Look out Melbourne, Noosa Junction has stepped it up with its laneway street-art, foodie event, set perfectly around the stunning permanent mural by Ngudjlaa Arts.
The inaugural BackstrEATS Bush and Botanicals weekend took place from 18-20 August, celebrating stories of provenance, native, and wild ingredients.
Saturday night was a highlight thanks to the Fervor Food Bush and Botanicals Banquet, created by the culinary Yoda and Purveyor of Pop-Up Dining, Fervor executive chef, Paul Iskov.
“It’s just blown my mind how beautiful it is here in Noosa,“ Paul said.
“Incredible producers and ingredients and everyone is so friendly. It’s a real honour to be on Kabi Kabi country, all the way over from Western Australia.
“Fervor is a travel restaurant and we’ve been going for over 10 years now and our big focus is native Australian ingredients. Tonight’s a bit of luxury for us because we have a kitchen next door, whereas we’re usually out in the desert or in the forest or on the beach and we don’t have power, water or ovens, so we’re really looking forward to this evening.“
The festoon lights filled the night for a long table, five-course degustation, which was expertly paired with premium Australian wines, and acoustic tunes from the talented Andrew Lawson, a Noosa-based singer and entertainer.
Guests were able to taste the produce and hear stories from Galeru Bush Tucker Orchard’s Terri Waller, Jarrah Boy’s Dale Vocale and Noosa Native’s Paul Paul Van Miltenburg and Nicole Trevillian.
The MC for the evening, Hot 91’s Sam Coward, kept the crowd laughing, but it was tough to eat the deer and kangaroo while he was cracking jokes across the table about Bambi and a poor joey wondering where their parents went. I certainly shed some tears of laughter and partly of guilt.
Judi Lalor, the event director and PR manager for the not-for-profit organisation behind the event, Noosa Junction Association, said, “We were thrilled to be able to provide a unique culinary experience through our first Bush and Botanicals weekend celebrating native and wild ingredients.“
“It was such a privilege to host the talented, pop-up dining Fervor team led by Paul Yoda Iskov, who generously shared his extensive knowledge, working in partnership with the next-gen crew at the Junction’s new Culinary Academy.
“Beyond the delicious food, the highlights for us were the connections and collaborations between local producers, farmers, brewers, wine makers, artists and businesses.
“Their stories of indigenous culture and flavour were expertly woven throughout the dinner, guided by MC Sam Coward.
“The incredible mural art surrounding us took street art dining to the next level.“
