Saturday's Taste Farmers Market was a special moment for Bill Woollard and Lola Wren, who were the first people in line to meet their idol Poh Ling Yeow.
The husband and wife duo braved the early morning cold to ensure they wouldn't miss out on an encounter with the Masterchef star and were overjoyed to receive a free copy of her signed cookbook.
While the pair now call Bundaberg home, Lola once ran Adelaide-based restaurant Nellie’s of Adelaide when Poh was on the hit cooking show, and quickly became on of her top fans.
Bill said they had loved Poh ever since “she was on the telly” and even brought along a photo of themselves at her Adelaide restaurant JamFace for her to sign.
A first-time visitor to Bundaberg, Poh said what she had looked forward to the most was meeting the locals and cooking with fresh produce grown in the region.
“It is really exciting to come to the region and see where the food comes from,” she said.
“I love going rural, when I did Poh’s Kitchen a few years ago all of our stories were rural.
“I really love being in regions where I get to meet the people who grow the food.”
Over the weekend, Poh hosted events including the signature dinner at H20 Restaurant and Bar and Local Flavours live cooking demonstrations where she used fresh local ingredients to produce unique dishes.
At the Signature Dinner, the three courses delivered by Poh were inspired by the region’s finest ingredients with each dish created with her customary flair.
The Taste Bundaberg Festival continues next weekend with events including the Taste of Bundaberg Degustation, Mon Repos First Nations Dining Experience and the Farm Flavours Picnic.
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