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Our events are a happy melange, bringing food, hospitality and farming professionals, writers, artists, thought leaders and generally awesome people together to explore ideas and things that matter. Like food, books and words.
Turning ideas into fun and adventurous experiences.
Food events with a literary bent
FESTIVAL
Food & Words 2022
Tiny, but mighty personable, the Food & Words writers' festival turns 10 this year. To celebrate, we plan to serve cake. Other than that, we are committed to delivering a festival program that features some of the country's leading writers on food in an atmosphere that is both generous and hospitable. Read more on the Writers' Festival page or go straight to the booking page to purchase your ticket.
Date Sunday October 9
Time 10am-4pm
Location Enid Cook Room, Level 1, 405 Crown Street (above Surry Hills Library), Surry Hills
Cost $330 (plus booking fee)
The world's most intimate writers' festival
FOOD TALKS
A family-focussed day at Vaucluse House
Immerse yourself in the rich food history of Vaucluse House at this festive celebration of Spring. Enjoy fascinating talks and food demonstrations, and shop from range of stalls featuring Sydney’s finest artisan producers.
Barbara hosts a fascinating program of talks: What's for dinner? featuring Drs Scott Hill and Jacqui Newling; Cooking the Books with Jane Morrow, Publishing Director, Murdoch Books; Farah Celjo, Managing Editor, SBS Food and presenter on ‘The Cook Up’ and Dr Jacqui Newling, Gastronomer and Sydney Living Museums’ Curator; and Caring for Country: Indigenous perspectives on gardening and plants with D’harawal Saltwater Knowledge Keeper Shannon Foster.
Date Sunday, 11 September
Time 10am to 3pm
Location Vaucluse House, Wentworth Road, Vaucluse
Tickets $15 (free for 12 years and under)
Spring Harvest Festival
Photograph In the courses, we use photographs, such as this one of American food writer M. K.F. Fisher as writing prompts. What is she doing with that hotdog?
Would you like to Write *great* newsletters? It's easy once you know how. We draw on the time honoured process of print production and add a touch of letter writing intimacy.
Date Tuesdays, September 20 and 27, October 4 and 11
Time 10am-11am
Location Online, via Zoom
Cost $350
Simple, effective approaches to writing
Do you have a book or writing project that you'd like to jump start or dedicate some uninterrupted time to? Then, our online Write with Intent course is designed for you.
Date Tuesdays, September 6, 13, 20 and 27
Time 7pm-8pm
Location Online, via Zoom
Cost $350
WRITING
Join one of our Writing Courses
“Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”–Henry James
Cookbook author Emiko Davies visits Australia in November to launch her latest book, Gohan: Everyday Japanese Cooking. We are proud to present these Sydney events.
Saturday, November 25
Cooking Workshop
$510
Starts 10am
An all-day cooking experience with Emiko in a large, sun-lit kitchen space in Alexandria (full address provided once booked). In the class, Emiko will introduce the flavourful building blocks of Japanese food and we will prepare Japanese breakfast together – Emiko's favourite.
Sunday, November 26
Book launch, Woollahra Library
$90
Starts 10.30am
Join Emiko in celebrating the publication of her latest book, Gohan, Everyday Japanese Food. Enjoy refreshments of hand-made onigiri and Emiko's favourite Japanese tea. Emiko will talk about her book and childhood and family memories of Japan and answer your questions. The ticket includes a copy of the book – and you can have Emiko sign it.
Coming up
AUTHOR EVENT // EMIKO DAVIES
Cookbook author Emiko Davies visits Australia in November to launch her latest book, Gohan: Everyday Japanese Cooking. We are proud to present these Sydney events.
Thursday, November 24
LuMi Dining Lunch, with special guest Palisa Anderson
$330
Starts 12 noon
Author lunch at Lumi Dining, Pyrmont, with a menu by chef Federico Zanellato's that fuses Italian and Japanese flavours and techniques – some of them drawn from Emiko's book. We are also thrilled to have Palisa Anderson, of Boon Luck Farm, join us. Palisa will speak with Emiko – about Gohan, Japanese food, rice and more.
Saturday, November 26
Cooking Workshop
$510
Starts 10am
An all-day cooking experience with Emiko in a large, sun-lit kitchen space in Alexandria (full address provided once booked). In the class, Emiko will introduce the flavourful building blocks of Japanese food and we will prepare Japanese breakfast together – Emiko's favourite.
Sunday, November 27
Book launch, Woollahra Library
$90
Starts 10.30am
Join Emiko in celebrating the publication of her latest book, Gohan, Everyday Japanese Food. Enjoy refreshments of hand-made onigiri and Emiko's favourite Japanese tea. Emiko will talk about her book and childhood and family memories of Japan and answer your questions. The ticket includes a copy of the book – and you can have Emiko sign it.
Coming up
AUTHOR EVENT // EMIKO DAVIES
Coming up
December 16
Vintage cookbook sale
COOKBOOK LOVE // BOOK SALE
RECIPE CLUB // GATHERING
December 14
Randwick Library
Coming up
December 16
Vintage cookbook sale
COOKBOOK LOVE // BOOK SALE
RECIPE CLUB // GATHERING
December 14
Randwick Library
Sat, Nov 25
All-day cooking class in Alexandria with focus on Japanese breakfast (plus, lots
of small gifts and treats)
$510
Sun, Nov 26
Book launch at Woollahra Library with Emiko, plus Japanese refreshments
$90
All guests receive a copy of Emiko's book. Tickets are limited for these events.
Coming up
AUTHOR EVENT // EMIKO DAVIES
“You learn to cook so that you don't have to be a slave to recipes. You get what's in season and you know what to do with it.' –Julia Child
“I just spent a wonderful rainy afternoon watching the talks, yet another thought provoking, fascinating and compelling collection of ideas and authors.”
Read about the speakers here
Three writers whose work ranges across Instagram and printed books talk about their experiences with both. Hear from cookery writers Belinda Jeffery (A Year of Sundays), Lucy Tweed (Every Night of the Week) and Emiko Davies (Torta dell Nonna).
What exactly is Australian food? Chef Ross Dobson, author of Australia, The Cookbook, along with fellow writers Paul Van Reyk (True to the Land, A History of Food in Australia) and Lee Tran Lam, freelance food writer & co-founder Diversity in Food Media and Editor of the anthology New Voices in Food take on the question in this panel.
Session 2
OUR PARTNERS
Coffee partner The Little Marionette
Tea and tisanes partner Apotheca by Anthia
Wine partner Lowe Family Wine Co.
Bookshop Potts Point Bookshop
Venue and food Martin Boetz, Cooks Shed
Food & Words seeks the best vittles
We are proud to work with
TALKING
Join chef Martin Boetz from Cooks Shed and home cook and food writer Barbara Sweeney in this Zoom chat as they talk food, cooking and cookbooks. It's a #bloodylockdown project, only here as long as the Sydney lockdown lasts. Join the conversation.
BYO. Tickets $11.
Every Sunday while lockdown lasts, 5pm
The Sunday Session
PROJECT
A storytelling session about food, books and cooking. Written and presented by Barbara Sweeney, it’s an amusing and thoughtful exploration of this publishing genre and its place in the world. Of particular interest is the handed-down, hand-written recipe book and their stories.
In development
Cookbook Love
Responsible for our Food & Words poster illustration – copy to go here.
Canberra artist
Meet Ella Phillips
In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
Food & Words produces food events with a literary bent
Writers’ festival
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Author talks & dinners
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Book
launches
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Cooking
& writing classes
Writing Courses
'Each weekly get-together was a warm celebration and such an incentive to keep writing.' —Susan M, Write with Intent student
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