This year’s Winter Feast is set to be the “best ever”, despite the cancellation of most other Dark Mofo events, ahead of the festival’s opening at 4pm today.
Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds says the event will be free for locals on both Sundays, with a variety of food and drink options available.
“I really encourage everyone who’s in Tassie already, in Hobart, to definitely get down here at least a couple of times in the next few weeks,” she said.
Winter Feast food curator Amanda Vallis says there are over 75 stallholders involved in the event this year, including 25 new operators.
“We have everything on offer from deer milk ice cream from our guest chef Vaughan Mabee in partnership with Vince Trim and Nepalese food, Ethiopian food,” she said.
“We’ve got a beautiful new sparkling wine bar by Joseph Burton as well. So lots for everyone here.”
She said stallholders enjoy the event for the sense of community and camaraderie.
“Everyone’s really here to support each other and lift each other up,” she said.
When asked about the customer experience, the curator said the focus is on “trying to establish that really important balance” between new and returning stallholders.
“So giving new operators a chance to showcase what they offer but also making sure that we’re bringing back those favourites and those classics that people know and love,” she said.
“Such as Squidward Pops by Formosa Bites and Apple Pies by Gemdale Farm. They’re some of the favourites that are coming here every year.”
Despite a reduced Dark Mofo program, the curator said she believes the Winter Feast will still be busy.
“I think I’ve reflected back with the reduced program this year. I’ve thought back to 2021 which was before I was involved in the Winter Feast but I came as a visitor,” she said.
“And you might remember that we were closed to many states around Australia at that time but the feast was absolutely packed and buzzing at that time.”
“So I think that there is certainly so much love for this event around Tasmania and also interstate and there’s just so much for everyone here so I think there’ll still be a good vibe and lots of people here.”
New Zealand chef Vaughan Mabee is bringing his unique style of wild cooking to Hobart for this year’s Dark Mofo festival.
Mabee, known for his Queenstown restaurant Rata, will be collaborating with local legend Vince Trim to create a “surf and turf” dish featuring fallow deer from the island’s west coast and Australian king prawns.
“We’re using Australian king prawns for a sauce and it’s kind of seasoned with the almost cheesiness of penicillin,” Mabee told Pulse.
“So it’s like a surf and turf dish that we’re doing for hundreds of people a night, which has got a real impact.”
He will also be serving a dessert made from deer milk ice cream shaped into antlers, complete with a “crazy deer antler blood sauce” made from beetroot.
“It’ll just add to the fun of it, you know,” Mabee said.
Vince Trim, who has been the head chef of the Dark Feast for several years, said the festival’s new fire will be able to cook six whole deer and 10 wallabies at a time.
“It’s going to be pretty cool,” he said.
“We’ll be able to walk around and people will be able to get a view of what we’re doing all the way around.”
The Winter Feast will be held from June 12th to 23rd at Hobart’s PW1 precinct.
