By Abbey Cannan
The Noosa Eat & Drink Festival has relished in its return after a four year hiatus, with multi-award winning chef and restaurateur George Calombaris saying it’s provided reassurance of the hospitality resurgence.
Guests flocked to Noosa to attend more than 75 festival events spread across four days from 30 May to 2 June, including a new-look Festival Village, a new long lunch destination, and beach events like no other.
“For me, the return of the festival is a bit deeper,“ George said.
“The last time the festival was on, it was 2020, and I remember being really lucky to be here while Melbourne was locked down.
“Obviously it’s taken a bit of time to get it going again. You’ve got to remember that right now, the hospitality industry that I live and breathe is bruised and battered, and it’s going through a really tough time, so please support your local restaurants and cafes.
“I know we’re all doing it tough as well, so to have this festival is just reassurance that we’ll get through this tough time. For all my chef colleagues, my mates, the producers and the growers as well, because it’s a ripple effect that goes right through to the growers that are growing the pineapples and working hard every day.
“This is a testament that we’ve all still got the appetite for it, and to the guests for making that leap of faith and supporting it.
“Without an audience, we’re nothing as chefs and restaurateurs.“
George said Noosa had something special about it.
“This morning I did a walk along Noosa National Park, and it’s a pinch yourself moment to remember how lucky you are,“ he said.
Opening the program on the final day of Noosa Eat & Drink for 2024 was the Minuty Beach Brunch, with a menu masterfully curated by George and Sarah Todd, one of the most renowned and exciting names in the Indian food scene.
George said, “After Masterchef, you realise really quickly that yes they were contestants back then, but now they’re colleagues in the industry.“
“I’m proud of Sarah’s journey. She’s absolutely killed it. We’ve travelled to some awesome spots from India to Singapore and we’ve filmed a show together called Hungry. It’s pretty easy when we collaborate with food because we just want flavour.“
Sarah agreed, saying the menu was a really fun collaboration.
“We’re showing our age now as we’re actually getting a little bit old,“ she said.
“I met George over a decade ago and I remember being on Masterchef and I always admired what he did in his career. Moving into the restaurant industry has always been something that I dreamt of doing.“
Fellow former Masterchef contestant Khanh Ong hosted an event with Betty’s Burgers, and on Sunday morning he said, “I needed to recover from a little bit of a hangover from last night’s event but I am heading over to the Festival Main Stage now for the celebrity cook off.“
His event was such a hit that Betty’s Burgers has partnered with Khanh to launch his limited-edition Glazed Pork Belly Burger at all of their restaurants this Thursday 6 June.
An ode to Khanh’s Masterchef culinary skills, the $15 burger will be packed with personality and flavour, combining hoisin glazed pork belly, sweet pineapple and topped with a touch of heat with a spicy sriracha slaw.
Betty’s Burgers head of marketing Lyndal Guterres said, “We’ve been collaborating with our bestie Khanh to deliver our guests a burger that brings to life the fusion cuisine we love so much here in Australia.“
It’s safe to say that the return of the Noosa Eat & Drink Festival was welcomed with open arms and mouths, and guests are already excited to see what the program will look like in 2025.
For more information, visit noosaeatdrink.com.au
