Spring in the Shoalhaven is a time for locals to enjoy the beautiful weather and surrounds before the influx of tourists come to enjoy our beautiful spaces, restaurants and shop from our clever creatives.
The South Coast Meet the Makers Festival is a wonderful way for all of these amazing venues and creatives to come out of the winter slumber.
While the Shoalhaven Food Network’s Autumn Celebration of Food leads us into the winter months, Spring is a time to reemerge, to get back out and about, enjoy the gentle sunshine and feel the fresh air and sun again after time spent in jumpers and blankets. The South Coast Makers Festival is based around the beautiful areas of Milton, Mollymook and Ulladulla just a short distance from Jervis Bay.
“The festival is an industry led project to remind visitors that Spring is a fantastic time to check out the area. There is so much going on and one of the things people love about the South Coast is the people!” says Haley Mees, who is one of three brilliant creatives from the area coordinating this project.
Haley is the manager of the busy Gwylo restaurant in Mollymook alongside excellent local chef Matt Upson. She is assisted by Jo Hay who has many years of experience in marketing and communication as well as the talented Kitty Stidwill, one half of the owners of charming eatery, Milkhaus. Haley continues excitedly, saying of the festival that “creating an initiative to promote events giving guests the opportunity to meet those leading our hospitality and creative sectors seemed like a fun idea”.
This is no small achievement; they have curated a calendar of events that has something for everyone. It is headlined by renowned chef and author Donna Hay, who is featuring in two events, an intimate dinner at Altar Bar on Friday 6 September and an equally-intimate lunch at Milkhaus on Saturday 7 September. For the inaugural event to have a foodie-celeb of this calibre speaks volumes of the quality chefs, creatives, restaurants and venues in the area.
Donna Hay could pick anywhere to launch a new book but we are fortunate she has selected our part of the world. As a foodie myself, it excites me to know that our chefs and restaurants are being recognised for what they produce right on our doorstep. This festival isn’t just about food, there are many other opportunities for creative expression including pottery, floristry, art, weaving and making a terrarium. The events are filling up fast with a calendar of events available here.
The people behind the events are putting themselves out there to meet with customers, converse with and build a relationship and knowledge of their product. The idea of creating a dinner set from scratch myself, or creating a centrepiece terrarium as a talking point is just another small part of what this festival is offering.
The organisers hope this festival will extend beyond its September calendar events, encouraging you to say hello and ask questions of the businesses involved, to learn more about their craft. There isn’t a chef in the world who doesn’t like hearing their food is beautiful and that their combination of flavours really made your meal. There isn’t a creative that doesn’t like hearing that their latest piece resonated with you for one reason or another. So this event is a call to action to start talking to these amazing people when given the chance.
Haley says the response from local businesses has been so overwhelming that they didn’t have room on the calendar for everything. “We wanted to get this first festival under our belts to see the response from the community and work towards making this an annual event that people look forward to in their calendars.”
It sounds to me that the Meet the Makers festival definitely has the momentum to take place each Spring. Having worked with the Shoalhaven Food Network Autumn Celebration of Food, I have seen first hand how these festivals enthuse locals and tourists alike to enjoy the bountiful gifts the area has to offer. Meet the Makers has the potential to grow and continue offering exciting and unique experiences.
We know that times are tough and money can be tight, so you can still be involved in the festival in different ways, even simply coming to a venue and saying ‘Hello’. Haley says, “This whole community lives for creating memorable experiences for our guests. Book a table at GWYLO to see Matt, or go try a beer at The Milton Hotel with Damo. Do brekky with Nat + Kitty from Milk Haus. Say hi to Tracy at Delicious Vibrant Beauty, chat with Laura from Fred flowers while she wraps up a bunch for you, just meet the locals so that when you return you’ll feel like one also!”
I put Haley on the spot asking for her highlights of the festival, diplomatically as an organiser she said it is all amazing, and I agree looking at the calendar of events, but she has come with the following recommendations.
“I wouldn’t miss saying hi to Donna Hay in such an intimate setting (big fan!!). Dinner in the brewery will be a fun one because of the hatted chef Damo. Also I think playing with clay at Motion Ceramics sounds beautiful, there are too many, I could keep going!”
Whether or not you are attending ticketed events, take this as an open invitation from the businesses involved to come and say hello, find out more and support them so they continue to create memorable experiences.
A full list of participating businesses and their events can be found on the Shoalhaven Food Network ‘Whats On’ page with booking links.
