Star Japanese chef signed for new culinary festival

The Curated Plate, a new four-day food festival is set to make its debut on the Sunshine Coast on August 8-11, 2019.

Aimed to be a celebration of the relationship between the chef and producer, the festival will bring together the region's finest produce with leading Australian and international chefs.

Local experiences - from food trails to farm tours - will feature in the program.

Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa

Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa (above) from the two Michelin-star restaurant, Den, in Tokyo, will join the festival in a collaboration with Sunshine Coast chef, Daniel Jarrett of The Tamarind.

Den was this year named the Best Restaurant in Japan and 17th in the world. 

Rising star Hasegawa is known for "Japanese cuisine with quality and creativity" (below).

The full festival program of events and talent line-up will be revealed in March, 2019.

"The Sunshine Coast has long been a home to some of Australia's greatest produce and some amazing restaurants," Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson said.

"This new event will be a fantastic way to showcase our region and profile our local award-winning food producers and restaurateurs.

"We look forward to welcoming guests to our beautiful part of the world and invite them to discover what makes us such a great destination for fantastic food.”

Simon Latchford, CEO of Visit Sunshine Coast, said: “The Sunshine Coast is one of Australia's premier regions for quality produce - it has more than 740 restaurants, 400 food tourism experiences, six dining precincts, 13 craft breweries, some of the best farmers markets in the country and provides much of Queensland's fish, seafood, fruit, vegetables and poultry exports.

“While our beaches and year-round attractive climate might be the primary reasons for visitors choosing the Sunshine Coast for their holiday, the fact that we can deliver such high-quality food from paddock to plate is becoming an increasingly significant attraction for discerning travellers.”

“We invest in local events because they deliver a strong economic return for the tourism industry”.

For Curated Plate event details and travel packages, visit www.thecuratedplate.com.au/