2015 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival pop-up bakery

A pop-up artisan bakery rising daily in the heart of the city, a long lunch for 1,500 in Melbourne’s iconic fresh produce market, and a wine tasting with 40 of the world’s best biodynamic winemakers – just some of the unique ways Melbourne’s vibrant culinary spirit will be celebrated from 27 February to 15 March 2015.

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (MFWF) presented by Bank of Melbourne will take a journey to new frontiers of flavour in some of Victoria’s most spectacular settings: from famous dining spots to unexpected venues, rooftop bars to hidden cellars, plus extraordinary locations across regional Victoria.

Artisan bread will be the rising star of MFWF’s pop-up hub for 2015: Festival Artisan Bakery. Transforming the blank canvas of Queensbridge Square for the fourth year with a creative one-off project, MFWF will construct a working bakery, workshop space, and wine and coffee bar spreading the tempting aromas of freshly baked bread into the heart of Melbourne.

Justin Gellatly from state-of-the-art bakery and baking school Bread Ahead in London – named one of the most innovative modern bakers by Observer Food Monthly and renowned for his artisan bread and legendary doughnuts – will headline the program as international guest baker, alongside a daily program of Australia’s most celebrated bakers. Drop by for a morning pastry and coffee, pick up a loaf to take home, take a peek at the bakers kneading dough behind the scenes, roll your sleeves up for a hands-on workshop, or perch at the bar for a glass of wine.

Queen Victoria Market, the heart and soul of Melbourne’s fresh produce heritage, will be home to Festival favourite Bank of Melbourne World’s Longest Lunch on 27 February. One long table will weave through and around the historic sheds gathering more than 1,500 diners to feast on a three- course menu brought to life by Peter Rowland Catering.

The Festival’s signature Langham Melbourne MasterClass, 7 – 8 March, gathers trailblazing chefs from across the globe for a dynamic weekend of sharing inspirations, conversations and memory-making tastings. Ahead of releasing the full line-up, a handful of chefs set to converge in Melbourne:

A Canadian leading the charge for honest, Japanese cuisine in Hong Kong, Matt Abergel visits Australia for the first time to bring the signature ingredient-driven dishes from his game- changing yakitori restaurant Yardbird;

Ex-punk rocker and vegan turned nose-to-tail champion Jamie Bissonnette (Coppa, Boston & Toro, Boston and New York, USA) will present his fun and relaxed approach to Italian and Spanish flavours with a touch of funk and soul;

Australian legend Dan Hunter (Brae, Birregurra) will tell the stories and share the local produce behind his multi award-winning regional restaurant that is famous for embracing its raw connection to the land;

Cutting-edge pastry maestro Janice Wong (2am: dessert bar, Singapore) will share her emotive and sensory desserts that have earned her the awards for S.Pellegrino Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2012 & 2013.

New to 2015, a MasterClass skills workshop series will be available with single sessions ($45). In these intimate classes, learn how to do one thing exceptionally well guided by Australia’s most innovative and entertaining chefs. Benjamin Cooper (Kong, Richmond & Chin Chin, Melbourne) lifts the lid on pickles and fermentation, Johnny di Francesco (400 Gradi, Brunswick) shares the secrets to a world champion pizza, and Matt Wilkinson (Pope Joan, Hams and Bacon, Brunswick East) simplifies freshly dressed salads.

Return to Terroir, an extraordinary international gathering of more than 40 biodynamic wineries will be one of three highlight wine events taking place at Melbourne Town Hall, 28 February and 1 March. Returning to Melbourne following the tasting at MFWF 2011, Return to Terroir offers outstanding examples of biodynamic wines poured by the winemakers themselves. Champagne F. Bedel, Coulée de Serrant, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht and Nikolaihof are among the line-up, alongside Australia’s biodynamic wineries Castagna, Cullen, Jasper Hill and Ngeringa.

Acqua Panna Global Wine Experience returns with two bold sessions – ‘The Classics’ and ‘The Not So Classics’ – to spark lively debate with benchmark wines from around the world, 28 February and 1 March. The sessions will discuss if chardonnay, cabernet and merlot create the world’s finest wines, and ask if more unusual varieties and lesser-known growing regions are the source of great wines.

Perfect Match brings food and wine personalities from across Australia to redefine ultimate and adventurous food, wine and drinks pairings in a six-session series moderated by wine writer Matt Skinner. Three presenter duos include:

Raph Rashid (Beatbox Kitchen, Taco Truck and All Day Donuts, Melbourne) and wine writer Mike Bennie (Sydney) will explore if there’s more to street food combinations than burgers and beer and tacos and tequila;

Ben Sears from Sydney dining hot spot Moon Park will join forces with winemaker Brad Hickey to match the bold Brash Higgins wines from McLaren Vale to punchy Korean flavours;

Biodynamic winemaker Shashi Singh (Avani, Mornington Peninsula) will team up with Adam D’Sylva (Coda and Tonka, Melbourne) to find perfect partners for his Indian-inspired dishes.

Festival cult hit Crawl ‘n’ Bite will uncover Melbourne’s hidden gems, hottest restaurants and most talked about dishes. Have a quintessentially Melbourne experience visiting three top venues on a progressive crawl in an event series that boasts stop-off points including Epocha, Grossi Florentino Upstairs, Pastuso, Stokehouse City and Supernormal. Embark on a trail of discovery featuring signature small plates matched to drinks including natural wines, whiskies or stand-out cocktails.

Food and art will collide in a spectacular fashion as Melbourne’s great cultural institutions and festivals unite with MFWF exclusively for 2015. Embrace solo dining at a special viewing of Andy Warhol’s Jewish Geniuses and Warhol Now at the Jewish Museum of Australia, and join a playful fashion-inspired evening at Prix Fixe with a local designer in collaboration with Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival’s cultural program.

27 February – 15 March 2015

All Festival events on sale 21 November 2014

The full Festival program can be viewed from 18 November at melbournefoodandwine.com.au