A highlight of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is the World's Longest Lunch.

A highlight of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is the World's Longest Lunch.
© Visit Victoria

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Marks 30th Anniversary

The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, a two-week ode to indulgence which starts on March 25, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

Clear the stage for great culinary delights: Melbourne, the vibrant capital of the Australian state of Victoria, is internationally renowned as a melting pot of diverse cuisines. Its biggest gourmet event is the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (MFWF), which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and takes place from 25 March to 9 April.

The tasty spectacle attracts thousands of visitors every year, bringing together chefs, restaurateurs and gourmets. Since its inception in 1992, MFWF has become one of the world's leading gastronomic events, celebrating the diversity of Victorian and Australian culinary skills. The focus is on Melbourne's renowned food scene with its countless cafés, restaurants and bars. It even more hotly anticipated than usual this year because the event had to be cancelled in both 2021 and 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nigella Lawson & Fuchsia Dunlop

More than 3,000 Melbourne restaurants take part in the event, joined by international celebrity chefs and gastronomy experts, led by British TV chef and cookbook author Nigella Lawson. The Signature Chef series will see top chefs from Australia and overseas collaborate with restaurants across the city. Festival-goers can look forward to Isaac McHale at Cutler & Co, comedian and winemaker Eric Wareheim at Hope St Radio, Sichuan expert Fuchsia Dunlop at Spice Temple, and Skye Gyngell at Hazel restaurant, among others.

There are also numerous casual events such as The Big Spaghetti (a child-friendly pasta fair), Snacktown (a celebration of the best snacks and appetisers) and Maximum Chips (an ode to French fries in all their facets). An absolute highlight is the World's Longest Lunch, where up to 1,500 guests will feast on delicacies by top New Zealand-born chef Ben Shewry at a 500-metre-long table. In addition to the official programme, numerous restaurants will also be offering MFWF specials over the next two weeks.

melbournefoodandwine.com.au

Paula Pankarter
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