Global Applause for WA's Booming Culinary Scene

The spotlight is on Western Australia's impressive food and drink offering as it continues to attract attention from the world's top gastronomic figures wanting a taste of the State.

Revered identities including David Chang, Marco Pierre-White and Pierre Koffmann will descend on WA in November to participate in the inaugural Western Australia Gourmet Escape, which will incorporate a selection of food and drink-based events in Perth, Swan Valley and Margaret River regions.

The new event format is capitalising on the success of the Margaret River Gourmet Escape, established in 2012, offering domestic and international visitors the choice of unforgettable culinary experiences in three of the State's established and much-loved culinary meccas, over an expanded period of 10 days.

With a thriving truffle industry, transformed capital city, unique native ingredients, fresh seafood exports and highly-awarded wine production, WA is at the top of the food chain for a host of A-list guests who have visited in recent times, including Nigella Lawson, Heston Blumenthal, Rick Stein and Curtis Stone.

“Western Australia and Margaret River have got everything that I love, everything that I travel across the world for, as indeed I do, which is incredible food, wonderful wine and such amazing natural beauties,” said Nigella Lawson.

Some of WA's best kept food secrets are no longer, with more tourists than ever travelling across the globe to sample the State's produce, celebrated local chefs and extraordinary landscapes.

Located in the Southern Forests region of South West WA, a 90-minute drive inland from Margaret River, The Truffle & Wine Co currently produce the largest amount of the world's most edible commodity – black perigord truffle – in Australia.

On the beverage front, WA's beer, wine and spirit-makers are becoming more diverse with their drops, increasingly testing the boundaries of traditional methods.

The innovation has paid off with many local wineries, breweries and distilleries achieving top accolades at major award ceremonies, including Limeburners (Albany) winning Australian Distiller of the Year UK's Whisky Magazine's Icons of the World 2019; Vasse Felix (Margaret River) winning gold at TEXSOM International Wine Awards 2019; and Illegal Tender Rum Co (Geraldton) taking out a wine at the Chinese Wine and Spirit Best Value Awards 2019.

From the native fruits and flavours of the Kimberley to the South West's rolling green pastures and endemic species such as marron, WA's food scene is having a moment – one that has birthed a generation of thoughtful chefs.

With the availability of great produce at their fingertips, WA chefs are championing use of local ingredients, including Matt Sartori of Wildflower (Perth), Dan Gedge of Leeuwin Estate (Margaret River) and Santiago Fernandez of Voyager Estate (Margaret River), all of whom recently featured in MasterChef Australia's 'WA Week'.

Australian celebrity chef and judge George Calombaris spent two weeks filming at various locations in WA for the Logie award-winning program, sampling some of the best of Perth's food scene, learning about Swan Valley wines and indulging in unique food experiences in Margaret River.

"We had such an incredible time filming in Western Australia for MasterChef. It's a place Matt, Gary and I have been blessed to spend time in, but to film across the state from Perth to the Swan Valley and down to Margaret River was spectacular," said George.

With the recent naming of Margaret River and Southern WA as the number one Asian-Pacific destination to visit in the year ahead by global travel authority Lonely Planet, WA's popularity is expected to continue to climb.

Helloworld Travel is offering 'WA Foodie' holiday exclusives starting from $399 per person, giving visitors the opportunity to choose from a Perth foodie adventure, Margaret River food and wine getaway and tickets to Western Australia's Gourmet Escape. The offer ends on August 30.

For more information:
helloworld.com.au/wagourmetescape
westernaustralia.com/au/plan_your_trip/create_your_own_gourmet_escape