Community Bank Kalbar & District and Brisbane Economic Development Agency. The event is also supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar.
SCENIC RIM EAT LOCAL MONTH 2023
June 1 – July 2 www.eatlocalmonth.com.au
Tickets on sale NOW
The real stars of Eat Local Month are the award-winning producers, growers and flavour-makers, with the event providing the ultimate backstage pass to the farms, wineries, faces and food stories of the Scenic Rim, named by delicious Magazine as one of the top 5 places to visit in 2023.
