A mouth-watering prospect returns

''We hope you're not busy in October. If you've booked an overseas holiday, cancel it immediately. Make sure work doesn't eat into your evenings or weekends. Put any attempt at cooking on hold until November. By then, you'll be ready for a quiet night at home.''

A familiar refrain? That was the introduction to the inaugural The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Month program, way back in 1998. Fifteen years on, now bigger than ever, it's reclaiming the original Good Food Month title. Presented by Citi, many of its original features remain firmly intact, including the ever-popular Night Noodle Markets - originally at Circular Quay, the Growers' Market at Pyrmont, Hats Off dinners, Let's Do Lunch and more.

The 1998 program featured Tetsuya Wakuda taking his hat off to cook a full Japanese menu, while Peter Doyle displayed a ''Passion for Piedmont'' at Cicada in Potts Point. David Thompson (then of Darley Street Thai) re-created an ancient Siamese banquet. Darling Mills restaurant in Glebe presented ''Season to Taste'' - two ''erotic poetic performances for flesh, food and your fantasies''. And Let's Do Lunch - one course with a matched wine - cost a very enticing $20 a head.

Some activities have not survived the test of time. The annual Sydney Food and Wine Fair - the inaugural ''restaurants in a park'' concept and Aids Trust fund-raiser - bowed to increased outdoor food-event competition, with a lovely last hurrah in Hyde Park two years ago. The Gourmet Luncheon series with celebrated chefs and authors has moved into more imaginative spaces. And some of us (yours truly) are mystified at the demise of the Cocktail Cruise. ''Imagine raising your Campari in a defiant toast to the bumper-to-bumper traffic, chomping on canapes as you sail under the Harbour Bridge at sunset,'' said the Good Food Month program. Neil Perry's Rockpool Catering partnered with a vodka brand, Culinary Edge linked with Campari and the famed Belinda Franks hosted with Galliano. All three cruises were sell-outs.

Good Food Month began when The Sydney Morning Herald brought together a number of existing and future food-related events under one big, beautiful umbrella. With event co-ordinator Andrew Birley, as well as fine-foods retailer Simon Johnson, chefs Christine Manfield and David Thompson and writers Terry Durack and Jill Dupleix, the team cooked up a heap of ''crazy ideas - but all very much about Sydney'', then Good Living editor Lisa Hudson recalls.

And so here it comes again, complete with all those dinners and lunches, plus several hundred other inspired ways to enjoy good food, good drinks and good times - across Sydney and regional NSW, as well as Queensland, Canberra and, in November, in Melbourne and regional Victoria.

What has changed over the years is the focus on international stars. And, after four years being called the Crave Sydney International Food Festival, it would be remiss of us not to continue that tradition. And so it is that we welcome back our friend Rene Redzepi, of Noma in Copenhagen (ranked second on the S.Pellegrino-Acqua Panna World's 50 Best Restaurants list after three years at No.1). A big thinker and keen visitor to Australia, the Danish star will be in town for the pre-publication launch of his much-awaited second book, Rene Redzepi: A Work in Progress (Phaidon). Along with recipes, photographs and behind-the-scenes insights into the restaurant that took the world by storm four years ago, it features Redzepi's personal journal - a reflection on what it's like to stand on the top rung of the world's gastronomic ladder, and how to retain, and foster, creativity once you get there.

Australian chefs relish this kind of international exchange. ''Rene Redzepi is more than a wonderful chef,'' says multi-hatted Australian chef Neil Perry, who admires the Noma chef's strong focus on creating his own style with local ingredients, as well as his social and environmental conscience. ''Most importantly, he helps lead and inspire many other chefs to get the best out of themselves. He is a clear thinker who understands the importance of sharing and collaboration.'' Perry will be part of a special dinner with Redzepi, along with a small group of leading Australian chefs, all celebrating a shared philosophy of ''time and place'' - reflecting identity, heritage and local produce.

Stand by too to meet Brazilian star Alex Atala (whose D.O.M. restaurant in Sao Paulo is sixth on the top-50 list). Named among Time magazine's Top 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2013, Atala will be presenting his first English-language book, Alex Atala: Discovering New Brazilian Ingredients (Phaidon). It delves into his quest to find little-used indigenous produce - and those who farm and harvest it - in a heightened sense of the chef's social responsibility, particularly with regard to the Amazon and other poor, more remote regions of his vast homeland. Chapters covering everything from game meats to tapioca, cassava and maize, as well as lesser-known ingredients such as coconut apple and fresh cashews, are accompanied by superb photography and Atala's distinctive recipes. He's also the guy who inspired Kylie Kwong's new line in edible-insect-based dishes. But don't expect an Atala masterclass-style tour. There are plans for an appearance that's a little more in keeping with this former rock'n'roller style.

That's just a taste of Good Food Month 2013. The full program will be online and published in The Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday, August 27. So, to borrow a few more words from Good Living in 1998: ''No excuses. Just book it. Eat it. Drink it. See you there.''

And we're working on that Cocktail Cruise idea … a GandT on the high seas, anyone?

Joanna Savill is the festival director of Good Food Month.

A delicious menu of diverse culinary treats

● Rene Redzepi will speak at the Opera House and will be part of a showcase dinner with some of Australia's most influential chefs, including Peter Gilmore, Neil Perry and Mark Best (October 26-28).

● Stand by for more details on the Omnivore World Tour (October 3-4) - a weekend of masterclasses and collaborative dinners featuring the stars of ''la jeune cuisine''. Young chefs from Paris, Montreal, Los Angeles and Australia will take part, including James Henry from Bones in Paris and Thomas Lim from Goldie's in LA.

● Hats Off dinners will include ''Hot and Spicy'' at Quay, there's a kitchen-garden tour and lunch at Darling Mills Farm, Let's Do Lunch at Popolo and Ormeggio and Signature Dishes in Cabramatta and Canley Vale.

Everyone can get involved

Australia's largest food festival is going national with events in Sydney and regional NSW (October), Melbourne and regional Victoria (November), plus Canberra, Brisbane and regional Queensland (October). It's all part of the celebration of food and drinks that is the Fairfax Good Food network, linked to the Epicure and Good Food sections, Food & Wine in The Canberra Times, brisbanetimes.com.au and goodfood.com.au.

● Melbourne's Hats Off dinners will include a restaurant swap between Mark Best's Pei Modern and Sydney's Marque, and an Izakaya Den pop-up at Michael Ryan's Provenance (Regional Restaurant of the Year) in Beechworth in regional Victoria.

● The full program for Good Food Month, presented by Citi, will be published on Tuesday, August 27, as well as online at goodfoodmonth.com.