Food enthusiasts will get a taste of the GourMay Mary Valley festival planned for 2023 when it is launched on Saturday 5 November at the Amamoor Village Green.
Busby Street will come alive from 5.30pm-8pm when the Mary Valley Chamber of Commerce shares its exciting plans.
Guests will be tempted with a fabulous finger food menu provided by local businesses including Busby St Cafe, Taste of Croatia and Wild Vine Cafe with a background of music, a raffle and new GourMay Mary Valley t-shirts available for sale.
A bar will be manned by Friends of Amamoor.
Chamber president Janelle Parker said the chamber was breathing life into the former Gympie region event GourMay, which had struggled to grow after the Covid pandemic.
“Our aim is to resurrect the GourMay name and hold a month-long series of events under the banner GourMay Mary Valley,” Mrs Parker said.
“The two main drivers of the Mary Valley economy are agriculture and tourism, and it makes sense to combine them and create a celebration of the region’s farmers, producers and creators.
“The Mary Valley is not a single product area. Our soil and climate allow us to farm an enormous variety of things, so visitors can expect their tastebuds to be well and truly satisfied.”
GourMay will include satellite events across the Mary Valley as well as agricultural workshops and presentations, dinners, lunches and picnics, all focussing on the food grown and produced in the area.
Mrs Parker said farmers would open their gates and invite visitors to experience life on a property, and business and community groups were planning events to celebrate the food we all enjoy.
With huge interest from the food community, many activities and an extensive program are being planned.
The key elements include a “walk and talk” amongst ancient macadamia habitat, an art and artisan dinner, a degustation long lunch and a festival day in Imbil on the first Saturday in May 2023.
The Festival Day will be jam packed with all things food. It will showcase the region with jams and chutneys, cakes and scones, fruit and vegetables, meats and cheese.
The main stage will be busy with cooking competitions and demonstrations and fascinating educational speakers.
Ms Parker said the festival was about the people who produce and prepare our food.
“While other food events rely on imported celebrities, we believe those in our region that grow, produce and prepare our food, are the true celebrities.
“So we are inviting visitors to meet them, learn from them and to understand and appreciate what’s involved in putting food on the table.”
Businesses already committed to join GourMay include Kandanga Farm Store, Bunya Grove, Lotza Limes, Kenilworth Dairies, Mary Valley Small Goods, Mary Valley Country Harvest, the Mary Valley Rattler and the Food and Agriculture Network (FAN).
Tickets for the festival launch on November 5 are $35. Bookings bit.ly/3MnCt9c
