Nestled in between wine barrels at Hill of Promise Winery guests of the favoured Long Table Dinner will be immersed in tales of history, pride and passion, from winemakers Terrance and Mary Byrne.
During the popular Long Table Dinner guests will enjoy a plethora of seasonal food and taste local wines while witnessing Terrance and Mary pour their love and admiration for the Bundaberg Region, along with their respect for tradition, into every glass.
The couple have been heavily involved in the Childers Festival for many years and the celebration during the Long Table Dinner is a meticulous and well-loved occasion.
“It’s not often you get to enjoy local, fresh and seasonal food in a working winery surrounded by barrels,” Mary said.
“We really look forward to this and the build-up to Childers Festival each year.
“Food and history and food and family just go together; this is what we share with our guests.”
Mary said over the years the Childers Festival had been known by many names including the Childers Food and Wine Festival and Childers Multicultural Festival and for them celebrating their heritage and connection to the region was always important.
Terrance’s passion comes from his proud Sicilian heritage, Mary said, as his maternal grandparents Umberto and Maria Gelsomino were migrants to the Isis district from the Catania region of Sicily in 1911.
Food, cooking and the enjoyment of wine as a natural accompaniment to special occasions had been part and parcel of their family tradition.
“The rich, historic background of the district, and Terrance’s Sicilian connections, come to life with the love of food and family,” Mary said.
“I’m always humbled to see what migrants have done and can do.
“I am so in awe when people pull up stakes and move across the other side of the world and make something for themselves.
“There is so much history around the region and we are proud to be involved with this event as we believe it is bringing the world to Childers, while showing to the rest of the region what we can do.”
The Long Table Dinner evening starts with a glass of 3 Marys bubbly and tasty appetisers as guests enjoy the ambience of the working winery.
A two-course meal featuring delicious, seasonal local produce will be paired with their award-winning preservative-free wines.
“We match each course with our wines,” Mary said.
“We really are lucky to live in this region – 25 per cent of all fresh fruit and vegetables in Australia are grown here – we are big believers in eating seasonally, eating locally and fresh.
“We are now working on our menu with our local butchers Buck and Wade from Bucks Butcher Shop, sourcing fruit and vegetables from Alloway Farm Market and Isis River Farms Shed Fruits.”
The popular Childers Festival Long Table Dinner event has limited seating and last year tickets sold out within half an hour of release.
Childers Festival’s Long Table Dinner
When: 6.30 – 9 pm Thursday 27 July
Where: Hill of Promise Winery, 8 Mango Hill Drive, Childers
Tickets on sale: Monday 29 May click here to purchase
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