Taste of the Huon - Entertainment Program

ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM

We have something for everyone at A Taste of the Huon. Entertainment and activities for the kids that will keep them busy all day and allow parents a quiet moment to relax and take in the cultural delights and taste sensations we have on offer. The main stage will play host to an eclectic line up of musicians and the large grounds will cater to our roving entertainers and buskers.

The Great Waiter’s Race

If there’s any real danger in the Great Waiter’s Race at A Taste of the Huon on Sunday March 7, it’s that someone in the audience will split their sides laughing. This tough, but hilarious event challenges teams of two from any restaurant or hotel in Tasmania to survive a gruelling course laid out by Kelly Bennett from Home Hill Winery and wine guru Phil Laing. Competition is fierce, not least because the prize money - $500 – beats the average tip by a country mile. Be there early for best position; they’re under starters orders at 3:00pm A Taste of the Huon, March 7-8 at Ranelagh Showground.

Young Tasmanian Chefs Competition

Could you stand the heat of a professional kitchen? Could you cook under pressure in front of an audience while a team of expert judges watch your every move and take notes? That’s the challenge to be faced by some of Tasmania’s hottest young chefs at A Taste of the Huon, March 7-8, the annual food & wine harvest festival in the beautiful Huon Valley.

Tasmanian food and wine has an international standing these days, and the Huon Valley produces some of the finest gourmet specialties on the island. World-class seafood and exotic mushrooms, hand-picked saffron and superb cheeses, orchard fruits and medal-winning wines are all within an hour’s drive.

‘We know this,’ says festival food coordinator Paul Cullen, ‘and that’s why 20,000 people come to A Taste of the Huon every year - to enjoy it. The question is, do we train young chefs to a standard that can make the most of our great produce? Can they do it under the toughest conditions, to top restaurant standards?’ In 2009, the first Young Tasmanian Chef’s Competition tested six apprentice chefs, hand picked by their trainers, to demonstrate their skills in front of a panel of industry judges and a public audience.

‘It was sensational,’ Cullen says. ‘We saw great performances from the apprentices under nerve-wracking pressure. It was fascinating to watch, and the 250-seat Huon Aquaculture Food Theatre was packed all day. This year, there’s an even larger field and the heats will be very exciting. They are competing for big prizes, and we have contestants from some of the top training colleges in the state.’

‘Contestants are presented with a mystery box of regional produce. They have no idea what they will find inside and they have just 60 minutes to prepare four plates of competition-grade main course for the panel of judges, ‘Master Chef’-style. There is no help and no mercy – it certainly sorts the amateurs from the young pros, and it makes great theatre!’

Program for Sunday, March 7

Huon Aquaculture Food Theatre
10:00 am - Welcome to the Huon Aquaculture Food Theatre
10:15 am - Young Tasmanian Chefs Competition - Heat One
11:15 am - Judging
11:30 am - Huon Aquaculture - Quick & Easy Recipes with Fresh Salmon
12:30 pm - ‘You Be the Judge’ - a Wine Taste of the Huon with Phil Laing. Pinot Noir and Red Wines
  1:30 pm - Young Tasmanian Chef's Competition – Heat Two
  2:00 pm - Judging
  2:30 pm - Huon Aquaculture - Quick & Easy Recipes with Fresh Salmon
  3:00 pm – The Great Waiter’s Race

Main Stage
10:00 – 11:00 DayStar
11:15 – 12:15 G.B.Balding and Croft
12:30 – 13:30 The Craggs
13:45 – 15:00 Tin Men
15:15 – 16:15 Strings on Fire
16:30 – 17:30 Lincoln LeFevre + the Insiders

Program for Monday, March 8

Huon Aquaculture Food Theatre
10:00 am - Welcome to the Huon Aquaculture Food Theatre
10:15 am - Young Tasmanian Chefs Competition - Heat Three
11:15 am - Judging
11:30 am - Huon Aquaculture - Quick & Easy Recipes with Fresh Salmon
12:30 pm - Announcement of Chef's Competition winners and prize-giving
  1:00 pm - ‘You Be the Judge’ - a Wine Taste of the Huon with Phil Laing. White Wines
  2:00 pm - Huon Aquaculture - Quick & Easy Recipes with Fresh Salmon

Main Stage
10:00 – 11:00 Angela Bryan Quartet
11:15 – 12:15 James Maddock Swing 4
12:30 – 13:30 Franco’s 20pce Samba Band
13:45 – 14:45 King Cake
15:00 – 16:00 The PumpkinHeads
CHILDREN’S AREA/ROVING
Samora Squid (Roving)
Just Jumps (Jumping Castles)
Southern Jolly Jumps (Jumping Castles)
Geeveston High School (Face Painting)
Acappallago (Main Gate)

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