Sunshine Coast culinary aficionados have less than a month to stake their claim to be part of the region’s award-winning food festival The Curated Plate.
Named Australia’s Best Small Regional Event last year, Festival Culinary Director and renowned chef Peter Kuruvita is calling on local producers, chefs, restaurateurs and businesses to showcase their passion and talents at the 2025 iteration.
Mr Kuruvita said expressions of interest to be a part of the 10-day food festival close on February 3.
He said the 2025 event would be the biggest celebration of local flavours the festival had seen in its six-year history.
“This year’s festival will have a greater focus on honouring our local producers and offering a smorgasbord of different cuisines.
“It’s an opportunity for the food and drink industry to showcase their offering to locals and visitors who will, in turn, drive year-round visitation.”
Mr Kuruvita said the award-winning annual festival would run from July 25 to August 3, and included a range of events across the Sunshine Coast region, from the beach to the hinterland.
He said each business or organisation managed their own individual event including logistics and ticket sales, but were provided marketing support and event advice if needed.
“If you’re unsure about participating or need guidance on how to get involved, I’m here to help,” Mr Kuruvita said.
“Participating in the program is free and all event organisers keep 100 percent of the revenue from ticket sales from any event they run.”
Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli said the festival created enduring opportunities that strengthened the local economy.
“The festival is brought to life through a collaborative approach with the Sunshine Coast’s local industry association, the Food and Agribusiness Network, and destination marketing organisations, Visit Sunshine Coast and Tourism and Events Queensland,” Mayor Natoli said.
“We are looking to create a program full of diverse experiences for locals and visitors with extraordinary events that take place in unique settings, from our farms to beaches, from our breweries to distilleries.
“We also want our local restaurants to participate and do something special for The Curated Plate.”
Event concepts can be shared on The Curated Plate website or by emailing Mr Kuruvita.
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