You’ll probably remember my post about the Noosa Int’l Food and Wine festival that I wrote last year. It was my very first experience up at Noosa which is only 30 minutes from home.  In my mind it was a food fair where you get smashed between two tall people, don’t see anything and the whole day is a waste.

Okay, maybe YOU’RE not short but short people often stay away from events like this because we just can’t see and people can’t see us.  So it was with a bit of hesitation that I said yes when our good friends David and Jan invited us to go.  They’d not gone to the festival up in Noosa either since they’d just moved to the Sunshine Coast.

Off we went and I was the most shocked person when it was so well run, so well-organized and the events were all presented by show stoppers in the food and wine industry.  Anyone in the who’s who of food was there.  Just being in the same room with Fergus Henderson of nose to tail fame was quite exciting.

I swore that next year I’d go to every event I could afford to go to.  That’s how good this food and wine event is.

We went to one presentation and got all comfy in our seats when Jan whispers, “We are supposed to be on the other end of this building at Valli Little!”  So all four of us slinked out and raced to the far end and re-seated ourselves.  It was a good move because she was fantastic.

Now in just a few weeks, the 2013 Noosa International Food and Wine Festival will pop the cork on this year’s event.  It’s their 10th anniversary and no expense has been spared to celebrate what has become Australia’s top food event of the year.  Seriously and it’s only 30 minutes from home!

Months ago I was talking with Jim Berardo about maybe combining a food blogger event along with the festival and he thought that was a terrific idea — but for next year, so keep your eyes peeled for news about that.  If you’ve been thinking of a visit to Australia, come for it.  Anything Jim Berardo puts his hand to is a success.  Also, if you’re a yank,  Jim (like me) speaks American with an Aussie twang.  You’ll fit right in.

Noosa is a gorgeous spot with a beautiful national park, wonderful beaches, fantastic restaurants, great shopping and heaps of other activities in and around Noosa.  It’s also not too far from the Australia Zoo (think Crocodile Hunter).  Oh, and I’m here too.   Come on over and borrow our kayaks and go for a paddle.

The food and wine festival starts on May 16th through the 19th.  As in previous years, there are food stars everywhere you look.   Okay, MOST of them are food stars.  There’s one panelist in that list who’s pretty ordinary but she has a passion for food, food writing and food people.  Yes, it’s me!   I’ll be on a panel discussing the differences and similarities between traditional food writers and food bloggers.  I really want someone to come up and ask me for my autograph – come on, you know you want to.  heh  (j/k)

It’s not all food either – there are heaps of world-class entertainers like the Pantastic Steel Band, Queensland Virtuosi Orchestra, Jane Rutter, Ian Cooper and many others.  The entertainment is special but it doesn’t take one bit away from the food and wine and there’s lots of that.  When you come, get a wine class and heaps of tickets and eat your way through an amazing array of fantastic dishes.

Like cocktails?  This year, the Australian division of the world-class bartending competition will be held on the beach to find the world’s best bartender.  Poke your feet in the sand and help judge the best cocktails ever.  I think John would like this one.  🙂

So if you haven’t bought your tickets, get cracking because they’re selling fast and honestly, you wouldn’t want to miss out asking me for an autograph, right?  right?   No recipe today but I have a cracker of one for my next post.  Think mushroom tarts with truffle oil.  They were heavenly and John ate ALL but one and that was because I ate the first one and said, OMG these are SO good.  I turned around and he’d taken them all upstairs to his desk.