Sunshine Coast’s premier culinary festival – The Curated Plate – ready for plating from this weekend

The tables are being prepared, produce selected and kitchens fired up in advance of The Curated Plate launching this Friday, 26 July, with over 90 delicious events being scheduled for the premier Sunshine Coast culinary event.

The Curated Plate brings together the Sunshine Coast’s renowned chefs and famed local produce in a feast for the palate and the senses.

Targeting everyone from gourmands and craft beer/spirit aficionados to casual diners looking for an exciting new food experience, the festival has something to suit all tastes and budgets.

This year’s 10-day festival will run between 26 July and 4 August and will dish up a distinctive menu of events, including the ever-popular Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival at Spicers Tamarind in Maleny; Chefs in Conversation with Hayden Quinn grilling local chefs Tom Hitchcock, Peter Kuruvita, Stacey Conner and Cam Matthews; a decadent Hinterland High Tea at Tiffany’s Maleny with patisserie extraordinaire Adriano Zumbo, indulgent degustation dinners, farm tours, cooking classes and brewery and distillery events.

The Festival will get underway on Friday with a natural focus on the Sunshine Coast’s seafood – and whales!

Both are in plentiful supply at the moment, and visitors can combine the two with Sunreef’s Sunset Whales, Ales & Prawn Tails cruise. The two-hour cruise departs The Wharf, Mooloolaba at 4.30pm and passengers will be able to view migrating humpback whales while enjoying a specially brewed Whale Ale from the renowned Black Flag Brewing, complemented by fresh, succulent Mooloolaba Prawns served onboard. Available Friday and Saturday 26&27July and 2&3 August. $149 p/p

Local seafood and Mooloolaba’s waterways will also be on the menu for From Land to Sea – A Culinary Cruise of Native flavours presented by Saltwater Eco Tours. Guests will experience a 5-course menu incorporating sustainable seafoods, local dairies, bushtucker and locally foraged flora to enhance the flavours, accompanied by local Jarrah Boy beer or sparkling wine. The two-hour cruise departs from the Wharf at 11.30am and will be available throughout the Festival. $99 p/p.

On the Friday night, Spice Bar will present 13 tastes of Kaiseki, Matso’s in Eumundi will pair their signature brews with the best local cuisine in a Brewery to Plate dinner, and a hands-on cooking class at Mix Taste Eat in Nambour will have the ultimate benefit of cooks being able to enjoy the fruits of their labour.

A packed calendar of events will take place over the weekend with the signature Queensland’s Sunshine Pantry live at The Station SC (Sunday, 28 July)providing a showcase for over 70 of the region’s top producers and makers. Stalls will include handcrafted cheeses, artisanal breads and pastries, boutique chocolates, grass-fed beef and lamb, local honey, premium coffee and tea. The Queensland’s Sunshine Pantry live at The Station SC is a free event.

For those who love to add a touch of elegance to their lunch, Maleny’s Long Table Lunch (Saturday 27 July, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM), will have Cigany Weaver perform a concert that evokes the warmth and hospitality of chamber music’s intimate home settings of days gone while guests enjoy a feast prepared by award-winning chef Michael Hehir. $195p/p.

And a perfect event for the whole family is a day out at The Falls Farm in Mapleton where children can discover that vegetables and fruit actually come from the earth or from a tree. The Seasonal Tastings – Winter Farm Open Day on Saturday 27 July offers the opportunity to spend a day at The Falls Farm wandering through the extensive market gardens, herb gardens, and orchards and then enjoy tastings of the freshest organic produce. BYO picnics and drinks, which can be enjoyed in the beautiful grounds. Adults $30, children under 7 $10.

To see the full program and to purchase tickets, see www.thecuratedplate.com.au.