Bay’s annual foodie festival a win-win for everyone
Hungry fans who snapped up more than 4000 tickets during the second iteration of the Coastal Bay of Plenty’s annual foodie festival have helped cement its place on the national culinary calendar.
Organisers say the 10-day Flavours of Plenty Festival, which wrapped up earlier this month, generated almost $450,000 in ticket sales for the businesses involved. The programme featured 34 events, including five free events.
A fifth of festival attendees originated from outside the region - mainly from Auckland and the Waikato, but also from as far away as Canada.
“We’re still tallying final figures to assess the wider economic value of the event, but there’s no doubt that it was a huge success,” says Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan.
“One of the key reasons this festival is so great for the region is that all the ticket revenue goes directly back to the businesses that participate, and this figure doesn’t include all the additional sales of locally produced ingredients - like gin, eggs or honey - that the festival generated with participating eateries.
“We also measured the online media publicity the festival generated, showcasing the region’s wide array of foodie offerings, which indicates over $1.2 million in coverage was achieved.”
Almost 200 growers, manufacturers, eateries, food trucks, tour companies and other food-related businesses were involved in the festival, which ran the length of the Coastal Bay of Plenty from Waihī Beach to Ōhope. Events ranged from practical beekeeping and sausage-making classes to elaborate degustation dinners, tastings, long lunches, a wild food festival and several competitions.
The largest crowd-pleaser was the First We Eat Festival at the Tauranga Wharepai Domain, which combined live music and a selection of winery, brewery and foodie offerings.
The Flavours of Plenty Festival also deliberately focused on nurturing emerging culinary talent. A sell-out Battle of the Snack event placed three of the Bay’s most experienced chefs alongside three promising young chefs, who were then tasked with creating an innovative 12-course menu.
A mushroom-focused snack, created by Fife Lane commis chef Alex Smith under the mentorship of Saltwater head chef and Deckchair co-owner Perrin Yates, and a venison tartar snack, created by Picnicka chef de partie Sanish Dhungana with executive chef mentor Neil Sapitula from Solera and Saltwater, both claimed top accolades on the night. Smith won the judge’s choice award, while Dhungana earned the most votes to collect the diners’ choice award.
Nathan says the Battle of the Snack, which was held at Saltwater and hosted by Tourism Bay of Plenty and Cuisine Magazine, showcased the region’s exceptional ingredients, future food trends, and the expertise within the Coastal Bay of Plenty’s hospitality sector.
“It epitomised what the Flavours of Plenty Festival is all about - forging culinary connections and sparking inspiration.”
A dozen eateries also participated in the Plates of Plenty Challenge, which saw chefs utilise a box of seven local provenance products to create a unique festival dish. These menu items were professionally judged and diners were also able to cast votes. Alma Eatery claimed the Judge’s Choice Award, while Pearl Kitchen earned the People’s Choice Award.
“Pearl Kitchen told us they not only sold about 400 servings of their bespoke dish during the festival, but they’re also now buying their eggs from Kaimai Eggs thanks to the new business partnership they forged during this competition. This is the magic of Flavours of Plenty at work – it’s a win-win for everyone,” Nathan says.
This one-minute video captures some of the action during the 2023 Flavours of Plenty Festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qull4rCpDe0