Renowned British chef, restaurateur and television personality Marco Pierre White, will return to WA as part of a blockbuster line-up of talent secured for the Western Australia Gourmet Escape; the State's flagship food and wine festival in November.
Pierre White, who attended Margaret River Gourmet Escape in 2015, will be joined by other big names on the international food scene including American chef, television personality and founder of the Momofuku restaurant group, David Chang.
Kobus van der Merwe, the chef who clinched 'Restaurant of the Year' at the first edition of The World Restaurant Awards for his South African restaurant Wolfgat, has also been locked in for the festival, alongside a host of international and Australian talent.
This year's Western Australia Gourmet Escape will run over 10 days at three unique WA destinations; the Swan Valley, Perth and Margaret River.
The Swan Valley and Perth will host the opening program of events from November 8 to 14, which celebrates the region's produce in cooking formats ranging from food trucks to fire pits. Highlights include appearances by Marco Pierre White, a performance by Australian band The Rubens and the new World Gourmet Symposium.
Margaret River will continue the culinary adventures from November 15-17 with a program that focuses on the region's famous wine, alongside spectacular forest and coastal scenery.
David Chang, internationally acclaimed chef Pierre Koffmann and Australian nomadic chef Paul Iskov, will all make appearances at Margaret River, with the popular Westpac Gourmet Beach BBQ and Gourmet Village at Leeuwin Estate returning as part of the new format.
It will be the first time the event has been run in its new expanded format, with the longer time period and added locations designed to attract more visitors from interstate and overseas.
Western Australia Gourmet Escape tickets go on sale at 7am on Thursday week (July 18).
For full event details, visit http://www.gourmetescape.com.au
As stated by Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan:
"Western Australia Gourmet Escape will continue to build on the first-class international reputation earned by Margaret River Gourmet Escape.
"The WA fresh produce, seafood and boutique beverages produced by our regional areas and loved around the world, will continue to be at the heart of this festival.
"Together with the stunning South-West scenery, it's created a winning combination that encourages spending, jobs and a strong future for regional WA."
As stated by Acting Tourism Minister Bill Johnston:
"Many culinary superstars come back year after year for WA's unique fresh produce served up in spectacular surroundings.
"It's this experience that's propelled this event and our State to the top of global travel hotlists.
"MasterChef Australia's WA Week episodes air this week, highlighting the amazing local ingredients and attractions of the Swan Valley, Perth and Margaret River.
"These are the same locations for this year's expanded Western Australia Gourmet Escape, making it a perfect tie-in to Tourism WA's current campaign tempting east coast foodie fans to WA to create their own Gourmet Escape."
