PRESS RELEASE: TrailGraze: A New Food Festival in Tasmania’s North West

Cradle To Coast Tasting Trail launches TrailGraze, a new festival that celebrates producers of Tasmania’s North West.

A new event by the Cradle to Coast Tasting Trail is set to spotlight the local farmers, growers and makers of Tasmania’s North West. TrailGraze will see local producers open their doors for a weekend of workshops, behind the scenes tours, tastings, live music and food conceptualised by some of Tasmania’s and Australia’s best chefs. Running on the weekend of the 23rd and 24th April 2022, the event will feature over 20 producers, whose offerings range from wine, cider, craft beer and spirits, gourmet foods, fruit, vegetables, nuts, meat and seafood.

An annual event, TrailGraze is free to attend, however attendees will be required to register ahead of the weekend. The TrailGraze event format is turning the usual ‘guest chef’ food festival format on its head. Eight of Tasmania’s and Australia’s best chefs have spent the last few months exploring the North West region, discovering produce and the people behind it along the way. At the end of their trip, chefs come up with a series of recipes that highlight the produce and these recipes are showcased at producer locations across the event weekend encouraging people to ‘graze’ the trail.

The participating chef lineup includes Analiese Gregory (Huon Valley, SBS) Kobi Ruzicka (Dier Makr and Lucinda), Massimo Mele (Peppina and Grain of the Silos), Alex Prichard (Icebergs Dining), Craig Will (Stillwater), Palisa Anderson (Chat Thai), Luke Burgess (Seven and a Half) and Clayton Wells (Automata).

“TrailGraze is a road trip like no other, visiting the producers and seeing their connections with the places is pretty exceptional. I think TrailGraze is a new direction for what a food festival can look like,” says Kobi Ruzicka.

TrailGraze is born of the popular Cradle to Coast Tasting Trail, a self-guided touring experience in Tasmania’s North and North West that showcases the diversity of the region’s premium produce and the personalities behind it. The Tasting Trail committee has collaborated with producers and tourism operators to create a cohesive touring experience, enabling visitors to engage deeply with the region’s extraordinary agriculture. The interactive online map and recommended itineraries give visitors a starting point to explore the region, year-round.

“Tasmania is the food bowl of Australia and I feel incredibly proud of the major role the north-west plays in feeding the rest of the country. This is an opportunity for visitors to come and try some of the best produce on the planet set against the backdrop of this stunning corner of Tasmania,” says Tom Wootton, CEO of West By North West regional tourism and committee member of the Tasting Trail.

This event is being made possible with the support of the Australian Government and AusTrade. For further information and images please contact Amanda Vallis on 0408 169 692 or [email protected].

www.trailgraze.com