Food & Culture

Tasting Australia returns in 2024

The ebullient food celebration is back next year with a bumper program of one-off events

By Jordan Kretchmer
Trains, planes, sailboats and more are just some of the madcap sites set to welcome events for Tasting Australia in 2024. A jam-packed program of 150 events will descend upon the festival state of Adelaide across 10 days in May. As Australia's longest-running food festival, homegrown talent heroes much of the festival, with chefs including Mark Best, Matt Moran, Thi Le, Jake Kellie and Justin James all cooking. Newly appointed food curator Kane Pollard has worked to devise a program that puts South Australian produce front and centre, with pop-up restaurant experiences, hands-on cooking classes and bold one-off dining opportunities.
Jake Kellie of Arkhé
While Town Square in Adelaide's CBD will be the epicentre of the festival, events will also happen across the state. Food lovers can hop aboard The Ghan for Tasting Australia by Train, which will see a journey from Melbourne to Adelaide punctuated by chef-led dining experiences along the 10-hour trip. Local legend Cheong Liew, Asma Khan (Indian-born British restaurateur and owner of Darjeeling Express restaurant in London's Soho) and Jae Bang (of Melbourne's Nordic restaurant Freyja) will take over the dining and bar carriages for this intrepid experience.
Mile-high meals take on a new meaning when Tasting Australia Airlines returns with charter flights and itineraries heading out across the state. Explore some of South Australia's most loved regions including the Limestone Coast, the Eyre Peninsula and Naracoorte, all accompanied by leading chefs including Mark Best, Darren Robertson, Jo Barrett and Fabian Lehmann (Maxwell Wines). Ben Williamson (Agnes) will also fly in from Brisbane to join former colleague and head chef of Adelaide's Kiin, Ben Bertei, for a sail boat venture to Kangaroo Island for a collaborative dinner.
Tasting Australia Airlines
The festival's central hub Town Square will gussy up Victoria Square to host both intimate themed dinners including transforming into a big city steakhouse with Matt Moran, Jake Kellie and Isobel Whelan-Little; and a kaiseki-like sushi hub with Mug Chen, Chia Wu (Muni) and Hansol Lee (Melbourne's Matsu). Other highlights include Thi Le (Anchovy), Benjamin Cooper (Chin Chin), Trinh Richards (The Little Rickshaw) and Terry Intarakhamhaeng (Soi 38) sharing the kitchen to explore the power of sweet, salty, sour and heat in Southeast Asian cooking; there's fire-driven exploration led by Mitch Orr (Kiln); plus Justin James (Restaurant Botanic) will be joined by Canberra-born France-based James Henry (Le Doyenné). There will also be a series of masterclasses where you can fry chicken with fine dining chef Justin James, master pastry with Julia Busuttil Nishimura or make sausages with Duncan Welgemoed.
The full program of 150 events is out now – and whether you're a home cook or an avid diner it's worth perusing and marking your calendars to celebrate Australia's food and wine industries.
Tasting Australia presented by RAA Travel runs from Friday 3 – Sunday 12 May 2024 across Adelaide and regional South Australia, with tickets on sale now via the website.