5 awesome events no self-respecting Cairns foodie should miss
If you're into quality food and local produce - and let's face it who isn't - there's a whole heap of excuses to get out and about over the coming weeks.
The rise of TV cooking shows and growing awareness of where our food comes from has led to a growing foodie culture in the tropical north.
From restaurants who use locally grown produce like NuNu and the Paddock to amazing cafes serving up delicious breakfasts and lunches like Caffiend and Mama Coco, our region is increasingly becoming known for more than just the reef and rainforest.
And over the coming weeks, there's a veritable buffet of foodie events to prove it.
Here's TropicNow's guide to 5 of the best:
1. Think. Eat. Save by REAP Cairns
This first-of-its-kind event for Cairns will serve up tasty food with a social conscience message. Think. Eat. Save is a partnership between Westcourt cafe Mama Coco and REAP Cairns, a non-profit organisation that 'rescues' unused food from Rusty's to help feed the needy.
It's on tomorrow night (Tuesday 26 July) at The German Club, with guests enjoying a free and delicious 3-course dinner created from produce that would have ended up as landfill to help raise awareness of global food waste.
2. Cairns Longest Lunch
This style of event has been hugely popular in Port Douglas for years, and now it's happening in Cairns. The event on Friday August 5 will be held in a stunning Esplanade location, and the food, wine and entertainment promises to be top notch.
The Cairns Longest Lunch will feature catering (utilising lots of local ingredients and produce) by Tropical Catering and Events, live entertainment by Tony George plus fun auctions and prizes throughout the afternoon.
Best of all? By grabbing a ticket to the Cairns Longest Lunch you'll also be helping local families, with this event being a major fundraiser for the Leukaemia Foundation.
You can purchase tickets from the Leukaemia Foundation of Queensland on 40411454 or email: [email protected] and Events NQ on 4053 4577 or email: [email protected]
3. Women of Food and Wine
As if you needed any excuse to visit Port Douglas at this time of year, this event pretty much guarantees your reasons for doing so.
As part of Taste Port Douglas, the Women of Food and Wine panel event will feature some of Australia’s most accomplished women from the food and wine industry, with guests enjoying a high tea and champagne as the speakers discuss their careers and achievements.
Guest speakers include Alla Wolf Tasker, Valli Little, Robyn Lewis, and Alex Herbert while respected journalist Necia Wilden from The Australian will be the MC.
Click here for more info
4. Salt House Food and Wine Festival
Waterside location, live music and awesome food matched with great wine - this is the stuff tropical foodie dreams are made of.
All of this is on the menu (literally) at Salt House Food and Wine Festival to be held on 3 September. The team are promising to "awaken your senses through a curated food, beverage and entertainment experience". Sounds good to us! At the event you'll get Australian and global wines and liquors paired with tastes and cuisines from every corner of the world. The festival features Salt House's winery and distillery partners along with a headline performance by Brisbane band Cheap Fakes.
5. Meet. Eat. Repeat
We can't say too much about this one just yet, except to say TropicNow is partnering with local millennial organisation yRepublic to serve up something tasty in September.
Meet. Eat. Repeat will involve food trucks, stalls, music and good vibes on the Cairns Esplanade. Stay tuned to TropicNow for more details soon!
