Shoalhaven Food Network announced their annual Autumn Celebration of Food at a special event showcasing the Faces Behind the Places and announcing five of the hottest tickets during the seven-week event.
It promises to be even bigger and better this year, adding an extra week to run for seven weeks from 1 May till 15 June 2025.
Di Laver, President of the Shoalhaven Food Network, who is the driving force behind the festival, said: “The Autumn Celebration of Food showcases the faces behind the places, the beautiful plates, produce and establishments that make up hospitality throughout our beautiful Shoalhaven.
“We have about 160 members including home-grown heroes, who grew up in the Shoalhaven, went to TAFE in Nowra or Ulladulla, then travelled the world and worked around the nation and they’ve come back here and now are doing amazing things back in the Shoalhaven.”
Some of the exciting major events during the Celebration
Ramox + Blak Cede Long Lunch, Saturday 3 May
One of those heroes – and at the helm of a very special collaboration – is Doug Innes-Will, who is the Head chef at Ramox Café at the Bundanon Art Museum. They will be partnering with new local First Nations-owned café, Blak Cede, to serve a long lunch that Innes-Will described as a “mash-up” of their two menus served in a holistic way.
Innes-Will, who was a student of Di Laver’s at TAFE around 20 years ago and went on to become executive chef at the 6-star restaurant Qualia on Hamilton Island, said: “From my perspective, it’s really incredible to see how the Shoalhaven Food Network has grown in the area, the amazing work it does, the unity of the community who get together in this celebration.”
The Ramox/Blak Cede lunch will be held on Saturday 3 May.
Grazing at The Growers for 500 people, Sunday 4 May
Another home-grown hero, Sharon Menezes from The Growers by Ponte, announced a festival-style event for their large-scale venue, adjacent to Worrigee Sports.
“For this year, we have decided to go a little bit bigger than usual,” she said. “We are doing a festival-style event on Sunday 4 May called Grazing at The Growers. It will be a collaboration of local producers and businesses to create a garden party. We will be barbequing, cooking, gelato-ing and entertaining up to 500 attendees.
“The idea is to allow you to roam around the venue and gardens with your family, while you enjoy food and drinks supplied by Shoalhaven Food Network members. We’re strong believers in showcasing these events to adults but also to our children of the region, so we will have beautiful food options and a festival-style day for all family members.”
Gwylo Teams Up with Uncle Noel in Milton, Thursday 5 June
For a really special experience, Haley Mees and the team from Gwylo are partnering with local Aboriginal elder, Uncle Noel. She said: “We are going to close the restaurant and take our dining experience to his property at the back of Milton and do a long table dinner under the stars. We’ll be cooking with some traditional elements, combining the contemporary and hopefully bringing two cultures together and making a really lovely experience.”
Street Food Style at Club Jervis Bay
John West, CEO of Club Jervis Bay, announced a street food style event by the club, offering a range of dishes from different vendors from around the Shoalhaven.
“It should be an amazing event right at the end of the Autumn Celebration,” he said.
Discover the Streets of Huskisson & Beyond + The Battle of the Burger
The extra week of the Autumn Celebration in 2025 will focus on Huskisson and Beyond, in the heart of Jervis Bay, culminating in a street party on Saturday 14 June and a Battle of the Burgers on Sunday 15 June.
On the Saturday from 4pm till late, the streets of Huskisson will be alive with music and performances, a long table under a marquee in White Sands Park for communal dining, and hospitality venues turning on their very best.
The Battle of the Burgers – which served 1,500 burgers last year – will be a hotly contested eat-street style event in the grounds of Husky Sports, including music, barefoot bowls and mini golf. An industry voting panel and popular community vote will decide the winner in both categories.
Gaining Through Training Project
The Shoalhaven Food Network is again recommitted to the Gaining Through Training student initiative with Department of Education Regional Industry Education Partnership Program. Neil Bessant, RIEP Officer South Coast, said the Network has helped many students discover career pathways they may not have realised exist on their own doorstep. He acknowledged the three former Gaining Through Training students who were serving guests at this morning’s event.
“We’ve really managed over the past few years to create pathways for people like Ebony, Brody and Allira here today, by taking them through a program that gives them some skills, however it’s more about their exposure to the local heroes we’ve got here today,” he said.
Di Laver gave a special mention to the events taking place on the weekend of 15-17 May, involving two-hatted chef Giovanni Pilu. She said: “Giovanni is a great friend and supporter of the Shoalhaven Food Network. On Friday 15 May, he will showcase his book at a literary lunch at Sandbar Restaurant in Huskisson. On Saturday 16 May he will work with our Gaining Through Training graduates and some of our apprentices, and on Sunday 17 May we are having the only fundraising event for the Network which will be a showcase of local produce prepared by Giovanni, chefs of the Shoalhaven and apprentices.”
