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Ferran Adria launches 2014 Good Food Month

They're back ... the Night Noodle Markets will be held in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane this year.
They're back ... the Night Noodle Markets will be held in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane this year.Supplied

Australia’s culinary culture is "advanced" and "mature", declared Ferran Adria of Spain, arguably the most influential chef of our time. But with an internationally recognised chef and a more radical approach to cooking, it could soar to new heights.

Adria, renowned for his experimental cooking at the much-lauded elBulli in Spain, shared his thoughts on Australian cuisine at the national launch of Good Food Month at Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art today.

Sydneysiders have been able to realise culinary dreams, mingle with local and international chefs, and make extra adventurous choices with their food through Good Food Month, which began 16 years ago with a modest 50-event schedule.

Now, the festival is no longer Sydney’s own, with other cities set to relish the goodies of the month-long celebration of food. Melbourne hosted its first Good Food Month last November, and Brisbane and Canberra are gearing up to host inaugural events later in the year.

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Ferran Adria, whose restaurant in the Catalan region of Spain had three Michelin stars and was voted the world’s best restaurant five times, said Australian chefs had an advanced understanding of the links between cooking and societal progress.

“Australian cooking is mature right now and soon there will be a new generation of young Australians who will come out and make that a reality,” he said through an interpreter.

He closed elBulli in 2011 to focus on a project mapping out the evolution of world cuisines at his new creative centre.

“The world has been formed through civilisations and today’s is a global civilisation,” he said. “There is no longer an Asia separate from a Europe – it’s becoming more and more united and that’s what this civilisation’s been marked by.

The internet was transforming the professional culinary world, he said.

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“Food is the new social network, after all, more people eat than watch football,” he said, adding that he was excited to start investigating the social media world using Twitter from next week.

“The changes in cooking are faster than ever before given the interconnectedness of chefs, restaurants, and the food industry.”

Two million gourmands across the three states and the ACT are expected to be involved in the food festival, organisers say. They will be able to roam the Night Noodle Markets, participate in the Shoot the Chef photographic competition, and grab Let’s Do Lunch discount offers.

“We are growing fast. It’s a testament to Australia’s love of great food, fun and celebrating with friends and family,” said festival director Joanna Savill.

“Last year 1.5 million people shared fabulous food across over 1,500 events – with 600,000 attending the Night Noodle Markets alone. This year will be bigger yet.’’

Good Food Month, presented by Citi, is a Fairfax Media event. For more information visit goodfoodmonth.com.

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