Frank Galati is a champion winemaker. He might not be a household name, but the 79-year-old who arrived in Australia from his native Italy in 1955 has been making wine for 45 years, and last year won both the red wine and country wine categories at the . Galati represents much of what the festival is about: a celebration of the culinary and cultural diversity of Melbourne’s inner-north.
This year he’s thinking of entering his strawberry wine and a parsley wine he’s recently made. “If I feel like it, I’m not sure yet, I’m not young anymore,” he laughs.
The Festival, running from 29 May to 4 June ( go on sale today) had its first incarnation in 2004, when the Darebin Council’s Department of Multicultural Affairs decided to hold an event to connect the community with Italian homemade winemakers, people like Frank Galati. On a weekday afternoon, about 30 people attended an Italian senior’s club to taste homemade wine and talk about that tradition. Fast forward 13 years and that small get-together has grown into a rich celebration of cultural diversity that runs over the course of a week and sees up to 1500 people visit its events.
Darebin Event coordinator Emily Fuller says that she thinks of the events as “old meet new”. “Greek and Italian cultures are so strong in the north of Melbourne” and, she adds, the evolution of the Festival highlights the growth of Indian and African cultures in the area, as well as interest in ethical cuisines such as veganism and reemerging trends like fermenting.
Ajvar is a traditional red capsicum preserve - here's that's been enjoyed by many generations of one Serbian family.
Source: Marija Petrović
The classes reflect the cultural mix of the area, with categories for red, white and country wines, preserved olives, tomato passata and ajvar (a roasted red capsicum relish).
Fuller says she has no trouble finding willing participants for the festival: “It has its own momentum, people just love getting involved.”
One new event that Fuller is excited about involves the team from Ethiopian restaurant b, in the suburb of Northcote, who have offered to hold a traditional Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony. “They were so excited to get involved and are really keen to share their culture,” Fuller says. “One of the reasons they opened here [Northcote] is because they knew the community would be interested in their culture.”
There is a consistent theme of sharing knowledge. “Wisdom from the older people in the community is precious,” says Fuller. “Ordinary people have amazing stories.” The human connection and eating together is also pivotal, “You can learn how to do anything on the internet, but people want that connection,” she adds, “they want to break bread together.”
A collaboration with social enterprise Free to Feed is another new event this year. Founded eighteen months ago by husband-and-wife Loretta and Daniel Bolotin, was set up to “celebrate the culinary contributions of people who are newly arrived in Australia,” says Loretta. They are holding two dinners – a Sri Lankan pop-up dinner and a Syrian Supper - and a cooking class called Sweet Persian Delights. The Syrian Supper will be cooked by chef, Nayran, who owned and operated her own restaurant in Damascus before the civil war. “Nayran is serving a mezze, a mix of dishes she served in her own restaurant and using her own Bakharat spice recipe. Her menu is very personal and it’s very nurturing to sit at her table,” says Loretta.
Other events range from and -making demonstrations to a – come along with a grandparent and share stories and recipes. The connects newly arrived migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and international students with established Australians over a shared meal, with those who attend encouraged to bring a favourite dish to share, while Local Legends is a series of free talks showcasing local heroes including .
Local legend Silvio Serpa Source: Darebin handmade Food Festival
runs 29 May to 4 June.
