Food Glorious Food!

Taste of Tableland at Atherton has become one of the "to do" things on my calendar each year.  I love it.  Being the "foodie" that I am it is right up my alley.  The highlight for me is the chef "cook-off" where Tafe Trainees, High School Students and professional Chefs all vie for the winning trophy.  I would not like to be a judge as I'm sure the food tasted as good as it looked.
The first cook-off started at 9.30am and I sat through two full sessions that ended at about noon.

This lovely girl smiled every time I pointed the camera at her.

Liam Flynn from Flynns Restaurant, Yungaburra

The Peace Lutheran College students, Alexandria and George,  were competing and as they were right in my vision I concentrated on what they were cooking.......lamb kebabs with roasted vegetable couscous and a fresh tomato sauce for main meal and lemon meringue tartlets for dessert.  I watched Alexandria make the tarts and pop them in the oven.  When she went to take them out of the oven somehow the whole tray upended into the bottom of the oven.  They couldn't be saved.....poor girl.  Anyway they quickly re-grouped and instead of a dessert they made an entree from the leftover ingredients from the main.  Splendid recovery!

The last time we saw the little lemon meringue tartlets!

The qualified chefs that "cooked off" were Liam Flynn from Flynns at Yungaburra, Dan Daw from Barron Valley Hotel Atherton, and Benjamin Hendy from Red Beret in Cairns.  We have eaten at Flynns numerous times so I was very interested in Liams cooking.  It looked sensational, in fact all the plates were beautifully presented and looked very appetising.  All the chefs are given a "mystery" box of ingredients and then have ten minutes to come up with an entree and main meal and 45 minutes to present the meal.

After sitting through two sessions I was very hungry. Lunch was a difficult choice as there are literally dozens of food outlets and each and every one smelt so good as you walked past but I eventually decided on a Mexican Crepe.  The wait for the crepe was extraordinarily long but well worth it.  It was so delicious.  I didn't get a photo because after my half hour wait I was really, REALLY  hungry. Of course I followed the savoury with a sweet, this time Greek and I couldn't pronounce the name but it was a lemony custard filo pastry and needless to say.....Yummy!
After lunch I went for a nice long walk around the grounds.  The festival is at the Chinese Temple Gardens on the western side of Atherton and everywhere you walk you come across lovely chinese pieces.  Some are considered good luck like this one

and this one is the lotus flower

There were hundreds of people milling around the various stalls and I think the organising committee would have been happy with the numbers even though it was a miserable day.

Nick from Nicks Restaurant in Yungabura and another fellow were put in "jail" and had to sing for their supper...very well I might add.  They were collecting donations for charity.

As I left the grounds and headed towards my car I passed a vintage car display.  The owners should  be very proud of their restorations!

I thoroughly enjoyed the day and my congratulations go to the Rotary Club for putting on such a wonderful festival every year.  I look forward to 2016.