INSPIRE:FOOD is a feast for the senses.
Do you love to eat, and eat to love? Or do you prefer to grab a bite and go? Whether you’re a self-confessed foodie or just enjoy a good meal (and who doesn’t?), you’re bound to enjoy our Inspire:Food event at this year’s Festival. Food is one of the most sensuous pleasures we can all enjoy. The delight in food spans across cultures, and it brings together individuals and entire communities to celebrate the joys of eating and life. And perhaps nobody knows this better than the three speakers we’ve lined up to inspire you around food:
- Robert Pekin, Founder of FoodConnect
- Jerry Coleby-Williams, presenter of Gardening Australia
- Josue (Josh) Lopez, Executive Chef, QAGOMA
Robert Pekin established FoodConnect in order to provide seasonal, ecological food produced by local farmers. A dairy farmer himself, Robert found himself reeling from the loss of his farm after deregulation in the 1990s. As part of his healing journey, he began to explore the practices of community-supported agriculture (CSA). Robert discovered that this model of direct, food-based exchange between farmers and nearby city residents created intimate and personal relationships around food and farming. Today, FoodConnect Brisbane is inspiring like-minded ‘foodtrepeneurs’ to establish similar enterprises all around Australia.
Jerry Coleby-Williams is the Queensland presenter for Gardening Australia. Inspired by his family of gardeners, Jerry has been digging and planting since the age of four. In 2003, Jerry moved to bayside Brisbane where he created a fully sustainable house and garden, which he affectionately named ‘Bellis’. His house generates its own solar power, recycles grey water and sewage, and harvests rainwater for home and garden use. His garden has been open to the public through Open Gardens Australia since 2007, and has become the most popular garden on the circuit, attracting around 3,000 people over two days.
And for QAGOMA Executive Chef Josue (Josh) Lopez, food is a life passion. A veteran of some of Europe’s top Michelin star restaurants, Josh has returned to Queensland where he delights diners at QAGOMA’s three eating venues. Josh holds a deep respect for his ingredients and favours local Australian produce. Inspired by QAGOMA’s catalogue of exhibitions, he entices eaters with dishes such as smoked New England lamb breast with crisp saltbush, hay-roasted Dutch carrots, and fresh curd. Josh will be speaking at both Inspire:Food and Food of Love events.
Individually, these three leaders have transformed our relationship with food. Together, they will share stories that will inspire you to look at (and eat!) food in new and beautiful ways.
INSPIRE:FOOD will take place at The Edge, State Library of Queensland (SLQ) on Saturday, 6th September 2014 @ 10-11AM. BOOK TICKETS HERE!
And if this Inspire event leaves you hungry for more, the Brisbane Writers Festival offers several other food-related events, including:
- The Zen Art of Tea (Saturday 6th Sept @ 10AM, SLQ)
- Urban Harvest (Saturday 6th Sept @ 11.30AM, GOMA)
- My Ancestor’s Table (Saturday 6th Sept @11.30AM, GOMA)
- Food of Love (Saturday 6th Sept @ 2.30PM, GOMA)
By K Ellis, BWF Copywriting & Marketing Intern
(Image credit: flickr.com)